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. […]
Are your friends and family labeling you with your diagnosis and treating you like you are “sick?” Here is what I tell my clients: You are not a diagnosis. Keep focused on the big picture —who you are to yourself and to others, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Remind yourself every day that you are a […]
Families facing chronic illness are constantly at risk for stress, and unacknowledged stress interferes with communications. Whether they hear you talking when you don’t think they are around, or simply see the tension in your face and your behavior, children know when something is not right with their parents. They may take a guess at […]
We tend to do a lot of self-evaluation when a new year begins. It’s an opportunity to take stock of yourself, to think about where you are in life, what’s working and what’s not working so well. To modify or reconfirm your vision for the future. If you are living with a chronic condition, then […]
Expecting 100% can be a setup for a letdown. Behind the science and technology of healthcare are humans. And humans aren’t perfect. Healthcare professionals aren’t always so responsive. Delays are going to happen, along with the restrictions and inconveniences of managed care. And you’re human too. So what if, instead of expecting perfection, you expected […]
One of the lessons that we learn from illness is that life is always changing. Yet, humans seem to be hard-wired to avoid change. But because life keeps moving, nothing stays the same forever. In other words, we aren’t in control of everything that occurs in our lives, even if we think we should be. […]
I am really happy to present you with my redesigned Website. I have been working on this with Bryan Hoffman of Spigot Design for a few months. A big part of this process was moving to the WordPress content management system, which will make it a lot easier for me to keep my site updated. […]
Two steps forward, one step back. Two steps forward… If you are facing the challenges of a chronic condition, this phrase most likely has special meaning to you. The successes, the frustrations, and those unexpected curveballs that can come your way. But, yet you keep yourself going, one step at a time. Psychologists call that […]