Healing Emotional Pain: The Safety of the Other Shore February 7, 2014 • 0 Comments The other night my son and I watched The Other Shore, a fabulous documentary about one of my heroes, legendary ocean swimmer, Diana Nyad. I am somewhat obsessed with her because although I love the ocean, I am equally terrified by it. One of my biggest fears is falling off a cruise ship, which is ridiculous because I have never been…
Healing Techniques: Embracing the Healing Powers Within February 5, 2014 • 2 Comments Last week I had one of those days where everything seemed shrouded in darkness, which went hand in hand with the restless night that preceded it. I am particularly vulnerable when I don’t sleep well, my brain becomes sieve-like, incapable of fending off scary thoughts. Mental exhaustion was common in the beginning, but with the river of adrenaline coursing through…
Inspirational Poems: John O’Donohue’s For a New Beginning February 3, 2014 • 4 Comments I love the brevity of poetry and the way it cracks open a window into the soul. As least it does for me. I used to try and write it when I was younger, but just never quite got the hang of it. Perhaps I need more words to get my point across. I came across this poem the other…
Managing Anxiety: Natural Remedies for Anxiety January 31, 2014 • 4 Comments “When we think and feel in the same ways for most of our lives and memorize familiar states of being, our internal chemical state keeps activating the same genes, meaning we keep making the same proteins.” Dr. Joe Dispenza I often wonder what all these emotional states are trying to tell me. I can usually figure out why I am…
#StandWithAaron: Share, Connect, Give and Help Heal January 29, 2014 • 2 Comments For many of us, days come and go, unremarkably blending into one another. That was how it was for me until September 2005 when a day came along that began like all the others, but ended quite differently. It was my first introduction to the notion that life could change on a dime. Nothing stood out that would have indicated…
How to Talk to Children About Suicide: The Power of Conversation January 27, 2014 • 8 Comments When I dreamt of becoming a mother, I never imagined that one day I would look into the eyes of my children to begin a discussion about their father’s choice to end his life. But that is exactly what happened. As I searched their faces for clues during those first few days, I realized I was going to have to…
Shawshank Redemption: A Message of Self Discovery from the Soul January 24, 2014 • 18 Comments One of my all time favorite movies is The Shawshank Redemption. In the days when we had the premium cable subscription with a bevy of channels, if I happened to be mindlessly flipping through seeking a source of entertainment and came across it, without question, no matter how far along the movie was, I was hooked. I’m hoping you’ve seen…
Reminders from the Universe: Don’t Give Up January 22, 2014 • 6 Comments I have been clearing out a lot of clutter in my life lately, both mentally and physically. There are days where I am certain I have accomplished this feat, and then I find more crap hiding in the corners of my house and mind. Last week, I gathered up clothes and accessories that were no longer in use and decided…
Dealing with Grief and Gracefully Disengaging from Blame January 20, 2014 • 7 Comments I originally posted this a year ago but I recently read an article on the Huffington Post discussing the issue of blame and thought I would repost since it seems to be an ongoing problem. I have had some interesting and difficult conversations over the last two years. I thought I would share this one in particular, in case you…
End of Life Planning: The Importance of Being a Prepared Optimist January 17, 2014 • 2 Comments A week after my husband’s death, there was an embarrassing pause when my attorney asked about the individuals we had assigned in our Will to be in charge of our personal matters. There had been no contact with either of them for many years. Although the Will was in place, the details sadly reflected days gone past. Luckily, the basics…