Emotional cycles are the interactive elements in our relationships with family members, friends, and co-workers. Negative cycles start when we become triggered by a someone’s troubling tone of voice, facial expression, or remarks. Immediately, we will feel an emotion that often prompts us to get angry or anxious. We may feel a bodily sensation due…
Christmas time is here! The lights are up, the tree is shining bright, and the festive retail world is in full force. The time for cheer has begun, but for some of us, the holiday season can bring about the Christmas blues. Although most people enjoy this time of year, there are some who experience…
Hope for Humility & The Good Life As we gear up for a season with seemingly endless opportunities to receive gifts, I contend that one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is developing a more robust practice of gratitude. Even though we like to believe that we do things altruistically for others most…
Children want to be seen and heard. They long for connection with their parent or caretaker. They want to know they are important, loved, and valued. What does it mean to “be seen and heard”? It means to be known and for someone to know you and take interest in and validate the things that…
With summer break in full swing, it is hard to figure out what to do all day! Today’s world is filled with technology, screens, and (as of 2014) more computers than humans! The technology wave came fast and it came strong, with little time for people to keep up with the rapidly changing technology available.…
When I was a teenager, I sat down to breakfast each morning and waited for my dad to pass me the sports page. The 20 minutes we spent talking headlines, him in his suit, me in my flannels and Timberland boots – it was the 90s – was critical to our relationship. It was just…
Happy New Year! In the 2006 cinematic masterpiece, “Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby,” the main character is a race car driver whose thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors all seem to flow out of a statement his father made to him when he was a young boy. “If you ain’t first, you’re last,” yells…
Have you ever selected a path in life and all you see in your future are your hopes for what it will be? Then the opportunity arrives and there are all these intricacies and nuanced outcomes you hadn’t even considered? Welcome to parenting! When we imagine our children as babies, we often don’t think about…
We have all heard the phrase “It takes a village” when it comes to raising a child, but it turns out that’s actually true! 80% of women experience “baby blues” in the first several weeks after birth, and roughly 1 in 5 women and even a number of non-birthing parents will end up experiencing a…
When I was around 9 or 10 old, my Dad took me and my older brother, Danny, to the Cabarrus Creamery. Although connected to a large ice cream factory, it was a simple store front that served excellent frozen treats directly to the public. I vividly remember the details of my banana milkshake that day. …