When I first started working as a psychiatric nurse about five years ago, one of the tools we learned during training was the acronym HALT. HALT stands for: Hungry Angry Lonely Tired At first, I found it especially helpful when working with patients. Sometimes what appeared to be irritability, emotional reactivity, withdrawal, or escalation was actually connected to something much more basic — unmet physical or emotional needs. I saw firsthand how small things could make a meaningful...

It’s easy to move through the day focusing on what’s not working. What didn’t get done. What didn’t go as planned. What still needs attention. We’re wired that way—our brains are designed to look for problems. And if I’m being honest, this is something I still have to work on. I can be pretty hard on myself. In a recent workshop, we talked about something simple that can help shift this pattern: Noticing small wins. These aren’t big milestones or major accomplishments. They’re the small...

Change is rarely comfortable. Most of us crave predictability. Routine gives us a sense of control. When things feel steady, our nervous systems relax. But when change enters — shifting priorities, new expectations, tighter resources — we begin scanning. Scanning for what could go wrong. For worst-case scenarios. For what feels uncertain. This isn’t weakness. It’s biology. Under pressure, our brains amplify threat detection. And that thinking doesn’t stay internal. It shows up in our tone,...