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Lara Kennerly, PsyD

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ADHD and Executive Functioning: Why Everyday Tasks Can Feel So Difficult
Have you ever looked at a simple task on your to-do list and felt completely stuck? It could be responding to an email, scheduling an appointment, paying a bill, remembering an important deadline, or trying to organize a project that feels overwhelming. You know these tasks need attention, yet following through can feel far more difficult than it should. For people with ADHD, this is not an occasional frustration. It can be a daily experience. Responsibilities pile up, import

Dr. Lara Kennerly
5 days ago8 min read


Why Losing Your Home to a Wildfire Can Feel So Hard to Recover From
Understanding Grief and Home Loss from an Attachment Perspective Home is Where Your Heart Is: We’ve all heard the phrase “Home is where the heart is.” In a very real sense, your home is a space you created for yourself and made into a space where you feel safe and secure, where you have a buffer from the chaos and uncontrollability of the outside world, where your hopes, dreams, goals, and creative spark are protected. Your home is where you lay your head at night, dream your

Dr. Lara Kennerly
May 2916 min read


What Is Hypervigilance? Signs, Causes, and How to Find Relief
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from never fully being able to relax. You walk into a room and immediately scan for where the exits are, and who is near them. who is near. A car door slams outside, and your heart rate spikes before your brain even registers what the sound was. Your partner says your name in a slightly unusual tone, and you brace for a conflict that was never coming. This is not anxiety in the general sense of the word. This is hypervigila

Dr. Lara Kennerly
May 2310 min read


What Is Imposter Syndrome and Why Do So Many High Achievers Have It?
Success is supposed to build confidence. And yet some of the most accomplished people carry a persistent, quiet fear that they are not as capable as everyone around them believes. They attribute their wins to luck, brace for the moment they get “found out,” and push harder to stay ahead of a failure that never quite arrives. It does not matter how many milestones they hit or how consistently they deliver. The internal narrative stays the same. Something is off, the success is

Dr. Lara Kennerly
May 1110 min read


Signs of Burnout in First Responders
First responders, whether in law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical care, or corrections, are the people society calls when everything has gone wrong. The job demands things most people will never be asked to give. Physical endurance, split-second decisions, emotional control in moments of chaos, and the ability to witness some of the worst experiences a human being can face and still show up for the next call. That level of demand, repeated across years of service,

Dr. Lara Kennerly
May 48 min read


What Is High-Functioning Anxiety? Signs You're Struggling Even When You Look Fine
High-functioning anxiety is hard to spot because everything still looks fine on the outside. Learn what it actually is, the signs most people miss, and when to get help.

Dr. Lara Kennerly
Apr 298 min read


What Is Complex PTSD (CPTSD) and How Is It Different from PTSD?
Most people have heard of PTSD. But far fewer people have heard of Complex PTSD, and even fewer understand how different it can look and feel from the kind of PTSD most of us imagine when we hear the term. If you have ever found yourself wondering why your reactions feel bigger than the situation warrants, why everyday stress seems to wear you down faster than it should, or why it feels impossible to fully relax even when your life looks fine on the outside, this article is f

Dr. Lara Kennerly
Apr 1511 min read
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