Blog: Healing Choices
This blog focuses on the small moments that make a good day into a bad day, or a terrible day into a gift of a day. It’s my belief that developing awareness in these small moments is the practice we need to be able to navigate all the ups and downs of life, from loss and grief to love, peace, and joy.
Self-Care Shouldn’t Hurt
Self-care is a very important part of a great life. I’m talking about caring for yourself in a healthy way. I’m not talking self-indulgence, I’m talking the basics: getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, getting some exercise, and having some joy in your life. I...
My New Primary Question
I’ve talked about Primary Questions in this blog before. A Primary Question is a question you ask yourself first thing in the morning and throughout the day. It has the power to shape your day. Most of us unconsciously ask ourselves questions that are negative, such...
Chronic Thought Work
As I’ve reflected on the last year and looked forward to the next, I’ve been having a hard time identifying my emotions. What am I feeling? I finally realized that I’m feeling excited at all the possibilities that the new year brings. I’ve experienced so many changes...
50 Accomplishments
Every year around this time I make a list of 50 accomplishments. The reason I came up the number 50 is that it takes me beyond all the goals I set and makes me process some of the more subtle accomplishments of the year. So, at the beginning of my list I have things...
When a Request Is Not a Request
When I was seeing patients, I would often say to a patient, “Can I examine you now?” Sometimes, when I said it to a child, the response was, “No!” At that point, I would say, “Let me rephrase that: I’m going to examine you now.” My initial request was not really a...
Clear Communication
“A complaint is a request unasked.” I heard this little saying years ago. I thought it was such a true statement and I said it to my husband when he complained. Then I said, ‘Do you have a request?” He did and he told me what it was. A few hours later I mentioned...
Boundaries II
I’ve been thinking a lot about boundaries lately (see last week’s blog post.) While driving the other day, I started thinking about the movie, Moonstruck (stay with me!) If you haven’t seen the movie, put it on your list; it’s a good one. I’m not going to spoil it by...
Boundaries
When I was seeing patients, it was not uncommon for a female patient to ask me what they could do about their lack of sex drive. When I first graduated from medical school, I would start talking about the female sex cycle and all the different changes that can go on...
Be Here Now
Around holiday time, many people start to talk about the way things used to be. “Oh, it’s not like it used to be,” they sigh. “I wish it could be the way it used to be.” I’ve heard one of my brother-in-laws say, in response to wistful statements such as these, “Which...
Energy Drainers
As I get ready to teach a class on Energy Drainers again this week, I realize that the language I have used in the past has been less than crystal clear. I used to talk about the things that drained our energy. These days I know that it’s our thoughts about the things...