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Tolly Amaxopoulos

@dr.tolly

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Dr. Tolly Amaxopoulos, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist, Brain Health Coach (Amen Clinics)

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by @dr.tolly

by @dr.tolly

Happy birthday to our little girl. Between tantrums you’re the best! Very curious to see which you will like more: building a pc, hitting a tennis ball, swimming, or throwing a punch lol by @dr.tolly

Photo drop! We have been so busy working and traveling I have not had a chance to turn my thoughts into helpful content. Super thankful for Natalia for locking it down while I work round the clock. Best mom and partner I could ask for. I still take notes almost daily on future posts, but we have been revamping power-year on a completely different platform that will make it even more powerful but it's offline until September: ( but until then, here's what we've been up ❤️ by @dr.tolly

It’s been an insanely busy year! A couple exciting projects on the horizon and watching Athena getting older should keep me busy for the foreseeable future 😂 by @dr.tolly

They say that everyone you meet is just getting out of a crisis, in the middle of one, or about to get into one. 🧟‍♂️

It's easy to think that the most important thing in life is what happens to you.😳

But, actually, the most important thing is how you react to what happens to you. 🤠

You know what’s not a great feeling?🤢

When you’re having a bad day. You might have had an argument with your partner, or maybe your cat died. Whatever it is, it sucks—like, really bad.🙅

It’s understandable that we want to retreat into ourselves when things go wrong. But sometimes, the way we handle these situations can be counterproductive to our emotional well-being. When we isolate ourselves from other people and try to cope on our own, we end up creating more problems for ourselves than there were in the first place.🧲

One of the best ways to handle setbacks is by cultivating a sense of universality: knowing that anyone else would experience the same feelings you’re going through if they were in your exact situation (and probably worse!). 🧿

Sometimes, the universe just wants to remind you that this too shall pass.🏖

I know it's hard to believe. I mean, who wants to be reminded that they're going through something that has happened to everyone before? And yet, that's the beauty of it. A sense of universality allows you to see that others have likely been through this before, you aren't cursed and you aren't going through more bad things than some fictitious person you may be comparing yourself to in your mind. Set backs happen to everyone and it's all good.... baby baby.👑
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#adhd #adhdadult #adhdawareness #adhdawarenessmonth #adhdbrain #adhdentertainment #adhdexplained #adhdinspiration #adhdisreal #adhdkids #adhdlife #adhdmemes #adhdmom #adhdparent #adhdparenting #adhdproblems #adhdprobs #adhdquotes #adhdsolutions #adhdstruggles #adhdsupport #adhdtips #adhdtribe #adhdwomen #adultadhd #anxiety #depression #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #neurodiversity by @dr.tolly

“We are not thinking machines. We are feeling machines that think”
Antonio Damasio

Both hemispheres of our brain don’t fully fuse until we are around 7 years old. Until then, we interpret the world in emotional wavelengths. Kids know when they are safe, and when they are in danger, and they can’t really inhibit these responses for a long time.
Unfortunately for our brains, we don’t live in a society where we can marinate in an emotion or two, let it process and move on with life. We bear witness to atrocities, personal violations, and mild irritants on a moment to moment basis. Just scroll through your IG feed if you don’t believe me. Fortunately-ish, our brain has built in defense mechanisms that can numb us to these experiences, or we would probably not getting anything of value done in the world, but that mechanism has a cost as well, we may be vastly separated from our own emotional experience, and it gets worse. Our emotions guide our instincts and decision making, so the greater the distance, the more likely suboptimal choices will be made… So what is the solution? Visit www.power-year.com to find out! Just kidding, take a screen shot of this emotional wheel and start from the inside to get familiar with the broad strokes, then work your way to the corners. This should bring some relief in and of itself. If you want some bonus work here, if someone has elicited these feelings in you (they can’t actually do that but that’s another post), tell the person how you feel, what your basic need is (to be understood, respected, valued, etc) and make a request. The cool thing about this is that it does not guarantee your need will be met, but stating your needs in not critical ways can get you a really far way! Sounds crazy, but it works. If you are met with defensiveness, the person likely heard a criticism. All good, try again next time, and Strike When The Iron Is Cold ⁣
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#adhd #adhdadult #adhdawareness #adhdawarenessmonth #adhdbrain #adhdentertainment #adhdexplained #adhdinspiration #adhdisreal #adhdkids #adhdlife #adhdmemes #adhdmom #adhdparent #adhdparenting #adhdproblems #adhdprobs #adhdquotes #adhdsolutions #adhdstruggles #adhdsupport by @dr.tolly

Teenager driving you crazy? Choose to find humor or gratitude in the situation instead of an outburst. Refrain. Hold back. Listen.

Choosing between staying home to relax or hitting the gym for some neurotransmitter enhancement? Ground and pound.

Working on social anxiety? the choice to put yourself out there over and over again until you become desensitized to the discomfort of spontaneous interactions and have manageable levels of anxiety is not easy!

So there you have it. The best choices are usually the most difficult because they tend to delay our gratification. But... they usually bring the most lasting happiness.

I don't really talk about my 40 lbs weight loss journey too often, not for any particular reason, but let me tell you, the choices that I made were of a cumulative nature. Sleep more and earlier, less appetizers :(, tracking and weighing food, creating a deep and complex relationship with my my air fryer lol.

I was talking to a friend last week and he reminded me when we used to grab lunch, I would go full throttle, chicken parm with pasta and a coke would not have been out of the norm. My goodness. Don't get me wrong, I was living my best life in a lot of ways and my happiness has not changed since those days, but my energy levels and overall sharpness are irreplaceable. And now, if I have a meal like that, it's rarely worth it after, but I just chalk that up to the addictive elements in food that trigger cravings. But anyway, make some tough choices today, your future self will likely thank you ;) by @dr.tolly

Anger is a tool. It's not good or bad—it's just there to help you get through life. But like any tool, it can be used poorly or well.

Anger is experienced when your boundaries are violated. When someone cuts you off on the highway, you feel anger because it violates your sense of personal space and safety. If your boss asks you to do something unreasonable, you feel anger because it violates your sense of fairness and justice. And if someone treats you with disrespect or contempt, that too can trigger anger because it violates your sense of worthiness.

Anger is bad for you body on a continual basis. If you're angry all the time, then your body will start to deteriorate—your heart will be strained from pumping harder; your digestive system will be strained from trying to digest food in an agitated state; and so on and so forth. Over time, this can lead to serious health problems like high blood pressure or heart disease.

Here are 5 things you can do when you're triggered:

1. Don't do anything. Seriously, just chill out and take a deep breath. Think about the fact that your life is fleeting and will be over in a flash, so what's the point of getting upset about something that will be gone before you know it?

2. Distract yourself to the best of your abilities.

3. Talk to someone about how angry you are—it'll help get it off your chest, and it'll make them feel better because they'll feel like they helped you out. We call this "verbally ventilating!"

4. Get some exercise! It's scientifically proven that anger is reduced by exercise, so take your dog for a walk or go for a run around the block—you'll feel better afterward! Or bonus points, go find some heavy weight to pick up off the ground, and put them back down over and over again ;)

5. Change your focus. What is going well? Start listing them. Don’t let anger posses you.

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#angelica #angelsarebeautiful #anger #angermanagement #anxiety #blackandwhitephotography #bnwphotography #bw #casiangeles #emotions #feelings #frustration #healing #inspireangelo #love #loveforever #lovelive #lovely #lovequotes #lovers #loves #lovestory #loveyou #loveyourbody #m1keangelo by @dr.tolly

by @dr.tolly

Have you ever wondered whether or not you have ADHD? 🙋⁣
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⭐The only TRUE way to know if you have ADHD is the receive an official diagnosis from your doctor. ⁣
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However, as with any condition, there are several common symptoms and patterns of behavior that many people with an ADHD brain share: ⁣
🧠 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 - Everyone misplaces their phone or car keys every once in a while, but for someone with ADHD, this may happen more often. ⁣
🧠𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 - Time management is a common struggle for the ADHD brain. ⁣
🧠 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 - Is your desk a mess? Do you struggle maintain a schedule? ⁣
🧠 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 - Have you always been a big feeler? Are you prone to moodiness or irritability? ⁣
🧠 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 - For someone with ADHD, distractions are a daily struggle! ⁣
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Important Note: The presence of some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have ADHD. If you think you might, reach out to your doctor for an official evaluation. ⁣
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If you DO have an official ADHD diagnosis, what would you add to this list? ⁣
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#adhd #adhdawareness #adhdbrain #adhdsupport #womenshealth #brain #brainwellness #mentalhealth #menopausesupport #brainhealth #health #healthy #medicine #brainpower #mindfulness #brainfood #memory #anxiety #wellness #weighttraining #revision #menopausal #meditation #fitness #braintraining #menopause #adhdlife #adhdmemes #adhdproblems #adhdprobs by @dr.tolly

If you are in search of it, you will find it! This is a gentle reminder to find the good. ❤️⁠
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#adhd #adhdawareness #adhdbrain #adhdsupport #womenshealth #brain #brainwellness #mentalhealth #menopausesupport #brainhealth #health #healthy #medicine #brainpower #mindfulness #brainfood #memory #anxiety #wellness #weighttraining #revision #menopausal #meditation #fitness #braintraining #menopause #adhdlife #adhdmemes #adhdproblems #adhdprobs by @dr.tolly