6 Ways to Give Yourself the Gift of Enjoying Christmas
If you find yourself sleeping less and worrying more during the holidays, you’re not alone. Feeling overwhelmed is a common feeling during the holidays, which drains the joy away from what makes the holiday season so special. If you’re one of those people who worries about the shopping, cookie exchange, and arriving guests, I encourage you to let go of that burden and focus on what brings true joy during the holidays. Letting go of perfection and focusing on enjoying and expe
Shorter Days and Longer Nights Lead to Higher Burnout
Next weekend we set our clocks back an hour and gain an hour of sleep, but that hour may not help ease those struggling with burnout. Trying to jam all the work and tasks you need to do into a shorter amount of daylight can be overwhelming. If you’re someone who feels overwhelmed and stressed, this time of year can be especially difficult. The time change signifies more family time, more gifts to purchase, and more holidays to celebrate with limited energy, time, and money. B
Is the White House News Making You and Your Relationship Sick?
U.S politics has never been as divisive and labile as it has within recent years. All signs currently suggest that this will continue as impeachment hearings are suggested, stocks plummet, and hate crimes and shootings continue. The instability is felt by most Americans. Emergency room physicians report that national politics has started to impact emotional and physical health. Nearly two out of every five Americans cite politics as their main source of stress, and one in fiv
When Burnout Hits Your Bedroom
Are you feeling as though there is less and less time to complete your to-do list? You try to make a doctor’s appointment for an annual checkup only to find you don’t have time so once again you put off your health in order to get stuff done. You can’t remember the last time you took personal time to do something for yourself. If you’re constantly on the go, it’s not only affecting your emotional and physical health, it’s affecting your relationships, too. Physical symptoms s
Holiday Depression and How You Can Help
Holidays are usually a time for celebrating with family and friends and feeling connected with those closest to you, but that’s not true for anyone. For some the holidays expose raw, hurtful feelings and memories, such as painful childhood, bad relationships, or the loss of a loved one. Feelings of depression can happen anytime of the year, but the expectation and anxiety during the holidays may cause some to experience heightened loneliness. Acknowledging the specific areas
Suffering from holiday burnout? You’re not alone.
One in three Americans are suffering from what experts have coined “Festive Holiday Burnout.” A recent study surveyed 2,000 Americans, and 68% said they see Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas as high stress times. One third of those surveyed said they burned out before Christmas comes. The survey also revealed that most stress comes from the crowds and shopping. Compound this with excessive baking, shipping, decorating, and hosting, and you have the perfect recipe for irr
Back to School: Parents are key to teens’ overcoming negative thoughts
Teens have a lot on their minds as they head back to school. Will they have friends? Will they be successful in their academics? Are they safe in their school? Parents are no exception. How do I stay connected with my teen? How much time is enough time to give them? How can I help them achieve their goals? Will they be safe? There is nothing like parenting a teen – the emotional stress, their friends, the activities – and it seems impossible to keep up with it all, especially
A Parent’s Nightmare: School Shootings and How to Talk to Your Kids
The school shooting in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day has many parents anxious and afraid to send their child to school. The fiber of our community is affected with each school shooting, and there have already been two since the new year. How can we possibly reassure our children and help them feel safe in a world that can turn deadly in a minute? Mental health experts have been working around the clock to help parents through this most recent tragedy. No one has all of
6 Tips to Protect Your Relationship from Holiday Stress
The holidays are supposed to be joyful, bringing couples closer together. In reality, many couples become stressed or depressed during the holidays. Unresolved issues often carry into the new year, which is why January through March have the highest number of divorces. Due to Harvey, this year has been especially trying on relationships, leaving couples feeling stressed and overwhelmed emotionally and financially. However, having an action plan can help calm the stress of the
The Las Vegas Shooting: A Lesson for Compassion at Home
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