Welcome to
Tiny Cottage Therapy’s Blog

I’m Caitlin Blair, LCSW and holistic psychotherapist based in California.

A smiling woman in a light dress and cardigan standing in a grassy field with trees in the background.

I love helping people find more balance in their lives by building awareness
& building practical habits to support their whole selves.


When the “Dream Job” Isn’t a Dream After All
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

When the “Dream Job” Isn’t a Dream After All

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” “What are you doing to do with your major?” “What’s your plan after school?”

How many of us couldn’t even count the numbers of times we were asked these questions in our lifetimes. Living in the U.S. especially there is so much pressure to find a perfect job in a good career path. Often this lifelong pressure leads towards disappointment when we finally land the job that we were supposed to love.

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Breaking Free from the Cycle of People-Pleasing
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Breaking Free from the Cycle of People-Pleasing

Many of us grew up believing that being “nice” meant saying yes, keeping the peace, and putting others’ needs first. On the surface, this looks generous and kind. But beneath the surface, people-pleasing often has less to do with kindness and more to do with fear.

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Are You Confusing Empathy with Responsibility?
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Are You Confusing Empathy with Responsibility?

So many of us feel this deep need to help, support, and care for others. This is not a bad quality, in a lot of cases it can be an absolutely good quality. However, sometimes we get so plugged into this role of giving to others that we completely deplete ourselves. Understanding the differences between empathy and responsibility can be a key step in making sure you don’t overextend and can keep being that kind caring human that you are!

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When Relaxation Feels Unsettling: Understanding Anxiety Around Calming Practices
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

When Relaxation Feels Unsettling: Understanding Anxiety Around Calming Practices

If you've ever tried to meditate or take a deep breath, only to feel more anxious instead of calmer, you're not alone. For many people—especially those with anxiety—the idea of relaxing can feel uncomfortable, or even threatening. This reaction even has a name: relaxation-induced anxiety or relaxation-induced panic. It may sound counterintuitive, but it happens to people all the time.

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Both/And: A New Group for Mixed-Race APIDA Folks
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Both/And: A New Group for Mixed-Race APIDA Folks

I’m starting a new virtual support group for adults who identify as mixed-race, multiethnic, or multicultural Asian, Pacific Islander, and/or Desi American (APIDA).

It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time…

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Guilt vs. Shame: How to Tell the Difference (And Why It Matters)
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Guilt vs. Shame: How to Tell the Difference (And Why It Matters)

We’ve all had moments when something we said or did didn't sit right. Maybe we snapped at someone we care about. Or forgot an important birthday. In the aftermath, two powerful emotions can show up: guilt and shame.

At first glance, they can feel similar. Both bring a heavy emotional weight. Both can trigger a desire to retreat or “fix” something. But understanding the difference between guilt and shame is essential for emotional healing and mental well-being.

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Burnout: Here’s How to Spot It, Treat It, and Keep It from Coming Back
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Burnout: Here’s How to Spot It, Treat It, and Keep It from Coming Back

If you're feeling worn out, irritable, or just plain "over it," you’re not alone. Burnout is something I see often in therapy—especially in high-achievers, business owners, caregivers, and folks who are constantly putting others’ needs before their own. It doesn’t just happen at work. Burnout can show up in school, in parenting, and even in your relationships.

Let’s break it down: what burnout really is, how to spot it, why some of us are more vulnerable to it, and most importantly how to recover and prevent it from taking over again.

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Your Brain Wasn’t Meant for Constant Information
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Your Brain Wasn’t Meant for Constant Information

In a world where the news never sleeps and updates flood our phones by the minute, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information we’re expected to process each day. From breaking headlines to trending topics, the constant stream can leave us feeling anxious, exhausted, and emotionally drained.

But here’s the truth: your brain wasn’t designed to take in this much information at once.

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5 Self Care Practices for Summer
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

5 Self Care Practices for Summer

Summer is a time of vibrancy, warm weather, and lots of sunshine. With the longer days, it can be the ideal time to add in a handful of new self-care activities.

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7 Ways Slow Living Supports High-Functioning Anxiety
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

7 Ways Slow Living Supports High-Functioning Anxiety

If you experience high-functioning anxiety, you might be familiar with the feeling of always needing to be on. You’re constantly pushing yourself, overcommitting, and staying busy—because slowing down feels uncomfortable, even impossible. But what if slowing down was actually the thing that helped the most?

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Help, It’s My First Time Going to Therapy!
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Help, It’s My First Time Going to Therapy!

What to expect when starting therapy

I want to start by reassuring you if you feel nervous, apprehensive, or anxious about your first therapy session, that’s super normal. Starting therapy (especially for the time first time) can be really scary and take a lot of courage. I want to commend you on your steps to even get to this point.

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How to Write A Love Letter
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

How to Write A Love Letter

Expressing our feelings of love and affection through words can be really challenging, especially if you grew up in a household where love was expressed in other ways (actions, service, etc.) However…

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Avoiding New Year’s Resolution Burnout
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Avoiding New Year’s Resolution Burnout

It's easy to start off the year with huge goals to be better, stronger, and more productive than the year before. We set objectives and tactics that maybe feel realistic at the time but after a month, we are dwindling. We are exhausted and the pace we thought we could sustain we can't.

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Journal Practice for the End of the Year
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Journal Practice for the End of the Year

I have always been an off and on journaler. One of these structured practices that I have been engaging in for years is an end of the year reflection. It helps me track my own progress each year and reflect on the ups and downs. It helps show me how much I've grown and synthesize lessons that I've learned. It has been so valuable to me, especially in filling the weird days between Christmas and New Year's.

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5 Self Care Practices for Winter
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

5 Self Care Practices for Winter

With shorter and shorter days approaching Winter Solstice, I find my regular routine pushing up against the boundaries of daylight. I frequently work days that start before the sunrises and end after the sunsets. I feel sleepier and wanting to go to sleep earlier but aren't sure if I should. All these things tell me, something needs to change.

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Financial Care is Self Care
Caitlin Blair Caitlin Blair

Financial Care is Self Care

I wish I could fool myself into thinking that taking care of my overall wellbeing does not include finances. I want to pretend I can just live in a world where money doesn't matter. However…

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