Abbie Ames Counseling LLC

Abbie Ames Counseling LLC EMDR therapy for women and moms in Columbus and across Ohio.

You were told it takes a village…While also somehow being expected to do everything yourself. 😤That contradiction is a h...
06/05/2026

You were told it takes a village…

While also somehow being expected to do everything yourself. 😤

That contradiction is a huge reason so many moms feel completely maxed out all the time.

A lot of us are parenting without:
→ Built-in family support
→ Actual downtime
→ Shared emotional labor
→ Affordable help
→ Space to recover

But WITH:
→ Constant stimulation
→ Constant pressure
→ Social media telling us how to parent “correctly”
→ Invisible mental load
→ The emotional weight of trying to break cycles while raising tiny humans

Millennial moms aren’t “bad at coping”, the expectations changed dramatically.

Which is why so many moms feel overstimulated, emotionally exhausted, and like they’re failing even when they’re trying incredibly hard. 😮‍💨

🫶 Follow along if you’re trying to raise emotionally healthy kids without completely abandoning yourself in the process.

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*All information on this account is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not clinical advice or a replacement for mental health care or therapy.

I know a lot of millennial moms struggle to actually believe that. 🫶Most of us grew up learning productivity first, rest...
06/03/2026

I know a lot of millennial moms struggle to actually believe that. 🫶

Most of us grew up learning productivity first, rest later.

We were told to "keep going", "don’t be lazy", and to "push through it".

Now, even when your body is exhausted, your brain is still trying to convince you that you haven’t earned rest yet. 😮‍💨

Your nervous system was never meant to function in constant survival mode.

You are allowed to:
→ Sit down before everything is done
→ Ask for help
→ Take breaks without justifying them
→ Need rest before burnout forces it on you

Rest isn’t something you unlock after proving your worth.

🤯 It’s a basic human need.

What’s something you wish moms were allowed to say out loud more often?

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*All information on this account is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not clinical advice or a replacement for mental health care or therapy.

06/01/2026

Nothing prepares your nervous system for the amount of constant interruption that comes with motherhood. 😅

Someone always needs something, is touching you, or yelling “mom” from another room like it’s an emergency when they literally just want a snack.

😮‍💨 It’s a lot.

No wonder so many moms feel overstimulated all the time.

🤔 As a mom, what horror story would you add to this list?

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*All information on this account is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not clinical advice or a replacement for mental health care or therapy.

If your nervous system feels fried, try something surprisingly simple...And no, it's not another tool, or another mindse...
05/29/2026

If your nervous system feels fried, try something surprisingly simple...

And no, it's not another tool, or another mindset shift.

🤔 It's something familiar.

A nostalgic reset is going back to something that once felt safe, light, or easy.

Before everything started feeling so heavy.

It might be:
→ A comfort show you’ve seen a hundred times.
→ Music you had on repeat in a different season of life.
→ A snack, smell, or routine that instantly feels familiar.
→ Even something like coloring, gaming, or a childhood hobby you forgot you loved.

It's grounding, because your brain recognizes it faster than it can analyze it.

You’re giving your system something it already knows how to settle into.

❤️ What’s something from your childhood you still love?

*All information on this account is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not clinical advice or a replacement for mental health care or therapy."

05/27/2026

Crying because one day I won’t randomly find a stuffed Luigi riding shotgun. 😭

Or Batman Legos in places they definitely don't belong.

Right now, it feels like clutter, like one more thing to pick up.

But it’s also evidence of a life that’s very full.

Of imaginations that don’t stay in one room, of little hands that carry their favorite things everywhere, of a season that’s loud, messy, and constantly in motion.

🥹 And one day it won’t be, at least not in the same way.

Which is a weird kind of heartbreak no one really prepares you for. ❤️

*All information on this account is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not clinical advice or a replacement for mental health care or therapy.

Grief has a way of moving in waves.Some days it sits quietly in the background… And other days it rises without warning,...
05/25/2026

Grief has a way of moving in waves.

Some days it sits quietly in the background…

And other days it rises without warning, especially on days like today.

You don’t have to make meaning out of everything you feel.

You don’t have to force perspective, gratitude, or closure.

🫶 Just letting it be here, without pushing it away, can be enough.

If today feels heavy, you don’t have to carry it quietly.

❤️ And if you feel called to, you’re welcome to share their name in the comments as a way to honor them.

*All information on this account is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not clinical advice or a replacement for mental health care or therapy."

That immediate guilt you feel after you set a boundary can feel loud and convincing.But believe it or not, it’s not a si...
05/22/2026

That immediate guilt you feel after you set a boundary can feel loud and convincing.

But believe it or not, it’s not a sign you made the wrong choice. 🤯

It’s actually your nervous system reacting to the possibility of disconnection.

If you were conditioned to keep connection by accommodating others, your system learned that “no” can feel unsafe, even when it’s healthy.

In the moment after you set a boundary, try this:
→ Pause before you respond to the guilt.
→ Name it: “This is guilt, not danger.”
→ Bring your attention back to your body (slow exhale, hand on chest, feet on the ground).

Instead of immediately fixing the discomfort by taking the boundary back, you start teaching your system that you can feel this and stay here anyway.

💪 And over time, that reaction gets quieter.

If you’re realizing this isn’t just “bad boundaries” but a deeper nervous system pattern, this is exactly the kind of work we do in EMDR therapy.

✨ More info is in the link in my bio.

*All information on this account is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not clinical advice or a replacement for mental health care or therapy."

05/20/2026

Anyone else traumatized by this scene from Final Destination 2, every single time they get behind the wheel?
(please tell me it's not just me 😅)
.. You’re just driving, nothing’s wrong, and then out of nowhere your brain is like: “but what if.”

Cue the full-body tension, the quick mental image, and the split-second dread like it’s already happening.

And then just as fast… you’re back. 😮‍💨

It might feel random (or even a little ridiculous), but this is actually a really common anxiety pattern. Especially if you tend to carry a lot of responsibility, or your nervous system is used to staying a little on edge.

So no… you’re not “crazy” for having those thoughts pop in. It’s just your brain doing its job a little too well. 🫠

*All information on this account is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not clinical advice or a replacement for mental health care or therapy.

Sometimes you know exactly why you feel the way you do… and you still don’t feel different. 😭A lot of the healing people...
05/18/2026

Sometimes you know exactly why you feel the way you do… and you still don’t feel different. 😭

A lot of the healing people describe after EMDR therapy or intensives isn’t “new information”.

It’s their body no longer reacting like the past is still happening.

EMDR therapy and other trauma-focused approaches help the brain and body actually reprocess stored experiences, not just understand them intellectually.

So instead of staying in the loop of “I get it, but nothing changes”...

People often start noticing: “I feel lighter… calmer… like it’s no longer gripping me the same way.”

Save this if you’ve been starting to wonder whether understanding it has been enough on its own.

05/15/2026

Sometimes what looks “irrational” on the surface actually makes a lot of sense underneath.

Spending money you didn’t plan to, numbing out, avoiding, overdoing, shutting down, or repeating the same thing even when you know better. 😮‍💨

Your brain is trying to cope the best way it knows how, especially if something in that moment feels overwhelming, heavy, or familiar in a deeper way.

So it reaches for something that brings relief, distraction, or control… even if it doesn’t make sense later.

🤯 That’s why talking about it can only take you so far.

You don’t just need more insight.
Your brain + body just need to actually process what’s underneath the pattern.

EMDR therapy helps uncover what's underneath.

Instead of just understanding the behavior, we start to shift the 'why it keeps happening' part.
So you’re not stuck in the same loops, wondering why nothing is shifting.

If you’ve done years of talking and still feel like nothing’s actually changing… let’s do something different.
🔗 Link in bio to learn more.

*All information on this account is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not clinical advice or a replacement for mental health care or therapy.

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951 High Street Suite 202
Worthington, OH
43085

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