Dr. Nikki Martinez: Your Mental Heatlh Minute

It’s Ok To Not Be Ok!

Topic: It's OK To Be Not OK: Acknowledging Grief and Depression

Listen to the interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Nikki Martinez discuss the following:

1. What made you think of this topic and this title?
2. I know you noted that this topic has a very personal significance to you, can you talk a bit about that?
3. What might the person thinking of harming themselves be thinking and doing around the time of the act?
4. Why might people, and especially professionals, like yourself, struggle to acknowledge grief and depression?
5. What should one remember if they or someone they know is struggling with thoughts of harming themselves?

Website: https://www.drnikkimartinez.com

Resource: https://everydaypower.com/author/nmmartinez/

https://www.huffpost.com/author/nmmartinez1313-296

Social Media:
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-martinez

The Eternal Present: Living in the Here and Now

Topic: The Eternal Present: Living in the Here and Now

Listen to the interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Nikki Martinez discuss the following:

1. When You Say "The Eternal Present," because this is a phrase we have seen used in other contexts, what do YOU mean by it?
2. To understand the benefits of being 'present,' we have to understand the harmfulness of 'living in the past,' can you say a little about that?
3. You also note that it can be unproductive to obsess about the future. Can you speak a little about that?
4. How does the concept of the "Eternal Present" represent or mirror your treatment philosophy?
5. Once people see the benefits of living in the present, do they ever 'slip up' and revert to old behaviors and ways of thinking and acting?

Website: https://www.drnikkimartinez.com

Resource: https://everydaypower.com/author/nmmartinez/

https://www.huffpost.com/author/nmmartinez1313-296

Social Media:
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-martinez

What You’re Saying When You Give Someone the Silent Treatment

Topic: What You're Saying When You Give Someone the Silent Treatment (Based on Daryl Austin's article from the Atlantic)

Listen to the interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Nikki Martinez discuss the following:

1. What are the different names and types of "Silent Treatment" that we have seen throughout history?
2. How common is it for people to 'use' the silent treatment as a tool, or to have the 'silent treatment' used against them?
3. What can be the more serious consequences of what we know as "Ostracism?"
4. What are the reasons that people become perpetrators of silent treatment?
5. What can be the real-world impact on the victims of the silent treatment? 

Website: https://www.drnikkimartinez.com

Resource: https://everydaypower.com/author/nmmartinez/

https://www.huffpost.com/author/nmmartinez1313-296

Social Media:
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-martinez

Giving Yourself Permission to Leave a Toxic Relationship, No Matter Who It is With

Listen to the interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Nikki Martinez discuss the following:

1. What are some of the reasons that people struggle to leave TOXIC relationships?
2. You talk about both old ‘adages” as well as creating 'permission structures' to help people find their own way forward from these relationships, can you say more about that?
3. What are the two main ways that you suggest people attempt to remove themselves from toxic relationships, depending on the individual‘s unique situation, as well as the person’s response and/or behavior?
4. If someone is ‘stuck’ in their thinking, and not allowing themselves to see a life without this person, what are some questions and/or thoughts you might have for this person?
5. What are some closing thoughts you have for individuals who are on the fence about taking this step, and what life could look like for them if they decided to remove this toxic person from their life or set a healthy boundary with them?

Website: https://www.drnikkimartinez.com

Resource:https://everydaypower.com/author/nmmartinez/

https://www.huffpost.com/author/nmmartinez1313-296

Social Media:
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-martinez

Why it is Essential to Focus on Your Most Vital Needs FIRST Before Moving Forward

Listen to the interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Nikki Martinez discuss the following:

1. What made you think of the comparison, or the modern use of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a tool for patients and students?
2. What are the levels of the Hierarchy?
3. What are some of the issues with “jumping between levels at critical times?
4. Why might someone be drawn to do so?
5. What are the benefits to waiting to waiting for the right time “Right level”…so to speak?

Website: https://www.drnikkimartinez.com

Resource: https://everydaypower.com/author/nmmartinez/

https://www.huffpost.com/author/nmmartinez1313-296

Social Media:
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-martinez

Must Have’s for a Balanced Life

In the 5th of her 6 part series with Ehealth radio, Dr. Martinez discusses some essential concepts we should each be putting in place to achieve and maintain balance in our daily and weekly lives. She covers a wide variety of areas and topics to help achieve balance in all areas of your life, but also demonstrates how truly minor changes in each, can have truly major changes in terms of "feeling" balanced. Host Eric Michaels Discusses:

1. What inspired the idea of coming up with the "must have's for a balanced life?"
2. What are some of the essentials that we might not think of?
3. What is something that we might feel guilty about, but is actually really important?
4. What is something we need to try and change our thinking about?
5. How hard is it to actually have a balanced life?

Have a listen, and see how easily and quiickly you can achieve more balance in your own life. 

Do You Want to Be a Better Partner and Better Couple at the end of a year?

In her her 4th of 6 interviews with EHealth radio, Dr. Martinez discusses what it could look like for a couple to actively work on becoming better partners to one another in the coming year. If they applied the same time, effort, and skill sets they used to planning their wedding, as they did to their relationship, where could their relationship be at the end of a year? Questions discussed were: 

1. Why do people have such a hard time taking accountability for their own part in what went wrong in a relationship?
2. How common is communication an issue in relationships?
3. Can a couple change a relationship at any point if they learn to communicate?
4. Does what each person wants in a relationship change over time?
5. What role does anger play in a relationships success or failure?

Hopefully this give you a few ideas that can be used in your own relationship if it needs a little help. 

Are You Using Common Sense When it Comes to Your Children’s Needs After the Divorce?

In her third of the 6 part series with EHealth radio, Dr. Martinez discusses common sense parenting after a divorce with host Eric Michaels. Some of the questions discussed are:

1. Why is this such an essential issue to talk about, and why do people get so angry to talk about it?
2. What are some of the most common mistakes people are making?
3. What is some essential advice every parent should remember?
4. What does every child need---when going through this?
5. You make a strong point that you know how hard this is, and that this is without judgement, but how can someone help an ex-partner who is resistant to hearing how they are hurting the children?

Tune in to find out some ways to make it easier to navigate this very difficult time for yourself, and most importantly your children. Realize that there is no judgment, as everyone makes mistakes and is doing the best they can, but everyone can decide to change how they are doing things at any time. 

How to Start to Focus on the Life After the Wedding

In her second interview of a 6 part series with EHealthradio, Dr. Martinez discusses the importance of focusing on the life after the wedding day. Host Eric Michaels discusses a number of topics during this interview with Dr. Martinez including:

1. You have written a number of articles about the idea of focusing on the life more than the wedding. What do you mean by this?
2. What issues do you see come up early in marriages when people lose site of focusing on the relationship in these early days?
3. If individuals don't form these building blocks, what problems could arise?
4. What kind of issues do you see with "early couples" coming into therapy?
5. What is the most important thing for couples to keep sight of?

Have a listen and see what it is important to keep sight of, and even what tools you are developing that are strengths you can carry over into your life together. 

Why collaborative Divorce is a Route Worth Considering

Dr. Martinez joins Ehealth radio for the first in a series of 6 interviews to discuss why Collaborative divorce is a more attractive route for many couples who are going through a divorce. If divorce is inevitable, she discusses this option as a way of being less contentious, getting each of your needs met, feeling heard, and walking away with a better relationship with one another, often without having to go to court. Listen to this episode if this is a route you might not have considered.