The school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas left the school staff, community members, and parents feeling frightened and overwhelmed. How do we reconcile what happened in Santa Fe and model strength and resilience to our children? How do we attend funerals of young people who were at the desk next to our children every day? How do we offer comfort when we ourselves feel frightened and unsure? These are questions on parents’ minds as they prepare to send their children back to scho

When someone you love leaves your heart is broken. Taking care of your fragile self is so important. When someone we love leaves or walks out the door, our immediate reaction may be one of hysterics, deep sadness, relief, and sometimes, even jubilation. These feelings eventually dissipate and new feelings take their place. The feelings that replace the initial feelings are more intense and stored deep within our brain. Forget trying to distract yourself from these memories, b

When you were growing up, your parents may have reminded you of all the things you have to be grateful for – a roof over your head, a warm bed at night, and dinner at the table with your family. When Harvey came to Houston, many of the basics most of us never thought about losing were swept away with the water, leaving a mess of debris we once called home. The shock of losing everything and feeling helpless has left many struggling to feel grateful during the holidays. Gratit

The massive shooting in Las Vegas has us all asking the same question: why? We wanted to believe it would never happen again after Newtown, Connecticut, but then the Orlando, Florida shooting happened. Rather than simply tuning out from what happened, I encourage you to talk to your children about it. How do we talk to our children when senseless, horrific killings happen? This is one of those situations that parents find so difficult. When random violence, it’s hard to imagi

When you move, you feel a loss with leaving your home. You take a walk around every room and remember family dinners, new babies, waking up on Saturday morning in your PJ’s and curled up on your favorite chair. None of us can imagine the horror of leaving our home unexpectedly to save our life. But that’s what happened to thousands in the recent storms that hit the Houston, Texas area. It didn’t happen without warning. Most Houstonians heard the forecast, and most prepared be

Losing a child or someone you love is probably one of the most difficult things anyone can go through. If you have children at home or a spouse who is also grieving, you may find yourself in a position where you need to put on a happy face even when feel miserable. New research has shown that the cause of many illnesses is due to held in emotional grief. In a recent study, researchers worked with couples who had lost a child. They found that when couples tried to avoid discus

No matter what’s going on in your life right now, one thing certain – it’s going to change. Everything changes, whether you’re graduating, getting married, beginning a new job, or changing diapers with a new baby. Change is never easy, but it becomes easier when we prepare and accept it. For marriage you prepare by engaging in pre-marital classes and for a new job you make sure you understand the tasks required and take additional training if necessary. The addition of a new

My mother died soon after my father’s death. She stuck around and went through the motions with burying him, and sending out the thank you cards to family and friend, but her spirit died. She told all of us when we tried to cheer her up that her wish was to be gone before the end of the year. She died ten minutes before midnight of the New Year. She couldn’t face being here without my dad. Study after study has proven you can die from a broken heart, proving further that true

If you’ve just been let go from a job, you know the sense of loss, anger, confusion and despair a person goes through. Thoughts are racing through your mind, but the one thing that isn’t is what to do now. These suggestions can help you get up and back into the game the quickest: Take a break. The best thing you can do is to take one to two weeks to get away if possible. Your daily routine is broken and staying inside feeling the pressure of that each day is daunting. If you