Technical Difficulties....

So I  never claimed to be a computer expert, I married one, why do I need to learn all the ins and outs? Anyway, I have received a few e-mail about people not being able to leave a comment and lo and behold, I think I got it fixed. now anyone can leave their input, not just followers. Hopefully it works now, if not, feel free to e-mail me!! Thanks for reading!!!!

Snack Time!!!!!

Take a break from your day and share some food for thought with me. I was recently asked a rhetorical question the other that I did not have an answer to, but has got me thinking about. This person was talking in general about her life and stated something to the effect of:

Why do we only hang on to the bad stuff that happens to us? Sure, lots of good things have happened to me, but why do I not carry those with me like the bad stuff?

A very good point and as a human being and a professional, I didn’t have an answer. Of course, the things like severe trauma will stick with us for a very long time if help if not sought out. Although, on a more simple level, I can remember MANY happy times in my life that I thought life could get no better and then I walk home to find the dog had an accident on the floor again and there goes my happy mood! So that’s a pretty basic example, but I think we all react that way on some level.

Again, I would love to hear your input on this one and if you have any tricks that help you to stay focused on the positive and carry with you those “good things” and leave behind all the rest!

I hope you all have a GREAT rest of the week!

Changes in Attitude....

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day as you all know. I realize it’s a little strange, but it always brings me back to high school. A romantic at heart (I know, some of you who know me might disagree), but back in those teenage years, I always had such high anticipations for the long awaited Valentine’s Day. I hoped and prayed that the one person I had my eye on would finally come around, realize I was the one for him, and I would finally get asked out on that long awaited date. Well, that never happened and I would go home on Valentine’s Day with a bad attitude about life in general.

It is funny how one situation can change our attitude about things so drastically. I realize now, that if I had changed my attitude and line of thinking, I would have realized that I was a pretty lucky girl and one day those boys wouldn’t matter anymore and life would go on. Of course, telling that to a teenage girl can be pretty pointless and I would have laughed at those words.  But it got me to thinking, that we can experience these same things in our adult lives as well.

Over the years, I have met soooo many people coming to me, asking me, “Why can’t so and so just change” or “Why can’t they act differently to me?” If I had that magic wand to make people act the way they should, I would be able to retire incredibly early. What I have found most helpful in both working professionally with others and in my own life, is looking at how we can change our overall attitude and line of thinking and do what WE need to do to best deal with what we may not be getting from others in our lives.

It’s no big surprise that people in our life are going to frustrate the heck out of us. In-laws, siblings, spouses, children, friends, co-workers, bosses, or anyone we come into contact with and have a relationship are going to irritate the heck out of us at one time or another. Is it worth it to your own level of stress to make a big deal out of it? Or would it be more beneficial to accept that this person will not do and say the things you think they should and act on what did happen? This is not an easy task to do. In high school, it probably would have been helpful to me to accept that this certain person just wasn’t interested and realize that there was someone else who was. It could have saved me some heartache and bad attitudes that just brought me down, when I could have been enjoying some pretty good times instead of sulking in my own little world. (Of course then I might not have married that other person, couldn’t resist for all of you that have known me since high school :0)

This is also not something that happens overnight. It takes practice. We will still get ticked at others, we are human, it happens. But we only got one shot at life and isn’t it more enjoyable to live life instead of stewing on all of those things that we really have no control over? Take control over your attitude and your perception of things, and you might find that things are a little easier to manage.

Our Troops Need More Support

So I am cheating just a little in this week's post and putting up an article about an issue that I believe does not get enough attention from us. I would really like to expand my practice to focus on Veteran's Issues and the things that they face, along with their families, on a daily basis. Please share my information if you know someone who might benefit!


Congress.org - News : More troops lost to suicide

I Want A New Drug

I remember being miserable in my dorm room many years ago with my first experience with the stomach flu living away from home. I called my mom, of course, to see what I should do, to ask what pill I should take to make it all go away. My mom of course told me my only hope was to let it run its course and eat some saltines and drink Sprite. WHAT?!?! There was no magic pill that would make it all go away? I had to be miserable for how long? Turns out it was probably the work of some questionable food I ate in the dining hall that was making me pray for a VERY speedy recovery, as the bathroom was reallllly far away down the hall!

Guess you are wondering what my point is here? We live in an age when we have whatever we want, when we want it, all at our fingertips. We really don’t have to wait for much anymore. This is true for when we don’t feel good, we want that quick fix, that magic pill to make it all go away. And at times, there is that magic pill available to us. I thank the makers of antibiotics every time my daughter gets an ear infection, as it usually goes away pretty quickly! However, what about those times we are anxious or depressed and want that quick fix to make it all go away? Not that easy unfortunately.

When we are looking at something like anxiety or depression, there is usually some underlying cause. Are you anxious over finances, your job, your current relationship, driving in the snow, being in a plane  and the list goes on…And yes, at times, anxiety medication is very beneficial to ease the symptoms. However, is it treating the cause? That pill will not make money appear in your checking account or make your co-worker act exactly the way you want them to. That pill might make you relax or to sleep better and make it easier to take on another day. But do you want to have to rely on a pill forever? For instance, a diabetic can take medications for diabetes to lessen the symptoms. However, making changes as well like diet and exercise can alleviate the need for that medication. The same with anxiety and depression can be true. Talking with a professional and getting to the root of the problem could be the trick to not having to rely on those medications. A counselor can help you find that cause, to discover the tools that you already have inside you in order to deal with things head on. No, it’s not an overnight process, but it is possible to work through these things and get your life under YOUR control, not under the control of medications.

Now here comes the disclaimer…..as I used to work closely with psychiatrists, who might argue some of the above points…I completely agree that medications ARE needed and beneficial to many people with mental illness. I pointed out above that medications are there to assist and work to help you better cope with things. Yes, some people truly NEED the medications to function on a day to day basis. However, the purpose of this post is to shed a little different light on things and maybe get some to think about things a little differently. Back in college I wanted that magic pill and if it was available, I would have been the first in line for it, however, I just had to give it time for that questionable food to get out of my system.