The power of positive thinking. Most likely you have heard this catch phrase sometime during your life. There are countless books on the subject and research has been done to test the power of positive thinking. For example, years ago studies were conducted to determine if cancer patients would feel better and heal faster if […]
I have been in many romantic relationships throughout my lifetime, some of them even long term. I have been heartbroken and I have experienced conflict in relationships. BUT, I have never been divorced. When it came time for me to write this piece I did not want to write something trite on a subject I […]
If you are or have ever been married, think back to your wedding day. Picture the moment right before the ceremony began. Whether you were waiting at the alter or getting ready to walk down the aisle, you probably were not thinking, “I am not in this for the long haul. I am just gonna […]
Buying supplies, clothes shopping, meeting the teacher, setting up carpools and finding after school care are just some of the things parents have to do before school starts. The back to school season can raise parents’ stress levels for many reasons.
One definition of stress is, “a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation” (Merriam-Webster). Stress can be good (planning a wedding) or bad (losing a loved one), but stress of any kind is hard on the mind, body and spirit.
Anxiety is a thief. It steals your focus and thoughts and therefore your time. I am not talking about anxiety disorders, though the same can be said about them. I am talking about the simplest form of anxiety—worry. I do not mean worry that causes chronic insomnia, ulcers, substance abuse or other major problems. I […]
Everyone is scared of something, right? Public speaking, heights, death, spiders, snakes—most people can name at least one thing that scares them. While unhealthy fear interferes with our daily functioning, normal or healthy fear has an upside. It keeps us from engaging in risky behaviors, which in turn, ensures our safety.
Have you recently lost a loved one? As someone who has lost people close to me and counseled others who have lost loved ones, here are three things I have learned. First, time does not “heal all wounds,” but things (meaning your thoughts and emotions) do get better with time, especially with the right support. […]
Years ago a woman named Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote a book entitled On Death and Dying. This book was inspired by her work with terminally ill patients and in it she outlined what she considered the five stages of grief. The five stages include: 1) denial, 2) anger, 3) bargaining, 4) depression, and 5) acceptance. Kubler-Ross […]
I once heard someone say that an addiction is anything—good or bad—you find appealing and really want to do, but the more you do it the less satisfied you feel. This is a very general definition of addiction, but it makes sense to me. Another simple definition of addiction is something that controls you instead […]
