In Defense of Journaling

journaling

The idea of journaling or keeping a diary seems to conjure up different images in different people. Some of us think of scientists in lab coats keeping a research journal of their latest findings. Others of us think about tiny pink notebooks and schoolyard crushes. Regardless of our preconceived notions, … Read More

Making Stress Your Friend: Experiencing Stress Positively – Part 3

stress

In the previous sections of this blog, we began exploring the health benefits the body experiences by simply viewing the body’s stress response (quickening heart beat, sweaty hands, etc) as helpful. In the last part of this series, we will investigate how the hormone oxytocin is a critical component to … Read More

Athletes: Listening To Your Body

Beep, Beep, Beep. I sleepily rolled over and looked at my alarm. The clock showed 6:15a.m. on Saturday morning. I lay in bed for a moment and had an internal debate. Should I put on my running shoes and get my 8 miles in? Deep down, my body ached; it … Read More

The Lions’ Den: A Survivalist Guide To Holidays

survivalist

Why do you need to be a survivalist during the holidays? We love to be with our family, but we hate the conflict. We can’t stay away and have to brace ourselves before walking into holiday family gatherings. It can feel like entering a lions’ den. Walking through the lions’ … Read More

Self-care is Not Selfish!

self-care

Self-care is not selfish or self-indulgent. We cannot nurture others from a dry well. We need to take care of our own needs first, then we can give from our surplus, our abundance. ~ Jennifer Louden I’ve found myself having the conversation about self-care with several clients lately. Many of … Read More

How to Make Stress Your Friend – Part 2

In the second part of this blog series, we are going to discover the positive side effects that occur by having confidence in your body’s ability to handle stress. Harvard University conducted a study where participants were told before going through a social stress test about the possible signs that their body … Read More

Conflict Tools You Can Use

conflict

While perusing Pinterest and looking for posts regarding conflict, I came across the following quote: 10% of conflict is due to difference of opinion and 90% is due to tone of voice and delivery. I was curious about the origin. While I was not able to find consensus as to … Read More

Thoughts: Friend or Foe – Part 4

procrastinating

In this series, we are taking a look at some of the most common ways our thoughts can become distorted, causing us to feel depressed, bad about ourselves, negative or hopeless.  In this final installment, we will take a look at Filtering. Filtering occurs when you “filter” out the positives … Read More

Making Stress Your Friend – Part 1

Recently, I was listening to Psychologist Kelly McGonigal talk about stress. We all know that stress can be detrimental, and there is significant research that indicates its negative impact on health. However, stress is something that most of us experience a moderate to high amount in life. There are many … Read More