Half the people studies would rather shock themselves than sit alone in their thoughts.
Some people are surprised when they find out that I use coaches. I am a coach, and at different times in my career, I have sought out coaches and paid them a lot of money to coach me. To some this seems weird, if you are a coach, then why would you need one? Because we are multi-dimensional human beings. And I don’t claim to know everything about everything. When I started as a psychologist I thought I would see “patients” in a practice and hopefully one day maybe even own my own practice. I thought I would get referrals, see patients, diagnose them, come up with a treatment plan, and bill insurance (and I found out re-bill insurance again and again until I got paid). I am still a psychologist, but I don’t see “patients” any longer and I don’t diagnose or bill insurance. I have clients who I…
Which is right for you? Maybe all three. We are used to making New Year’s Resolutions and for the majority of people, letting them dwindle away like the last piece of confetti falling at midnight. Now, we don’t INTEND to have that happen, but it does. If you haven’t been successful in the past, it is hard to resolve to do something now. And, some people feel overwhelmed with everything going on in their lives and don’t think they can take on another thing, even if it is something necessary. Something that would enrich and bless their lives long-term. There is a way to ease into a resolution. What if you started with a consideration. What if I consider exercising more? What would that look like? How would that happen? What would I need? A consideration is a careful thought over a period of time. Can you see how it…
As a psychologist, I talk to people who are struggling with different things. One of the saddest things I have had to deal with is the aftermath of someone dying due to suicide. Last week this hit close to home with people I know and recently a YouTube Comment made me think that it might be time we address this important issue again. The viewer said her family was doing their best to have a Merry Christmas and continue on after the death of her father-in-law due to suicide. She said it was a surprise and she always thought of her father-in-law as a happy person. The aftermath of suicide leaves us with so many feelings, sadness, anger, and failure are among some of them. I told my viewer that I was glad her family was looking to the future and trying to have a Merry Christmas. Whether she knew…
A reader of my blog recently responded to an article I had written about conducting the Great Christmas Experience Experiment. The post talked about how we can make the holidays in 2020 memorable when so many of our normal activities have been canceled. The reader asked, what about those of us who are alone? A recent statistic said that one in 5 people may be alone this Christmas. This is for a variety of reasons, one major being the pandemic. If you are alone, how can you make this Christmas memorable and not lonely? (Or, if you know someone who will be alone this Christmas, you may get an idea of what you can do for them.) Here are a few ideas to get you started. Celebrate how you want. You can be traditional, or throw traditions out the window and do something you have never done before. Consider having…
How did your family conversations go? Did you try any of the “would you rather questions?” Now that we have everyone talking, I want to introduce you to something you may be aware of, Family Councils. This is a time where you come together at a regular time and discuss what is going on in your family. Do your kids ever fight over bathroom time? Do you and your partner ever argue over household matters? What about the bigger issues of discussing drug and alcohol use with your children? This is the beauty of family councils – when they are being held on a regular basis. *Pick a regular day and time, (Thursday at 7:30pm or every other Sunday at 2pm) *Pick a topic for each week *Parents can take turns leading the meeting *Pick a game, an activity, something everyone can do *Talk about a principle *Have a treat…