Sanz Plans | Building Hope

What Do You Want To Change Today?

Please Don’t Try to Change

Don’t Try! I mean it. Don’t try to change. Not one thing. Not your bad habits, your bad behavior, or your bad attitude. Surprising advice from a therapist? Not at all! Here’s why. Trying Doesn’t Work If there is something in your life that isn’t...

How Steady Is Your Relationship?

COMFY? How Stable is Your Relationship? Take your typical 4-legged wooden stool. It’s nice and stable…if it’s got all 4 legs. You can probably even manage with 3 solid ones. But fewer than 3 and there’s instability…you don’t want to sit on a 2-legged stool. Although...

I Just Can’t Get Over It

Being able to heal past wounds and move on to live a happy, healthy life is a goal of many people who enter therapy. But what you may not realize is that in order to do this, at some point, you have to be able to let go of what has happened to you that hurt you,...

Getting a Jump on Seasonal Depression

If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, then that first cool hint of air untinged by the humidity of summer doesn’t make you feel excited for the beginning of Fall. Where others become inspired by the changing colors of Fall...

I’m Tired of Being a Survivor

Have you survived something very difficult in your life? A tough childhood? A major trauma? An abusive marriage? It takes a lot to go through the steps of naming your pain and feeling your pain and moving from being a victim of something very traumatic or painful...

Which Comes First: Depression or Fatigue?

Why are people suffering from depression almost always also very tired? The relationship of depression to fatigue is very complicated, for the following reasons: 1. Fatigue may actually precede or predict the development of depression, through mechanisms...

Your Rights and Responsibilities When You’re Sick

Being Sick Sucks The greatest wealth is health. ~Virgil Whether it’s a bad chest cold, or a serious diagnosis of a cancer tumor, being sick is just the worst. There is a process of adjusting to all of the ways our lives change when...

How to Kill Your Relationship in 10 Easy Steps

I’ve been seeing a lot of couples lately who are in the death throes of the process leading ultimately to divorce. There is no doubt in my mind that the economic and financial stress of the last 18 months is taking a huge toll on marriages out there. There’s more...

What If I Don’t Have a Higher Power?

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last 77 years (that’s when Alcoholics Anonymous first got started), you’ve heard that accessing a “Higher Power” can be helpful, if not essential, for recovery from addictions and for giving you the necessary resource to...

Mental Health Symptoms To Not Ignore

There are hundreds of symptoms that can indicate a mental health issue is developing, but it can be difficult to know when to pay attention to them and when they are not a concern. Here is a relatively simple way to be able to assess whether you are experiencing...

Ready to Begin Your Journey?

You have found the place for people who know they need to or want to make changes to be healthier, happier, and more fulfilled. It’s for people who want to lose weight, gain weight, or stop eating disordered behavior. It’s for people who want to stop walking around day after day criticizing themselves and not feeling “good enough.” I’m glad you’re here and I hope you’ll come and read often! ~Anita.

Begin Your Journey To New Hope

Dr. Anita Sanz

PHD - Clinical Psychologist

My primary aspiration in life (beyond survival!) has been to try to foster hope, create safe spaces for good work to occur, and improve well-being through co-creating unique and helpful life strategies with others. To that end, I became a licensed psychologist and coach, and have written extensively about mental and emotional wellness. Becoming the new co-host of the Giving Voice to Depression podcast fits perfectly with my intention of wanting others to know that they are not alone in their experience of struggling in the world. I believe there is so much that we can do to help each other get through… and then get to where we can thrive and enjoy life. I have worked successfully for over 25 years with clients with a broad range of mental, emotional, and physical health issues and also taught psychology classes at the University level. My own lived experience as a late-diagnosed autistic person with ME/CFS gave me a unique set of challenges that have helped me to appreciate the struggles of others with increased humility, empathy, and compassion. Because of both my training and my life experience, I am very good at breaking down the overwhelming into manageable pieces and helping my clients learn how to trust their own experience to craft life strategies that work. It brings me the greatest joy to connect with others and be able to help in whatever way I am able.

An Affirmation for Overwhelm and Procrastination

A Meditation for Peace

A Short Meditation for Sleep

Need Help Now? You may call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 anytime 24/7. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. You can find other mental health resources here: https://givingvoicetodepression.com/resources.htmPlease get help if you need it. Thank you.