This summer is full of major life milestones for my family. In a few weeks, my youngest will graduate high school and head off to college 5 hours away, and my daughter says, “I do,” to the man she has captured her heart and future. I feel tremendous pride and anticipation for both children while,... Continue Reading →
The Wellness Wheel
The wellness wheel is a model of eight parts that make up a well-rounded and balanced lifestyle. It is a visual reminder that our lives are made up of many facets and that each one is important and should be recognized. If we are out of balance in one area, that will affect other areas... Continue Reading →
A Full Basement
How we process our feelings and emotions is often learned early in childhood. Some families are good at getting everything out, speaking their minds and telling others about how they feel. Others find it more appealing to stay quiet about feelings, stuffing them down and never speaking of them again. We can often be lured... Continue Reading →
All Vibes Welcome
Some people attempt to avoid discomfort or other uncomfortable feelings. They may avoid any negative experience, conversation, or encounter that could elicit pain. They might not even realize their avoidance comes from not wanting to feel uncomfortable. People may mask their feelings by saying things like, “Good vibes only!” or “There is always a silver... Continue Reading →
What Emotion Are You Feeling?
How many emotions can you name? In Brenè Brown’s book entitled Atlas of the Heart,Brown and her team surveyed 7,000 people in five years, and the average number of emotions that people can identify are three: happiness, sadness, and anger. However, these three emotions grossly underrepresent all the emotions we feel daily. In fact, Brown... Continue Reading →
Finding the Nuances: It Makes Sense to Feel More Than One Thing
Have you ever felt mixed emotions about leaving a situation or a person? If so, you are not alone; it makes sense to feel this way because human beings are complex and nuanced. Although we may not always have the emotional bandwidth to facilitate all emotions at once, we can experience them. Because of the... Continue Reading →
Things That Hurt Us
Let's reflect on this, why do we get hurt with certain things? Well, we get hurt depending on our perspective of the situation. The main point here is that we transform how we think about the situation. Let's explore some scenarios in which we might feel hurt, when others are involved: Someone did or said... Continue Reading →
Building Emotional Awareness
Recognizing and naming our emotions can be tough. Sometimes we are so busy we rarely notice our feelings. Other times, our emotions can be so intense that we don’t even take a moment to recognize them before we react to them. Maybe you grew up in a family where you didn’t talk about your feelings,... Continue Reading →
Recognizing Your Emotions
Emotions are signals our bodies send us to tell us what is happening in any given situation. Regulating our emotions is so important, especially if we tend to experience them intensely or we act out on them in unhealthy ways. Below are some questions you can cycle through when an overwhelming situation arises to slow... Continue Reading →