This post was originally published on December 12, 2014 Another year has gone by and “The Holidays” are fast approaching—although if you’re anything like me, you’re still wondering where September went! The time has come when we are once again seeing commercials on TV and in magazines about how wonderful the Christmas season is, that it is better to give than to receive, and how warm and loving families are, especially at this time of year. But the reality is that, for many of people, this is … [Read more...] about How to Enjoy the Holidays When You or Your Loved One Has an Addiction
Archives for 2016
Disagreeing without Being Disagreeable: The Grown-up’s Guide to Emotional Intelligence
As most people know today, emotional intelligence is a real thing. There are courses that are taught about it and many books have been written about it. It is no longer enough to just be intellectually ‘smart’—it has also become important to be self-aware and to be able to handle our emotions in healthy ways. What we’re seeing, however, is that there seems to be an increase in world leaders who don’t hold those values in high esteem. Perhaps the US’s most self-aware and emotionally intelligent … [Read more...] about Disagreeing without Being Disagreeable: The Grown-up’s Guide to Emotional Intelligence
The Journey of Recovery for an Addict’s Loved Ones: Are You Going Upstream or Downstream?
The Journey of Recovery for a Loved One As anyone who loves an addict knows, the journey along the way can be quite arduous. There are many trials and tribulations that we never see coming. Try as we might, there are times when it feels like things will never get better; in fact, until some type of therapeutic intervention is invited in, these situations generally just get worse and worse over time, and loved ones are left picking up the pieces as best they can. The damage can be … [Read more...] about The Journey of Recovery for an Addict’s Loved Ones: Are You Going Upstream or Downstream?
Are You Trying to Solve the Unsolvable? The Best Way to Know the Difference
Have you been busy trying to change what you cannot change?Are you doing your best to control what you simply can’t control?If so, please know—you’re not alone!It’s strange but true—a great many people all over the world are continually trying to change something that is not in the realm of things they can change. When it’s drastic enough, we see it on the news—generally as some kind of violence toward somebody else. For most of us, however, this tendency goes relatively unnoticed—except perhaps … [Read more...] about Are You Trying to Solve the Unsolvable? The Best Way to Know the Difference
Holistic Self-Care When Loving an Addict
Recently, while working with a client (I’ll call her Jane) who is the loved one of an addict, she made a significant discovery. We were talking about the importance of Jane’s self-care, an important subject I frequently discuss with all of my clients. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “I don’t feel like I know how to take care of myself—I don’t know what I want or how to ask for it.”“I don’t know how to set healthier boundaries because I don’t even know what those boundaries … [Read more...] about Holistic Self-Care When Loving an Addict
