Jennifer Harbin, MS, LPC, CCH

10/03/2026

10/02/2026

Sometimes the voice in your head is far harsher than anything you would ever say to someone you care about.

“I can’t do this.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I messed everything up.”
“Everyone else is doing better than me.”
“I should be able to handle this.”

When thoughts like these show up again and again, they can start to feel like facts. But a thought is not automatically the truth.
Changing the way you talk to yourself does not mean pretending everything is fine or forcing yourself to “think positive.” It means finding words that are fairer, kinder and more useful.

“I can’t do this” can become “What’s one part of this I can handle?”
“I messed up” can become “What matters is what I do next.”
“I’ll never get through this” can become “I don’t have to figure out everything today.”

Sometimes that small shift is enough to help you move from feeling stuck to taking one small step forward.

Which sentence on the poster do you most need to replace in your own head?

💜 Save this for a difficult day, or share it with someone who is far kinder to everyone else than they are to themselves.

FREE CHANGE THE WAY YOU TALK TO YOURSELF SELF-TALK POSTER

LIKE the photo and comment "TALK" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

09/29/2026

Sometimes “I’ll do it later” isn’t laziness.

It can be anxiety about getting it wrong. Perfectionism. Tiredness. A task that feels so big the brain simply freezes.

This shows up with homework, revision, emails, washing up, forms, laundry, creative work, even replying to a message. The longer it sits there, the heavier it can feel.

When someone is stuck, “just get on with it” rarely helps. Try making the first step almost laughably small instead.

Not “finish the assignment.”
Just open the document.

Not “clean your room.”
Put one item away.

Not “sort the paperwork.”
Find the envelope.

A messy start still counts. Five minutes still counts. One small action can be enough to loosen that stuck feeling.

And if getting started is regularly affecting school, work or daily life, especially alongside low mood, it’s okay to ask for support. Nobody should have to carry that alone.

FREE WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU CANNOT GET STARTED POSTER

LIKE the photo and comment "START" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

09/28/2026

09/28/2026

An anxious thought can feel so loud that it seems like it must be dealt with straight away.

But a thought is not an emergency. It is not always a warning. And it does not need to be proved wrong before your child, teen, or you can feel calmer.

Try a simple pause:

Notice it: “I’m having a worried thought.”
Name it: “There’s that fear again.”
Let it pass: “I don’t need to chase it.”
Come back to now: feel your feet on the floor, take one slow breath, look around the room.

Some families picture worries as leaves floating down a stream, clouds moving across the sky, or cars passing on the road. You can see them without jumping in after them.

The goal isn’t to never have anxious thoughts. It’s to learn that they can come and go without taking over the whole day.

FREE LETTING GO OF THOUGHTS: ANXIETY MINDFULNESS HANDOUT

LIKE the photo and comment "MIND" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

09/27/2026

The words you use during conflict shape what the conflict becomes. When both people are activated, the nervous system is primed for threat detection, not problem solving. The right phrase at the right moment can shift the whole direction of a conversation.

"I want to understand, not win" reorients the entire purpose of the argument. It signals that the goal isn't to be right. It's to get somewhere together. That one sentence can drop a defensive wall almost immediately.

"Can we slow down for a second" is permission for both people to breathe. Conflict that escalates quickly often does so because neither person feels heard yet. Slowing down creates the space for that to happen.

"I hear you, and I'm with you" is one of the most powerful combinations in a hard conversation. It validates without necessarily agreeing, and it reminds your partner that you haven't become their opponent just because you're disagreeing.

"Help me see what you're seeing" is an act of genuine curiosity in a moment when most people are building their counterargument. It's disarming because it's real.

And "we're on the same team here" might seem simple but it's a powerful reframe when things feel adversarial. It reminds both people what they're actually doing there.

None of these are scripts. They only work when you mean them. But practicing them in lower-stakes moments makes them available to you when it counts most.

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09/27/2026

09/27/2026

Most support fails because the wrong one arrived. Both people were trying. There are six kinds and almost nobody names which one they want.

Company is be here and say very little. The presence is the whole thing.

Witness is listen and confirm it's real. Not solve. Confirm. This is the one most people want and the one most rarely given.

Practical is take one job off me. Specific and finite. Not a general offer of help, which puts the work of delegating back on the person who's already struggling.

Perspective is tell me if I'm seeing this wrong. It's the only one where advice is actually being asked for, and it has to be requested, never volunteered.

Advocacy is be on my side out loud. Not balanced. Not fair to the other party. On my side, in this moment.

Permission is tell me it's alright to stop. To quit the thing, cancel the plan, let the standard drop this week.

The single most useful sentence in a relationship is which of these would help right now. It takes four seconds and it prevents the fight where one person was trying hard and it landed as nothing.

You're allowed to say which one you need.