Life Informed Therapy

Finding your joy may be difficult this time of year, but it's important to identify at least one or two things in your life that make you smile, no matter how "trivial" or small they may be. While the past can be difficult to think about, it's crucial to give yourself credit for getting through it. Grief, job loss, financial stress, lost relationships and trauma all leave scars, some visible, some not. Those scars may be painful, but they make us who we are and are evidence of our strength to press on in search of peace and happiness. I think most of us would agree that we would rather show our strength in other ways and forgo the scars! Finding joy could be as simple as: Looking at funny cat/dog memes. Laying down for 20 minutes. Enjoying your favorite beverage in silence. Watching old movies or TV shows. Coloring (don't knock it till you try it again as an adult!) Going for a walk. Playing with your furry or feathered family member.  Cooking a new re...

I swear, once that first leaf hits the ground, it's like a national alarm to start your holiday engines and get ready to plaster the most merriest of smiles across your face for the next 4 months. Isn't that what society tells us? That this time of year is the "Most Wonderful Time of The Year!". Sure, in an ideal world, where all holidays are recognized and celebrated, where we all had plenty of money to buy our loved ones their most favorite things, where we all had enough food for the table and where we all had safe and supportive families and friends to visit. In reality, not everyone has these things, making this time of the year stressful, depressing and pretty much the opposite of wonderful.  Now let's say you are fortunate enough to have most of these things, and you still feel sad and depressed when the green flag of holiday racing is waved. You may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD. SAD is usually triggered by th...

I think we can all agree that holiday music starts earlier and earlier each year, and while the holidays can be a wonderful time, the music is the soundtrack to what can be a chaotic 6 weeks! Regardless of what you do or do not celebrate, this time of year can be an onslaught of shopping, family and friend gatherings, overnight guests, elaborate meal planning and lots of travel. I remember for many years doing the early morning wake up for Black Friday shopping with my friends and not because I particularly enjoyed it, but because that was what we were “supposed” to do. Over time, I began to dread it, why was I not enjoying this day off by sleeping in after a long day of cooking, eating and cleaning? I gave in to the social pressure that this holiday season can bring, even though I knew it was not good for me. No deal was worth fighting over a parking spot at 2am. I kicked my Black Friday tradition to the curb and let my friends know I’ll meet them for lunch instead when they were...