June 2011
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Ten Rules for Being Human
By Cherie Carter-Scott
You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it’s yours to keep for the entire period.
You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, “life.”
There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process...
May 2011
1 post
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March 2011
3 posts
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Do Something Different
Have you ever thought about how much of what you do each day is automatic?
Many people are living their lives on auto- pilot. They do the same things every day; talk with the same people, go to the same grocery store, drive the same way to work and watch the same TV shows.
People tend to be creatures of habit. Familiarity creates routine, which fosters a sense of security and control. If...
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Feeling Your Feelings
“The fastest way to freedom is to feel your feelings” -Gita Belllin
This sounds pretty simple, but though it’s easy to know you have feelings, easy to know their weight and agitation and suddenness of mood, it is another, more sublte matter to feel them - that is, to let them penetrate your being the way wind snaps throgh a flag.
This is necessary because if we don’t...
November 2010
1 post
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Holiday Depression and Stress
The holiday season can be a time full of joy, cheer, parties and family gatherings. But for many people, it is a time of self-evaluation, loneliness, reflection on past failures and anxiety about an uncertain future.
What Causes Holiday Blues?
Many factors can cause the “holiday blues”: stress, fatigue, unrealistic expectations, over-commercialization, financial constraints, and the inability to...
October 2010
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Gratitude Among Turmoil
“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Anonymous
These days there is so much uncertainty in our daily lives that it can seem overwhelming. The news bombards us with economic decline, people are struggling to make ends meet and oppressed youth are turning their hurt inward resulting in self-destructive behaviors. The uncertainty of the...
September 2010
4 posts
Disappointment? - Keep Dancing →
It is not just a song about taking a chance on love it is about a whole attitude to life and living. Yes sometimes we suffer harsh disappointments in life, we may loose jobs, we may be frightened of taking a new direction or opportunity but do we really want to sit at the edge of the dance floor of life and simply watch others?
The "Second Half" of My Life →
Success tactics for the game of life.
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If You Want an Egg Roll Get Out of the Pizzeria:... →
Why do people very often follow the same negative patterns in their life?
To help yourself to build healthy and fulfilling relationships in life and not repeat mistakes from the past try to divide and identify people, and also yourself, as a `stores`.
The description of different types of `STORES`/ relationships, which you might be experiencing in your life, is presented in a book “If you...
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The Art of Listening
“We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking.”
Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on your job effectiveness, and on the quality of your relationships with others.
We listen to obtain information. We listen to understand. We listen for enjoyment. We listen to...
August 2010
8 posts
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Being Mindful Is Like Boiling Water →
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Change or Transition?
What’s the difference between “change” and “transition?”
“Change” is situational and external; such as moving to a new city or becoming a parent. In contrast, “transition” is psychological or internal. Transitions are the internal work that helps us to reorient and redefine ourselves and incorporate external changes into our lives.
How can you...
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Nurturing Who You Want to Be
An old Cherokee is telling his grandson about a fight that is going on inside of him. He said it is between two wolves. One is destructive: Anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, false pride, superiority and ego. The other is good: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity,...
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100 Best Blogs on Inspiring Healthy Joyful Living →
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Creating a Balanced Life
Some believe the notion that a truly balanced life is only a myth. With too much to do and with too little time to do it, anxiety and stress replaces happiness much of the time.
However, there is hope, because the ability to change our lives exists in all of us. We just need to learn how to become more balanced.
Living a balanced life is the ability to take all that life throws at us from our...
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“Your days are your life in miniature.”
– As you live your hours, so you create your years. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny — shaping who you are becoming and...
July 2010
4 posts
Experience Life magazine: Time Out Tips →
Does this week seem extra stressful to anyone else? Consider this our reminder that it’s OK to take a break, rest, have fun and goof off. Not just OK — necessary!
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Here are some proven ways to build more enjoyment and moments of relaxation into your life.
Cut Yourself Some Slack Rather than…
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Men and Divorce
Do men handle divorce differently than women? Research indicates that they do. Men feel the effects of divorce differently than women, although some of the core emotions are the same. Feelings of sadness, depression and frustration are common and a sense of loss seem to be present with men and women.
Men may experience divorce in a variety of ways. Some men withdrawal and are barely able to...
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Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Our bodies respond to our environment. It is well known that stress often creates muscle tension resulting in backaches, stiff necks and/or headaches. It can disrupt our eating habits and sleep patterns, which makes it difficult to function at our best during the day, and only adds to the stress.
We deal with stress in many ways. Stress eating is obviously not the best way to deal with stress....
June 2010
8 posts
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The Healing Power of Laughter
Emily Byler Photographed by Beki Watters.
Laughter as a way to improve your health may sound like a strange concept but laughter clubs can be found in many cities, and even some small towns. This contagious behavior may begin with a grin and before you know it your laughing uncontrollably.
The benefits to daily laughter are improved physical and emotional health.
Fifteen minutes of daily...
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Setting Healthy Boundaries in Relationships
Healthy boundaries create healthy relationships. Unhealthy boundaries create dysfunctional ones. By setting clear boundaries you define who you are in relation to others. This is done by identifying your needs and rights. Being able to assertively convey your needs and rights to others is a way to take care of yourself in relationships.
Boundaries can be both physical and emotional.
Physical...
Coaching Your Dreams: Being Present →
A great blog post describing the value of staying in the moment.
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Follow Your Passion
Your passion is your passport to greater personal and professional satisfaction. Your professional satisfaction often overflows into your personal life enjoyment. One of the main keys to finding a job that you enjoy is to know what your passions are. If you wake up every day and dread going to work, that is an indication that your passion does not match the job you currently have.
Try this...
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How to Choose a Therapist
Not all therapists are created equally. Each therapist use techniques, or theoretical orientations, they are trained in and/or comfortable with, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Gestault Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Family Therapy and Solution Focused Therapy, just to name a few. A qualified therapist will be able to use the techniques that best “fits” you.
The personality of the...
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The Pleasure of Food
I just finished a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream smothered in chocolate syrup even though my clothes seem to be getting tighter and my face is looking plump. I wasn’t even really hungry when I ate it. I just thought it would taste good. The irony of this behavior, which is becoming a daily routine, is that prior to my empty calorie indulgence, I was reading the book” Obese from the Heart” by...
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Gratitude
Gratitude is a gift you give yourself, no matter what it is that you are grateful for.
What are you grateful for? What in your life do you appreciate? Stop for a moment and bring to mind something that you are truly grateful for, that you deeply appreciate. As you are thinking of this, notice how you feel. Notice the smile that is beginning to turn up the corners of your mouth. Notice how your...
May 2010
3 posts
1 tag
Learning To Like Who You Are
Photograph by Kathryn Byler
“Be who you are and get rid of who you aren’t”
I came across this quote several weeks ago and I began thinking about it every day. Each time it entered my mind I was reminded that there are many things I like about myself. I realized that a lot of my mental energy had been focused on the things that I wished were different, which in turn,...
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80 Year Journey
The people who make a lasting impression on me are those people who willingly share their life stories without reservation or fear of judgment. This past weekend, while visiting family in Arkansas, I met one of those people. Even though our interaction was relatively brief and only a small part of her life was revealed, the emotion and confidence that was conveyed reinforced my belief that...
Mindfulness
Authors, poets, song writers and philosophers have written about life being a journey. This journey is about how you experience and interpret the world around you as it unfolds.
As a therapist, I have heard the stories of many people. Their journey has often resulted in frustration, anger, resentments, worry and depression. While it is important to resolve events of their past it is...