Our Blog
Cultivating Laughter During Difficult Times
Everyone’s heard the saying, “laughter is the best medicine”. But, like many other old sayings, you might take those words with a grain of salt. In this case, however, that old statement isn’t far from the truth. There are many benefits to laughing, even in the most...
The Collective Trauma of COVID-19 Pandemic
Although there is hope on the horizon with the rollout of vaccines, the toll of COVID on individuals, families, and society has been high. Because we’ve been dealing with this virus for so long, our responses have changed. The term “collective trauma” has been used...
A “Day of Unplugging”: What It is and Why You Should Participate
Do you need a Day of Unplugging? Think about how often you look at your phone each day. How much time do you spend on social media? How many hours do you spend playing games on your tablet? The reality is, most of us are on some kind of device around the clock. For...
Suffering Succotash: Reducing the “Dirty Pain” of Suffering in Life
Have you over felt swamped by your emotions? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your feelings in situations? Do you notice that at times you get stuck in your emotional responses to life events? Well then maybe you may be getting sunk by the suffering that comes with...
Random Acts of Kindness Day: Let’s Celebrate Together
After a year of strife and relationship disconnect, a renewed focus on kindness may be the best way forward. With the holidays well past and the blush of Valentine’s Day fading, the remaining weeks of winter may feel long and dreary until spring finally arrives. At...
How to Help Loved Ones Understand Your Chronic Illness & Limits
Living with a chronic illness can be difficult and sometimes lonely when others don't understand the limits you have. The people in your life who care about you deserve to know how they can help and support you. Additionally, having that support can boost your spirits...
Tips for Work – Life Balance when Working From Home During COVID
At first, working from home may have seemed like a really good thing. Not having to face COVID-19 daily while earning your paycheck from the couch wasn’t so bad in the scheme of things. In fact, you might’ve found you accomplished much more without commutes, coffee...
4 Ways Mindfulness Helps Self-Compassion
More and more, mindfulness is being shown to offer incredible benefits for both physical and emotional health, including greater self-compassion. Mindfulness encompasses several main ideas and goals. These include increasing our awareness of the present moment and...
Limiting our Experience of Suffering
No one wants to experience pain or suffering. Just as we are hard wired to physically recoil from a hot stove, we are hard wired to want to avoid emotional pain and heartache. Yet, sometimes we find ourselves stuck "marinating" in the misery or making our pain more...
Facing Relationship Challenges as a Team During Trying Times
Life will always have a certain amount of trials and challenges to face, and 2020 has given us more than our fair share it seems. Instead of turning on one another, though, how can couples face the challenging issues as a team... and win? Have you tried taking an...
SAD Solutions: 7 Effective Alternatives to Medication for Seasonal Affective Disorder
For some people, it can feel like the long winter months of dreary days, cloudy skies and cold temperatures last forever. While the season can make anyone feel a little bit down, for those with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD, or winter blues), it can create even...
A New Take on New Year’s Resolution
The year ahead needs a different kind of New Year’s Resolution. After the year we’ve had, plans to work out more and eat less are helpful, but might be superseded by resolutions more centered on our emotional health. Consider what we’ve endured! Separately and...
Dare to Not Compare
It’s human nature to look at the lives of other people and compare them to your own. This "social referencing" is not a new practice. Comparison has been going on since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, it can fuel feelings of jealousy and worsen insecurity,...
How To Raise Strong Daughters
All children need to be raised with balance, loving affection, and discipline. Children thrive on things like routine and structure. No matter their gender, all children need to be taught to embrace their strengths, handle their weaknesses, and overcome the...
Got an Internal Critic? Strategies for Being Less Judgmental
Do you find yourself frequently making harsh judgments about yourself? Do you frequently put yourself down when you fall short of your expectations? Have you ever noticed that the self criticisms hinder your performance and affect how you feel about yourself? Over...
7 Ways to Make Merry With Your Kids for the Holidays
The holidays are best enjoyed with a healthy dose of children’s glee and excitement! The kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or other children in your life look forward to this season all year long. Chances are, some of your best memories of the holidays are from...
30 Journal Prompts for Gratitude Practices
Developing more gratitude in our life is often hard to do. If you are looking for ways to practice more positive thinking and gratitude, consider using journal prompts as a way to shift your focus and perspective. Why Gratitude is Hard to Practice Does it seem like...
Prioritizing Your Changing Needs
In these uncertain times, meeting your changing needs is more important than ever. Being able to understand and prioritize the more important needs is vital when you are low on energy and stressed out. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the ideas behind...
Chronic Illness During the Holidays
Dealing with a chronic illness at any time can take every last bit of energy and strength you have. When holidays roll around, whether it’s the middle of the summer and you’re celebrating the 4th of July or a birthday, or you’re already stressing over...
5 Habits that Make Your Anger Worse
There are things you can do in your daily life that make anger easier to handle. There are also habits that can make it worse. Not only can those habits cause you to become angry more often, but they can make your bouts of anger more intense for everyone. So, what...
Tips to Improve Sleep
Sleep problems are a common issue that most people experience from time to time. A night or two of poor sleep can be managed, but if it becomes a pattern, everything in life is affected. If you find yourself chronically running on empty, you most likely are also...
Cancel Culture, Anxiety, & Indecision
Are you so worried about saying or doing the "wrong" thing? This component of social anxiety has been significantly worsened in recent months due to the "cancel culture. Life after the pandemic has forced us to re-evaluate even the most mundane tasks. Simple moments...
How to Finally Let Go of Guilt
Some people struggle with feelings of guilt more than others. You might look at other people in your life and wonder how they can brush things off so easily. Meanwhile, you find yourself feeling terrible over something you may have done or said – even something that...
What is Grit and How Do We Cultivate it?
Resiliency is more than just the ability to “bounce back”. When you hear someone talk about having “grit”, there is probably a very clear picture in your mind of what that means. Having grit also means having an underlying determination. It allows you to face...