Ah, 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 with addictive behaviours, as … [Read more...] about From Fantasy to Reality on Valentine’s Day: Loving Yourself with Healthy Self-Care
Healthy self-care
Addicted to Christmas Chaos? Taming the Madness this Holiday Season
First published on December 14, 2012. Has anyone else noticed how early the Christmas chaos began this year? I recall a few years ago here in Vancouver, a number of people became so disgruntled by the early onset of Christmas music in some of the stores—in the middle of October—that they took to Facebook en masse and complained. One store in particular, Shoppers Drug Mart, appeased the naysayers by stopping that music, but only after they drew their line in the sand, assuring us that the … [Read more...] about Addicted to Christmas Chaos? Taming the Madness this Holiday Season
New Year’s Resolutions?
Try Intentions Instead!
Repost of article originally published December 2010.
In 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 … [Read more...] about New Year’s Resolutions?
Try Intentions Instead!
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