Part 3 of my "Letting Go of Perfect" series. Well, we are not even into Spring and I would bet that most of us have either thrown our New Year’s resolutions in the trash, given up on them, or didn’t even bother to make any. Part of the reason we do that is that they are too big, too hard, and set the bar too high. In many ways our resolutions are a lot like the things we say to ourselves about being perfect. We may try so hard to be perfect, to do things perfectly, to aspire to perfection, … [Read more...]
Love and Loss at the Holidays
As I pass the one year anniversary of my mother’s death, I am sad that my mom will not be with us for the holidays and keenly aware of her absence. For the last 18 months, my mother – when she was alive and when she was not – was my responsibility. I was the one who saw her the most, she lived with me for the last six months of her life and then, as her executor, it was my responsibility to carry out her wishes. My brother and sister helped when they could, but I was the local child and then … [Read more...]
Inspiration: Overcoming Anxiety
Following a talk I presented on anxiety on November 14, 2013 for friends of the Rumson-Fair Haven Friends of Different Learners, a woman shared her inspiring story with me about how she overcame a lifetime of anxiety. I believe we can all relate in some way to her struggle to overcome fear. As we approach the New Year and we think about resolutions, I hope this story will encourage you to think about the things you can do to live a happy, healthy and more productive 2014. Anxiety, whether … [Read more...]
A Stress-Free Holiday…the best gift you can give yourself!
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 at … [Read more...]