Oh, Those Same Damn Triggers Again??!

Do you feel like this when the same trigger keeps tripping you up over and over again? You thought you’d worked on it, overcome it, vanquished it. But here it is again, rearing its ugly head. —— Yeah, me too. So I’m gonna tell you how I deal with triggers. Hopefully it’ll help you as…

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What I Learned From Anger

In my twenties and thirties, anger was my weapon of choice. Growing up with an alcoholic father and a people-pleasing mother, I soon realized that being angry prevented others from taking advantage of me. Anger helped me feel powerful, strong, and in control. I stormed through life, defending and protecting myself against every threat, insult, and should that came…

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Do You Feel Your Feelings?

feeling your feelings

I remember a moment during my intense grief over my mother’s death. I was sitting on the oatmeal-colored carpet in our living space, tears streaming down my face. My husband looked at me, sighed, and asked the question: “Haven’t you cried enough?” I didn’t know back then what I know today. I didn’t have the…

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Do You Feel Your Feelings?

feeling your feelings

I remember a moment during my intense grief over my mother’s death. I was sitting on the oatmeal-colored carpet in our living space, tears streaming down my face. My husband looked at me, sighed, and asked the question: “Haven’t you cried enough?” I didn’t know back then what I know today. I didn’t have the…

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How Too Much Spirituality Can Hurt You

Recently I worked with a client (we’ll call her Brenda) whose mother was diagnosed with a rare illness. The illness caused limited mobility, episodes of forgetting, and an inability to work at the non-profit, a job she loved. Now Brenda had to do everything from making her meals, driving her to doctor’s appointments and handling…

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10 Ways to Cope with a Difficult Loss

coping with difficult losses

When you lose a loved one, grief knocks you over no matter how strong you are. Here are ten strategies that will help you in coping with the transition. 1) Feel your Feelings. Allow feelings to bubble up to the surface: shock, anger, denial, sadness, fear. Everyone’s grief is as individual as their fingerprints, so…

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Grief is a lonely feeling

grief is lonely

The pain of grief is something only the grieving understand. When my mother passed away and I was in deep shock and pain, the best healing gift I gave myself was a Grief group. Drowning in a turbulent maelstrom of emotions, I felt all alone. I was all alone. Neither my husband nor my daughter could touch…

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Anticipatory Grief: Waiting for Death

waiting for death

When you know a loved one’s death is approaching, you experience anticipatory grief. In other words, death hasn’t occurred yet, but it is coming. Anticipatory grief can be easy or hard, depending on the kind of person you are. Some people like the time to prepare, to say goodbye, to take care of unfinished business.…

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