First published on February 11, 2013Ah, Valentine's Day, the fantasy-filled holiday that comes right after we've managed to get ourselves through another year of Christmas and New Year's Eve!Have you ever wondered whose bright idea it was to have those three holidays in a row? For many people, the 3-month period of December through February can be the most difficult and depressing time of the year, and this is especially true for those whose significant relationships are problematic. For people … [Read more...] about From Fantasy to Reality on Valentine’s Day: Loving Yourself with Healthy Self-Care
Blog
New Year’s Resolutions? Try Intentions Instead!
Originally posted in December 2010In the immortal words of John Lennon, another year is over and a new one’s just begun.Isn’t it interesting how we, as a society, agree that this is the time to give ourselves and our lives a complete and total new makeover? We have decided that at this time of the year we will revisit the year we’re leaving behind, dissecting it to see what worked for us and what didn’t. And on top of that, we need to make sure that we meet all of our “resolutions” quickly and … [Read more...] about New Year’s Resolutions? Try Intentions Instead!
Surviving the Holidays When Loving an Addict
We all know that the Holiday Season is upon us. Depending on where we live, many of us began being pummelled with Christmas commercials on TV even before Halloween had come and gone. As we move into December, we are seeing the familiar media ads depicting gloriously happy families, all enjoying being together—opening gifts by the lavishly decorated tree and having sumptuous meals at their festive dinner table—smiles all around, nice and cozy. It all looks quite wonderful, doesn’t it?But the … [Read more...] about Surviving the Holidays When Loving an Addict
Sometimes Love Looks Like “No”: When to Set and Maintain Healthy Boundaries
This article was originally posted on October 2, 2013. Is it possible to have a healthy relationship with someone who is in active addiction? What needs to happen for that to occur?If you are in that situation, you have probably wondered about this many times.THE QUESTION OF THE DAYSeveral weeks ago I was interviewed on Talk Recovery radio, a new program on Vancouver’s Co-Op Radio station, dealing with addiction and recovery issues. I was honored to be chosen as their very first guest, and I had … [Read more...] about Sometimes Love Looks Like “No”: When to Set and Maintain Healthy Boundaries
Family Addiction: Are You Affected by Another Person’s Addictive Behaviours?
Are you the loved one of someone struggling with an addiction?Would you like to become part of the solution, instead of staying stuck in the problem?These days, addictive behaviours are so rampant that it’s virtually impossible to imagine how many people are affected by them. Having worked as an Addictions Therapist for over 25 years—with both addicts and their loved ones—what I know today is that for every one addict, there are generally at least 10-20 people directly affected by that person’s … [Read more...] about Family Addiction: Are You Affected by Another Person’s Addictive Behaviours?
