“Living with” means co-existing with your condition, living life on life’s terms. Taking a more balanced – and peaceful – approach to the struggle. Instead of baring your teeth and putting your fists up, swinging wildly in every direction, calmly face your opponent and coordinate your movements with his, as if you were looking at […]
Chronic conditions are like an unwanted houseguest who has taken up residence on your living room couch, who makes demands, interferes with routines, complicates your relationships, costs you money, does scary things at times… and won’t move out. You’ve tried everything, you’ve tried to ignore him, you’ve had arguments, you’ve threatened, you’ve begged and pleaded. […]
Anybody in your life that you haven’t forgiven? Let’s take a look at what carrying around that grudge can do to you. For one, holding grudges can lead to stress. Think of the negativity churning around inside of you as you remind yourself, over and over, of what that other person did, or didn’t do. […]
It’s easy to get caught up in the limitations and negativity of other people. When they’re complaining about how hard their lives are, they’re also reminding you of how hard yours is. It can feel good to complain and commiserate. Temporarily. But be careful about letting your vent session turn into a prediction of eternal […]
Living with a chronic condition brings challenges into your life, a whole lot of them on some days. As a result, your vision for the future may not look quite the way you thought it would before your diagnosis. Think about your vision as a work in progress, based on positive intentions for what you […]
Enough with the “should-ing.” Every time the word “should” creeps into your self-talk, ask yourself: “Who says?” Asking this question is a way to assess when the need to be perfect – and to live up to unrealistic expectations for yourself and others – is interfering with your well-being. In other words, call yourself out […]
People who are living with chronic conditions often talk about how their diagnosis has helped them to recognize their own resilience. They have tapped into sources of strength, and learned to be resourceful, in ways they never thought possible. Yet, at the same time, one of those curveballs, or a series of curveballs, can leave […]
Human beings spend their waking hours in an ongoing conversation with themselves. What’s going on with your inner dialogue? If you are constantly telling yourself how bad things are, and what you can’t do, then you are allowing yourself to be pushed around by the voice of the big bully in your mind. When you […]
When you bump up against a new challenge, go off by yourself and do some brainstorming. Define the challenge. Review your strengths, as well as the resources that you have to draw upon to solve it. Come up with a potential solution. By going through this process, you will have a clearer idea of what […]
I often tell my clients that if they want to feel like taking action before they actually start taking action in their lives, the two of us might be sitting here for a long time. How trying the opposite approach: Taking action and letting the feelings catch up? Take a step, even a small step. […]