(This, like many topics that I deal with concerning my clients, also hits home for me. Remembering who is responsible for change seems like a common sense concept. However, it never hurts to be reminded of the simple things. I know I appreciate it when I am reminded.) Much of my time interacting with my… Read More »
relationships
Moving from judgement to compassion
How do we begin to understand others, when it can be difficult to understand ourselves? Why is it that we insist that we have the answers for those around us when we too struggle to change? People can seem to annoy us, piss us off, and cause us pain. We say “if they would just… Read More »
The need to be “right”
What is it that drives us to seek truths or cling to culturally accepted beliefs? When faced by others who have different beliefs, why do we at times feel so threatened? We seek others who tend to hold our viewpoints and when around those who we differ with we may refrain from intently listening to their… Read More »
Personal empowerment
We’ve all done it at some point. We go against our better intuition in making a decision whether it’s casual or of serious importance. We look back with regret on what we “should have” or “shouldn’t have” done. We’ll say things to ourselves such as “I had a feeling” or “I knew this would happen”. Is… Read More »
Moving beyond non-productive arguments
(Preface: Communication and relationship issues with partner, spouses, or even friends and family can be very complex. This blog might highlight what is a small portion of what goes into various aspects of why we argue with certain people or in certain situations.) For those people with kids, imagine this common scenario. You’ve got a… Read More »
The need to project the ideal self
You’ve probably noticed it on social media outlets such as Facebook. It is mostly a very positive outlet with people posting their best pictures and sharing their good times. It’s become a great way for people to share with others what they are enjoying. (I do think that it’s fine to be proud of what you have in your… Read More »
And then it happens…
The recent changes you made to not get into an argument with your partner ended when you blew up over something minor… You violated your pledge to stop wishing death upon the guy who cuts you off in traffic without a turn signal. You filled your car with an obscenity laced tirade, in turn leaving… Read More »
The problem with Monday
What if Monday didn’t “suck”? What if it only “sucked” because of what we are doing on Monday “sucked”? Job satisfaction in America is low. I don’t need to produce a graph to emphasize that known point. We work, generally, because we need to make money to live. Few people love what they do enough… Read More »
A different look at death and grieving
I had the opportunity to attend a seminar last winter on the topic of death, grief, and loss, as well as how to support those grieving. The workshop, facilitated by Dr. Alan Wolfelt, focused on our perceived notions of death and supporting the bereaved. Death, and the topic of death, is relatively avoided in society. … Read More »
Living in the moment (and why we aren’t good at it)
What does “living in the moment” mean? We tend to hear that a lot. It may have something to do with how we perceive our state of being. As adults we might notice that we perceive the world differently now than when were as kids and young adults. There seems to be less newness to… Read More »