In my work as a therapist in the San Gabriel Valley, I’ve seen how healing often begins with understanding and reclaiming our identity—especially for Asian American women. The term Asian American may appear to be a singular category, but in reality, it reflects an incredibly diverse and layered experience—shaped by immigration, cultural history, spiritual traditions, and societal expectations.

In this post, I invite you to reflect on what it means to approach your Asian American identity mindfully—embracing your story with gentleness and curiosity, so you can live more freely in the present. (click for more)

In high-stress environments—especially those shaped by the emotional and mental demands of an academic year or service-based roles—teams often carry unseen burdens. Fatigue, burnout, and disconnection can quietly accumulate. What’s often missing isn’t more productivity hacks or to-do lists, but a deeper sense of connection: to self, to one another, and to purpose.

That’s where mindfulness-based team trainings come in. (Please scroll for more)

Have you ever found yourself feeling overwhelmed, emotionally drained, or disconnected from the people around you? If so, you’re not alone—and you’re not without tools. One of the simplest yet most powerful practices you can begin today is meditation. But why should we be meditating? And what are the actual benefits we can expect to see, both inwardly and outwardly? (click for more)

An existential crisis can be pragmatic and a healthy starting point to assess where you spend your time and energy and recommit to a reinvigorated, and transformative future.

Mindfulness and Anti-Aging: A Vital Practice for Perimenopausal Women

Aging is inevitable, but how we age is largely within our control. In recent years, the focus has shifted from merely looking younger to embracing longevity, vitality, and overall well-being. For perimenopausal and menopausal women, this shift is even more crucial as hormonal changes impact both physical and emotional health. While exercise, nutrition, and sleep are well-known factors in healthy aging, one often-overlooked key to a vibrant life is emotional balance through mindfulness.

The Role of Mindfulness in Anti-Aging….click for more

Image by @rcrazy

When we can come back to the basics of mindfulness practice, we start by re-balancing and healing ourselves. Then, we can engage with the world and relate to others with compassion, empathy, while also holding space for our own disappointments, fears and worries. It is a both/and. Click for more….

Fight Response: In times of challenge, like election season, feeling a drive to fight for justice is a powerful response. Cultivating a mindfulness practice can help channel this energy effectively, bringing clarity to our actions

The gap between achievement and happiness is about a lack of conscious awareness of one’s internal world, and skillful change. People who like the intense but fleeting feelings that follow achievement may not have a strong, resilient sense of self.

They chase that brief moment of joy, and then lose sight of who they are becoming. Soon enough, high and serial achievers may evolve into someone they don’t recognize. (click to read on)

As the golden days of summer begin to wane, August offers a perfect opportunity to reflect on how we've embraced our summer values. This introspective process not only helps us make the most of the season's final weeks but also prepares us for a purposeful transition into fall. Let's explore how to identify and nourish your summer values, ensuring a fulfilling end to this sun-soaked season.

Understanding Summer Values

Summer values are the principles and experiences we prioritize during this vibrant time of year. They often include: (click for more)

Understanding the Impact of Political Stress

In today’s world, it’s impossible to ignore the constant barrage of political news and events. These happenings can be overwhelming, causing significant stress and anxiety. Our brains, bodies, and souls naturally seek patterns of stability to signal safety and rest. When these patterns are disrupted by political turmoil, it’s crucial to prioritize self-care to maintain mental and emotional well-being…(click for more)

Navigating Menopause with Mindfulness: Finding Peace Amidst Change

The transition into perimenopause and menopause is a significant life stage marked by numerous psychological and physical changes. This period can often feel overwhelming, leading to moments where you question your reality, sense of self, and overall stability. Common symptoms like night sweats, insomnia, and a general sense of unease can exacerbate anxiety, leaving you feeling lost and confused (click for more)…

Integration is a way to be mindful. We attend and attune to all that is conflicted within in service to the world that is conflicted throughout.

It is the idea that we are holistic beings in our humanness, and integration knits what was split apart. (see more for mindfulness meditation prompt)

Healing in therapy is a transformative process that brings relief from the symptoms that initially led you to seek help. It can manifest in various ways depending on your specific needs and circumstances.

As we usher in the Year of the Dragon, let's harness the strength and resilience of this powerful symbol to prioritize our mental well-being. Just as the dragon embodies courage and vitality, cultivating inner strength to face life's challenges with resilience and grace can be work done in therapy. Remember, it's okay to seek support and take care of your mental health journey. As an Asian American therapist, I have noticed that our visibility, our strengths and our challenges tend to be placed on the back-burner for the sake of assimilation, or as an effort to stay culturally humble. However, our voices need to be heard, we have cultural collective and individual strengths to share with our spheres of influence. This new year, let's cultivate self-compassion, seek support when needed, and embrace our cultural strengths to promote resilience and well-being. Wishing you all a year filled with peace, prosperity, and mental wellness. Happy Lunar New Year! 🎊🏮🧧 

When Elmo—yes that Elmo from Sesame Street—recently asked everyone how they were doing on X, many folks took the opportunity to vent their emotional response to the state of the world. It was bittersweet to read what folks posted. Responses to his (can we refer to an imaginary muppet as a person-based pronoun?) post, delved into the psyche of society-at-large these days. “Trauma-dumping” was the best way to describe what Elmo got back from his innocent, off-the-cuff inquiry. So, what is trauma dumping, and are there positive effects?

Healthy mental health tips as we end the year and look ahead.

Support is the most effective way to promote your wellness, health, mental health and collective wellbeing.

Whether it’s finances, existential worries, grief and/or tension from our global realities, cultivating a healthy mind, body and soul to navigate through this season will help you feel good, despite.

Sometimes we underestimate our mental health and our mental well-being. We aren't taught how to care for ourselves mentally often enough in school. Or, often our families neglect the psychological experience that we have when growing up. There are so many other issues and needs that we need to attend to in life, it seems.

However, the foundation of our wellness and our ability to make good decisions, and our capacity to take on the things that we want to (including responsibilities or obligations) are really related to our mental Health capacity.

For instance, do you wonder why you get exhausted when you've had a conflict during the day or feel stress? That’s because our bodies respond when we have limited mental health capacity–we push ourselves, psychologically.

And, when you push your feelings down–whether you do so consciously or unconsciously, delaying therapeutic help can lead to negative emotions that feel more and more out of your control.

Christian mindfulness practice can help you get to the heart and soul of your practice. When we are burned out, we often feel numb, overwhelming stress, detachment, and loss of purpose and concentration. Unaddressed, burnout can lead to increased anxiety or even depression.

Christian mindfulness helps us re-center our thoughts and experience of life in the larger purpose that God has for you. As divine image-bearers, we already have purpose, we can exercise our agency and freedom to work, live and move in the world with dignity.