Pregnancy and motherhood can bring on a host of unexpected emotions and stresses. When you leave the hospital with your new bundle of joy, you expect to settle into life at home surrounded by family and friends, flooded with happiness, and enjoying every new moment. What you may find really happens is that your husband immediately returns to work; friends and family may be consumed by their own busy lives; and your baby may eat and sleep at all hours of the day and night leaving you exhausted. … [Read more...]
Mental Health of Families Displaced by Hurricane Sandy
January 16, 2013 By
It may be the start of a New Year, but for many families from across the NY/NJ region reconstruction, building debris and construction crews are daily reminders of Hurricane Sandy. The media covered the events surrounding Sandy for months, but although the reporting has died down, the personal and emotional loss felt by many remains. Personally, I was affected by the storm when my Little Silver, NJ office was flooded. For the first month or so following the storm, I worked on the second floor … [Read more...]
A Stress-Free Holiday… The Best Gift You Can Give Yourself
October 16, 2012 By
It’s Christmas Day. Your teenage son is refusing to emerge from his darkened bedroom because the love of his life (relationship duration: three weeks) has broken up with him. Your favorite cousin has fallen (leapt?) off the wagon right in your living room and upended the rum into the eggnog bowl. It’s no longer “laced” with liquor – it’s positively trussed. And while we’re on trussing: Your turkey – that lovely, fresh 22-pounder you had to pay a proverbial arm and leg for – seems to be cooking … [Read more...]
Beating the Back-to-School Blues
October 4, 2012 By
In a few weeks, buses will be taking the place of car rides to the beach. Back-to-school anxiety can affect the entire family. Kids are worrying about missing the bus, making new friends, and doing well in school. Their worrying may even lead to sleepless nights and stomachaches. Parents are beginning to worry about those hectic mornings, missed school buses and carpooling chaos. With all of this, how can anyone get excited about the first day of school? Parents can help ease their children’s … [Read more...]
Control: Who’s Got It and Who Wants It?
September 19, 2012 By
Remember when you were a kid and played King of the Hill? Or you were playing with dolls and one person always insisted hers was the Queen of the Castle? Well, control issues are about that. When one person insists on always being King of the Hill or Queen of the castle, others are reduced to secondary roles. That raises a whole series of questions, for example: Do you prefer to be subservient? Does the secondary position make you feel less valued? Would you prefer to be King or Queen … [Read more...]