Dr Paul Jenkins

Dec 30

A Christmas Poem

By DrPaul M-Power

I’d like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me; I’d like to be the help that you’ve been always glad to be; I’d like to mean as much to you each minute of the day As you have meant, old friend of mine, to me along the way. I’d like to do the big things and the splendid things for you, To brush the gray out of your skies and leave them only blue; I’d like to say the kindly things that I so oft have heard, And feel that I could rouse your soul the way that mine you’ve stirred. I’d like to give back the joy that you have given me, Yet that were wishing you a need I hope will never be;…

Nov 15

Love0

Get in Front of Your But

By DrPaul M-Power

Have you been guilty of this? Because I have. I have been behind my but when I know I need to be in front of my but. I have said I want to do something, but I just can’t. Did you see it? I am behind my but when I need to be in front of it. Being in front of your but means you say, I want to do that and I am going to figure out how. You define the problem, the roadblock, the obstacle that interferes with doing what you want and chip away. Figure out how to get around the obstacle. This could mean a change in your perspective. This could mean a change in your priorities. This could mean a change in your activities. This could mean a change in your expenditures. When I get in front of my but it means change. And the biggest changes were the ones…

Oct 02

Love0

Leave the Door Open for Spring

By DrPaul M-Power

In my part of the world, the leaves are turning those cool fall colors and spiraling from the trees. Sometimes we like to drive up the canyon and see all the leaves falling from their branches. Some people don’t like to see the leaves fall as it means there will be bare trees and winter. For us that means lots of snow and frigid temperatures. People can get depressed with less sunlight during the day. We all have changing seasons in our lives. We have problems that seem to settle down upon us. Sometimes it feels like they are freezing us in place and we can’t move on and deal with the rest of our lives. They leave us feeling cold and bare. Yet, in all my years of life, Spring has always come bringing new life, brilliant colors and warming the ground, transforming the snow and ice into life-giving…

Aug 10

Love0

Ready for a Mood Changer?

By DrPaul M-Power

If you have listened to me long enough you have heard me say, “You are never wrong about how you feel.” You have also heard me say, “Feelings are temporary.” These seem to be contradictory but they actually aren’t. Feelings are useful to check in to what we are experiencing. Then, if we want to stay there, we can choose to, but if it is a feeling we are ready to move on from we can do something about that. You can change your feelings and one of the quickest ways I know how is to smile. Smiling releases endorphins, which help to relieve stress. Endorphins boost your mood. See where I am going? With a mood change, you are changing your feelings. Hormones can combat depression which will also boost your immune system. Yes, smiling can actually help prevent illness, both physical and mental. Smiling is also contagious. Smiling authentically around…

Aug 03

Love0

Do You Have the Oars to Row Your Boat?

By DrPaul M-Power

My family jokes that I can take any event and turn it into a lesson. I heard of one recently where two teens took one of their parent’s boat out fishing. They were just going lake fishing so they weren’t out in the ocean but this boat had a little motor. They took the boat out a ways from shore and fished for a while. Then they couldn’t get the motor to start. So they go to grab the oars and start rowing, but there is only one oar. Even with some ingenious rowing, (take one stroke and pass the oar to the other person to take a stroke), they can’t make any progress without the other oar. So they decide they are going to push the boat back to the shore. They jump overboard and get behind the boat and start kicking in the water and pushing the boat. …

Oct 11

Love0

Perception of Mental Health in America

By DrPaul M-Power

One of our coaches passed along an article that shows 90% of Americans believe there is a mental health crisis in the United States. Being a psychologist, I read about and talk to others in the field about mental health so it is on the forefront of my mind. With 9 out of 10 saying they believe there is a crisis, it shows they have been thinking about mental health also. This survey was not a study of records, it is about the perception of mental health. About half of those polled said that someone in their family or someone they knew had experienced a severe mental health crisis and were a threat to themselves or others or engaged in self-harm. We know that the recent pandemic probably made mental health for some worse, but it may have helped awareness rise. The number of people seeking help for mental health related issues has increased…

Oct 25

Love0

Is Group Coaching For Me?

By DrPaul M-Power

I was trained as a traditional psychologist, so I practiced like one. My patients were taught how to be a patient so they made an appointment, showed up, we talked for 50 minutes and they made another appointment on the way out. What I have discovered is that there are other ways to be a psychologist. I made a huge change when I stopped taking insurance, labeling people with a diagnosis and being told when it was time to end their care. I was frustrated. And so I acted more like a coach and my patients became clients. I began to see people achieve more, take control and experience happiness. Over the years the business model has been changing and continues to change. And I have found that Group Coaching is really effective. I kind of already knew that having run youth and prison groups, but the benefits are much…

Dec 11

Love0

Time To Celebrate Festivus

By DrPaul M-Power

In a Tough Year, There Might Be More Reason to Celebrate This Holiday Than You Know Event after event has been cancelled in 2020 and we could use a reason to celebrate. How about Festivus? Why not? It’s as good as any other reason. If you aren’t familiar with Festivus, is was made popular by an episode of the TV show, Seinfeld, written by Dan O’Keefe. Dan’s father, Daniel O’Keefe was doing research for a book in 1966, and found a reference to a little known holiday called Festivus. He chose to celebrate it on December 23rd as this is the anniversary of his first date with his wife. Before you go all, “Ahhh,” and think it was soooo romantic, the symbol of Festivus is an aluminum pole. That’s right, no golden rings, no aromatic tree or lighted candles. And the celebration starts after a dinner of meatloaf. Following dinner…

Dec 09

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2020: A Holiday Experiment

By DrPaul M-Power

In year’s past, many people at this time of year would begin complaining about the stress of the holidays. There are Christmas parties to plan and attend. And, what am I going to wear, add shopping at the mall for new clothes. There are cookies to bake for the neighborhood exchange. There are appointments to make for Santa pictures. There are Holiday concerts to attend. And all the in-laws are coming into town this year. Wait, none of that is happening. Or very little. If you choose, there are still cards to send, gifts to give, lights to put up, homes to decorate. Or not. This year we have a chance to make our holidays less stressful, without looking like the Grinch. What if instead of mourning all the things we can’t do this Christmas or Holiday Season, we viewed it as an opportunity to conduct an experiment? A Christmas…

Oct 15

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Why Am I So Grouchy?

By DrPaul M-Power

Who are some of your favorite grouches? Oscar the Grouch? Archie Bunker? Eeyore? Sheldon Cooper? Maxine? Scrooge? The Grinch? Frank Costanza? You? Ouch, I hope the last one doesn’t ring true, but I get asked all the time, how do I stop being angry all the time? Anger is a secondary emotion. It usually follows another emotion like frustration or disappointment. So then, why do we switch to anger? Because anger is an active emotion. We know what to do with anger. You know how to throw your arms up the air. You know how to mean mug. You know the body language. You know how to YELL. You know how to strike out. It isn’t as obvious as what to do with sadness or loss. That emotion is not as active. We sulk, we cry, we sit. See, not as much expression and why we use the secondary emotion…

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