As I sit down to write this post, I have to be real with you. Though I’m an expert at the intersection of loss and stress, I’m still human. As I write this, I’m a human who is experiencing deep, gut-and-heart wrenching grief. Admittedly, this is also why my articles and outreach have been few and far between the last few months. As I continue writing and you continue reading, I want to be clear with you and myself - writing this article has but two purposes. First, my hope is to care for myself by returning to and reminding myself of the supportive knowledge around grief I’ve learned over the years. And, second, my hope is that by exploring this topic for myself, you too may find…
If you’re like many Americans, you may find yourself feeling a bit more blue now that daylight savings time has gone into effect.
Here in Philadelphia during the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year), Philadelphians will get an entire 5 hours and 41 minutes less sunlight than during the summer solstice (the longest day of the year).
Compared to some areas of the US like Alaska that have no sunlight for 60+ days, Philadelphians and others around the country may be luckier than others, but with hours of less sunlight each day the impact can still be staggering. According to Psychology Today, the US alone reports more than 10 million cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder each year…
If you’re like me, at some point in your life you might have thought to yourself (or said to a trusted friend), ‘I’m tired of all the drama.’
Maybe, like me, you thought this because you were tired of fighting, tired of feeling like two ships passing in the night or tired of the exhaustion caused by a relationship you were or aren’t even sure you want any more.
Perhaps it’s drama with a lover, friend, boss or even colleague. Or, perhaps it’s drama with someone or something else entirely.
Regardless, if you’re tired of the drama, you’ve made it to the right place…
This is one of the top google searches that lead to my website and it's been awhile since I addressed this question so I thought, 'Welp, there's no time like the present return to the topic.'
One of the key and foundational factors to experiencing emotional freedom is physical sobriety.
I said it before and I'll say it again...
Caffeine, alcohol, and other foods, drinks, and substances actually have the power to activate the nervous system's stress response without ever having a stressor present in the first place…
As I've mentioned before, we humans love a good problem to fix and, with that in mind, many of my clients and potential clients LOVE the idea of working Step Two to get to the root of exactly what's going on so they can 'make some changes around here.’…
Did you know that relationships are considered one of the top five stressors in the United States?
And did you know that the ending of a relationship is one of the most common types of loss? (i.e. break ups, divorces, quitting a job because of a manager, etc.)
As you may know, my expertise is at the intersection of stress and loss…
Last week I shared with you the definition of Emotional Sobriety. As a reminder, Ingrid Clayton, PhD defines emotional sobriety as follows...
"...Emotional sobriety is less about the quality of the feeling ("good" or "bad") and more about the general ability to feel one's feelings. Being restored to sanity isn't about getting the brass ring—or cash and prizes—or being "happy, joyous, and free" all the time, but it is about being in the present moment, whatever it happens to look like...Sometimes emotional sobriety is about tolerating what you are feeling."
I know, I know...I, myself, am already sick of seeing headlines and reading articles about it AND there is a perspective that I haven't seen yet that I think absolutely NEEDS to be shared.
I just finished watching season two of Love is Blind and if this reality tv show isn't a demonstration of how challenging relationships and circumstances can be, I really don't know what is.
Warning: Though I've tried my best to keep things vague and not spoil Love is Blind for you, if you haven't finished watching season two of the show yet, there might be some spoilers in this email. Just know that…
Have you ever shared something with someone and felt like even though they heard you they weren't really listening?
Like they hear you, but they just don't truly understand you?
If so, you're not alone. In fact, almost all of us have likely felt this way at some point or another, especially if we've experienced some sort of devastating loss.
With the experience of loss and grief, we are more likely to feel isolated, alone, and like no one really understands us...
