The day I changed. One year ago, my career as a therapist changed, and I, as a therapist and a mother, changed. Not because I learned a new therapeutic technique or earned another certification, attended a training, or suddenly discovered something after more than two decades of sitting across from people during some of the hardest moments of their lives. It changed because two innocent teenage girls were murdered. They were the same age as my teenage children. In the immedia

Tonight, a friend from yoga taught her first class after earning her certification. When I saw her name on the sub list, I knew I had to rearrange my work to be there, so I did. My biggest takeaway from the class (besides it being a kick-ass class) was, “You are not the same as you were before you took this class.” That made me think more about it. Every morning, we wake up “thinking”, “knowing”, and “planning” how our day will go, but by the time we get home, how many times

How making sourdough and scrubbing uniforms made me more mindful. Eddie Breader was reborn a few times, and unlike the crocheting hobby, I was determined to make him live. After several tries and a lot of flour (why is flour so expensive?), Eddie is thriving. Making sourdough taught me a patience I never expected. I don’t measure when I cook; I cook with my soul. My soul tells me how much seasoning goes into something, but sourdough, accidentally adding too much water and you

It’s where my demons hide. Yoga and adversity - life and adversity - life and failure - Yoga and success For the last month or so, I have been feeling like life is testing every skill I have to remain calm. If you are a parent and you see your kids hurting, it’s hard not to intervene, but intervening isn’t always the right answer. Letting children learn to deal with adversity is important. I’m the spicy one in the group; I have no problem saying what everyone else is thinking

A stray cat, a 17-year-old, cornflakes, sourdough, and baseball all took me out this week. Let’s start with perimenopause sucks. I am thankful that the medical community has finally started paying attention to this, which helps women feel seen and understood. I have to personally thank my doctor, Dr. A, for helping me through this insane journey. I take it upon myself to talk to every woman over 40 about the help available to her. So this week, what broke me... yes, our stray

A mother, a therapist, a yogi, a businesswoman - oh, and perimenopausal. That feels like an intro to a joke, the joke of being a middle-aged woman. Little Messes Everywhere is about me trying to navigate this life with education, research, wit, charm, sarcasm, and sheer confusion, while hoping to help others in similar situations. Without further ado, let me take a second to introduce myself. The day and hour you choose will determine which Melissa you will get. I am a mother

Why did I say navasana? I thought of my least favorite pose in yoga and the times when I grumbled in my head about it, but like navasana,...

"They died by suicide." Most of us will have a visceral reaction when we hear that. Many of us will not know how to respond. Many of us...

The other day, someone posted about seedless watermelons and commented, "Why must everything be so easy?" When I heard her say that, I...

We are not going to discuss the validity of the research methods of Erikson. What we are going to do is discuss at face value his...

Who am I? I know my titles and what people call me, but who am I? I encourage people to find who they are once their titles are gone;...

It's that time of year. You know, the one where we "need" to see family that we would not typically see or want to see—that time of year...

It's time to change the narrative. Women's mental health has always been incredibly important to me. In my over two decades of working...

I have considered myself an adaptable person for a long time. I accredit most of that to my career and quickly adapt to my clients’...

But I have to worry about my future! Well, yeah, sort of. I hear this all the time, the inability to stay present and enjoy your life,...

I have been writing this blog in my head for over three weeks. So here it goes. Returning to my office post COVID, I had this "brilliant"...

I recently read an article on picking your battles with a teenager. Now that my oldest is a teenager - I felt this article in my soul. I...

I get between 3-5 calls or emails daily asking for an appointment for new clients. Unfortunately, I have to inform them that I will not...

With the new baseball year upon us, I started thinking about how some parents overschedule their kids. What are we teaching our children...

"Every year without knowing it I have passed the day when the last fires will wave to me..." For the Anniversary of my Death by W. S....