Jennifer L. Ayres, Ph.D., ABPP, HSP

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Still River Reflections

Get practical wisdom about life’s messy moments and how to navigate them.

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Personal Growth
Resilience
Treat the Water: Reflections on Personal Growth, Healing, and Hope
A story about three carnival goldfish becomes a reflection on parenting, personal growth, grief, resilience,...
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Resilience
After Bad News: Finding Polka Dots of Awe During Life's Thunderstorms
Struggling after bad news? Learn why respecting resistance, feeling your emotions, and noticing moments...
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Resilience
Life Transitions and the Great Unknown
A reflection on friendship, grief, resilience, and learning to trust change during life transitions God...
beginning again after hard times
Dear Jennifer
Load the Bamboo: A Psychologist’s Guide to Beginning Again After Hard Times
Even after life gets better, beginning again after hard times can trigger anxiety, self-doubt, and emotional...
why friendships change
Relationships
Why Friendships Change Over Time: A Psychologist’s Guide to Friendship Shifts and Grief
Why friendships change over time, how to cope with friendship shifts, and how to understand the often-overlooked...
little grief
Dear Jennifer
When Little Grief Feels Big
Life transitions often bring unexpected emotional waves and little grief that arises when our lives change. Dear...
Feeling Stuck in Life
Dear Jennifer
Feeling Stuck? A Psychologist’s Guide to When Boredom Signals It May Be Time for Change
Bored. Stuck. In a rut. This reflection explores how feeling stuck often signals the beginning of change,...
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Reflective Stories
Ernesto and the Fire Horse
A gentle legend about grief, love, and the quiet ways hope returns. Follow Ernesto and his fire horse...
quiet desperation
Dear Jennifer
Quiet Desperation: Finding Freedom From Routine
Feeling trapped by routine even though life looks good on paper? A psychologist reflects on Thoreau’s...
find courage
Dear Jennifer
How to Find Courage When Your Life Falls Apart
When life suddenly falls apart, it can feel impossible to find courage. A reflection on starting over,...
self-doubt and self-compassion
Self-Compassion
How Self-Doubt and Self-Compassion Build Courage
Finding Clarity, Steadiness, and Support When Fear Overwhelms In this final blog of the three-part...
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Resilience
How to Know When It’s Time for a Change
Avoiding Burnout and Listening to Your Inner Compass Familiar habits and comfortable jobs are hard...
Personal Growth
Dear Jennifer
How to Work with Self-Doubt Instead of Letting It Stop You
A self-compassionate practice for fear, follow-through, and new beginnings Self-doubt often shows up...
How to Talk to Teens About Decisions
Parenting
How to Talk to Teens About Decisions: A Simple 4-Step Strategy That Helps
A psychologist-mom’s suggestions about how to talk to teens about decisions Parenting teenagers...
Personal Growth
Dear Jennifer
When Self-Doubt Visits: A Self-Compassionate Way to Work with Fear Instead of Fighting It
How to deal with self-doubt using self-compassion. Learn how to work with fear instead of fighting it...
Rest.Reflect.Reimagine.
Dear Jennifer
Pushing Through Procrastination: A Psychologist’s Guide to Getting Unstuck
How to Stop Procrastinating with Self-Compassion, Structure, and Curiosity Pushing through procrastination...
Resilience
Ubuntu on the Corner: How Small Acts of Kindness Build Community in Hard Times
What a Left-Turn Lane, a Kind Stranger, and My Children Taught Me About Human Connection When I read...
Embrace the Tardy: A Self-Compassion Practice
Self-Compassion
Embrace the Tardy: A Self-Compassion Practice for Busy, Imperfect Days
A psychologist reflects on motherhood, perfectionism, and how learning to “embrace the tardy” became...
Emotionally Exhausted and Overwhelmed
Dear Jennifer
Emotionally Exhausted and Overwhelmed? What to Do When You’re Burned Out and Depleted
When you’re emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed, doing more and pushing through aren't the answers....
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Grief & Loss
Collective Grief: How to Cope with Tragedy & Helplessness When the World Feels Heavy
8 grounding practices to help you stay connected, compassionate, and emotionally steady during times...
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Anxiety & Stress
Holiday Burnout at Work: How to Cope with Forced Festivity, Secret Santa Stress, and End-of-Year Overwhelm
A psychologist’s guide to navigating workplace holiday pressure and burnout, setting self-compassionate...
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