The Anxiety of Parenting

/in , , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Motherhood is not so colorful...Look around you, do you see us? We’re not hard to notice. We are the current crop of modern day parents doing our best to care for our children while tending to the sometimes overflowing spring of anxiety stirring beneath the surface. (Full disclosure here…as a working mom of two school-aged children, I count myself as one of them.)

For some parents the anxiety seeps out of their pores and is tangible in their aura, for others it’s a little better concealed but nonetheless just as potent and jarring. (Personally … Read More

Read more

Honoring the Mothers Who Shape Us

/in , , , /by

by Veronica Vaiti, LCSW-R

Mother with her baby. Photo in old image style.I attended my first blessing circle recently for a most precious friend and mother. This blessing circle took the place of our culturally accepted and expected “baby shower” and so instead of showering the second-time-around-mom- to-be with gifts of baby booties and onesies, we bestowed gifts of love, friendship, support, positive energy and blessings for a smooth birthing process.

What touched me most about this ritual was how we began. We were asked to introduce ourselves to one another via our lineage of mothers as far … Read More

Read more

Why its Crucial to do NOTHING!

/in , , , , , , /by

by Veronica Vaiti, LCSW-R

woman sitting outdoorsIn our culture, especially the NYC Metro area culture where it tends to be all about ambition and success and striving to become or make something, the notion of sitting and vegging out and doing nothing can seem improbable, impossible and at worst lazy! I’d like to counter that thought and galvanize a movement of “Nothing-doers” to encourage people everywhere who are over-scheduled, over-stressed and overwhelmed or even people who seem to have it all “in-check” to pencil in some time to sit, chill, veg-out … Read More

Read more

The Need to Normalize and Prioritize Discussion of Mental Health

/in , , , , , , , , , /by

by Veronica Vaiti, LCSW-R

Recently Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wrote an editorial in which he outlined the necessity for placing Mental Health at #1 on the agenda of news pundits and journalists to address in their work. To those of us who work in the field of mental health, what Mr. Kristof writes resonates deeply on a visceral level; for our purpose in entering this field of work is exactly that – tending to those who struggle with and hopefully thereby easing the burden of the various … Read More

Read more

What Does It Take To Be HAPPY?

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

by Veronica Vaiti, LCSW-R

A conversation on the topic of “happiness” is a common one occurring within the walls of a psychotherapy office. Not so long ago, I had one such conversation with a client in which they offered me two varying perspectives on “happiness” that they felt were possible to hold simultaneously but struggled to do so. These two perspectives are as follows….

Aristotle: ” Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”

Comedian/Actor, Dennis Leary: “Happiness comes in small … Read More

Read more