It happened silently and stealthfully, like a thief in the night. Subtle symptom upon symptom, that could be explained away by everyday annoyances; a little cold, not enough sleep, stress at work, caregiver burnout - the list goes on. These are things that most of us...
Memories: Ballroom Dance or Wrestling Match?
Both. The answer is both. Last week was the one year anniversary of my father’s entrance into eternity. It was a rough week. It’s been an even rougher year. A lot of things have gone undone, because grief and wrapping up 80+ years of someone’s life simply takes...
The Pursuit of Happiness vs the Quest for Joy: What’s Fueling Your Journey?
So, here's something most people have in common when it comes to happiness; there is a widely held belief that happiness is an end goal, or some destination we’ll arrive at in the future if we do everything just right for some pre-determined amount of time. Why do we...
Leaning In: What My Fur Baby Taught Me About the Power of Love
Today is "Gotcha Day" at our house. Exactly three years ago today, my husband and I rescued a beautiful 18-month old white German Shepherd mix. I’ve never adopted a child, but I’ve heard it’s quite the process. Apparently adopting a rescue dog is as well. This was our...
Silence Your Inner Critic With Self-Compassion
When I started my blog in September of 2013, my intention was to post weekly. I was filled with rosy-cheeked vision and exuberance, inspired to shared hope with anyone who would read my words. Since I had a full-time job and other responsibilities, that lasted a...
Silver Linings: The Benefits of Being a Super-feeler
Last year, just a few months into the COVID-19 shutdown, one of my dear friends reached out to me on Face Time. She started the conversation by saying, “I heard someone share in a work seminar that if you have any extroverted friends, you should check on them because...
Post Pandemic Growth: Using the Adversities of 2020 to Strengthen Your Mental Resilience in 2021
How can the year that brought us a tsunami of trauma - a crippling global pandemic, perpetual political chaos, unrelenting economic upheaval, and upsetting social unrest - the year that mental health professionals experienced an unprecedented increase in anxiety and...
Different But Still Grateful: The New Art of Gratitude in 2020
Like all things since March of 2020, Thanksgiving this year is going to be different for many of us. For those of us who are used to the house bustling with the chatter and laughter (and maybe some drama too) of a plethora of family and friends, this year may be a bit...
Crazy For Control: Pursuing Peace In a Fear Filled World
Do you feel lately like the days are just melting into one another, and you’re not even certain what month it is, let alone what day it is? Me too. I’m still stuck back in March-something when the world screeched to a halt. Or I’m stuck in a reoccurring episode of the...
The Dawning of a New Decade: How Your Perspective Can Shape Your Life
Reflect. It’s what many of us do when a new year begins. So what do you do at the start of a new decade? We have just been ushered into one with the dawning of 2020. Ten years worth of reflection seems daunting though – it takes the whole idea to an entirely different...
What’s Hope Got To Do With It?: The Upside of Grief
One of the greatest gifts of being human is the ability to feel. To feel means we are fully alive and that is a gift itself. Grief is complex and cannot be put into a box or packaged neatly into a one-size-fits-all formula. Sorrow, love, heartache, hope,...
Butterfly Kisses: An Unexpected Encounter With the Painted Ladies
Life is full of surprises. Some surprises are the welcome kind - like when your child offers to do the dinner dishes, or your husband brings home dinner so you don’t have to cook. Some surprises are not so welcome - like a flat tire, or a medical bill the insurance...
The Hurt and the Healing: Harnessing the Power of Relationship to Understand and Overcome Relational Anxiety
Relational wounds have a powerful impact on us. Think about a time when you have been the most deeply hurt in a relationship. It could be a friend, an intimate partner, a child, a parent, a sibling, or even a colleague. What feelings surface when you recall the...
Embracing the Wait: Making Room For What Matters Most
We are all waiting for something. Back in the day there was a commercial jingle for a popular ketchup brand that boasts these words; “anticipation, anticipation….is making me wait…it’s keeping me waiting.” The commercial makes waiting look appealing - and deliciously...
Double Despair: Four Simple Steps to Help Those Trapped in the Trauma of Abuse and an Eating Disorder
It is no secret in the field of eating disorder treatment that there is a strong correlation between trauma and eating disorders. Some individuals develop an eating disorder as a way to cope with the pain of unresolved trauma, particularly the trauma of abuse. October...
Recent Comments