Hillel says “If I am not for myself who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I?” In other words, we have an obligation to take care of our world, our community, and our family, but it is also appropriate to take care of ourselves. As the New Year approaches, and many of us think about resolutions for 2017, I loved a short article by Karen Baskin on the meQuilibrium website called 5 Ways (and Whys) to Put Yourself First and have excerpted it below. We know that most of us have … [Read more...]
Can You Bounce Back? (Part 2)
May 10, 2016 By
What are some other things that can add to our ability to bounce back? 1. Go into difficult situations as prepared as possible. Think about what can go wrong and try to have a plan for how to deal with it. 2. Be prepared to stick it out. No matter how difficult things get, if you commit for the long haul, you will be less likely to want to quit. T. This is referred to as having “grit.” 3. See some of the positive aspects of stress instead of the things that are hard about it. It can be … [Read more...]
Letting Go of Perfect: How Perfectionism Hurts Children
December 29, 2015 By
This blog is Part Two of a three-part series on perfectionism. Most parents would feel proud if they thought they had the “perfect” child. But few look at the downside of perfectionism and how striving for it can hurt children. In today’s competitive environment, children cannot just be perfect on paper, amassing a large digital resume good grades and extracurricular activities. They need to have real skills to navigate the ups and down of teacher demands, changing friendships, emotional … [Read more...]
Letting Go of Perfect: Recognizing the Warning Signs of Perfectionism
November 22, 2015 By
Part one of a three-part series on perfectionism. When we are at the top of our game, we strive not only to do our best, but to be our best. For some of us, however, being our best goes one step further…we believe that we have to be perfect. In striving for perfection, my friend Lynn kept up a punishing pace for many years. She never left the house without make-up and an appropriate outfit, married a wonderful man, worked a full time job, raised three perfect-looking kids, volunteered for … [Read more...]
American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study: Be In it to Win It (Good Health, That Is!)
June 5, 2013 By
There has been a lot of publicity lately about breast cancer because of the article Peggy Orenstein wrote entitled The Problem with Pink in The New York Times on April 28th. Read about my response to the article on The Patch. In the wake of that discussion it's important that we not forget what we are aiming for: the eradication of not only breast cancer, but all cancers. Today there are nearly 12 million people in the U.S. who have survived cancer and many, many more who have avoided it due … [Read more...]