The fear rushed in. Am I going to isolate once again? These were my first thoughts and feelings when I decided to work from home three months ago. I have a long history of social anxiety and withdrawal, and going to work every day gave me a good group with whom I could connect. Yet,…
I hiked the Ice Age National Scenic Trail last year. All 684 miles of trail. The inspiration to do this came from a movie and book called “Wild”. This is a true story about a woman who hiked 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from one end to the other, and in doing so…
Anxiety. Three days of hard work and I overcame the unhealthy hold it had on my life. It sounds like a television testimonial that will ask you to buy their product, doesn’t it? From one perspective, it took only a few days of focused attention and emotional tumult to knock down anxiety and improve my…
I have been going through two stressful life events in the last two months. There was a lot anger that these events were occurring; anger because I did not have much influence over the outcome of either situation. I could play a role, be active in making the situations slightly better, but nothing could be…
I was in a relationship awhile back where we got into the same argument every three to four months. The problem was how much time I spent with others outside the relationship and how well or how poorly I treated my partner once we saw each other again. I did not see a problem; she…
Sometimes I like to think, “Can’t we all just get along?” Other times, especially with everything in the news these days, I wonder at the naiveté of such thinking. We all have our personal interests, desires and goals – “what we want” out of the moment, the day, and our lives. How can we expect…
Work is busy, too busy. Being too stressed and overwhelmed is not good in any job. Self-care is always important, but even more so when we notice the effects of too much work. I let my manager know when I am too busy. She may already know this and may be working to alleviate the…
There is this problem: When I cut someone off on the road while driving, I see it as a mistake – something I would not normally do, something that happened due to the circumstances. Yet when someone else cuts me off in traffic, he is a jerk. I question his judgment, his moral character, and…
Much of our lives we spend dealing with the day-to-day stressors in our lives. From time to time, however, we look at the bigger questions – the meaning and value of our lives. How do I treat others? How do I improve myself, make my life better? How do I reach my goals while maintaining…
Here are a few simple steps you can take to make your life more difficult! Think of a task or goal that you are having a problem completing. Ask yourself why you have not been able to complete it. Add a value judgment to your reason — I’m a procrastinator, I don’t have the skills to…