Category: Coping

“It’s fine.”  “Everything is fine.”  “I’m fine.”  Have you ever strung together these three sentences and thought to yourself, “shoot, I think I might not be fine”. 

About a year ago I was in a car accident that resulted in emergency surgery, a stay in the trauma center at the hospital, and a long recovery (in addition to other challenges). It was the most challenging and scary time in my life. I didn’t think that I was going to make it, and yet I would find myself telling my loved ones who came to visit me, “It’s fine.”  “Everything is fine.”  “I’m fine.” 

Why is it so hard to admit that sometimes we are not fine? It has taken me a while to figure out why I was so desperately pushing myself to be fine. Though I wanted those words to be true, what I wanted more than anything was for my loved ones to think and feel that those words were true.

Whet ...

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I am a total sucker for songs with visceral lyrics; particularly those that appeal to my vocational field of mental health. One of the songs I've been listening to on repeat, is called "You're Somebody Else" by: flora cash. I love the chorus:

Well, you look like yourself

But you're somebody else

Only it ain't on the surface

Well, you talk like yourself

No, I hear someone else though

Now you're making me nervous 

From what I can gather the song is a farewell ode to a close friend and/or lover. It's in the framework of the song that I find so much affin ...

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Noticing Your Warning Signs

Do you ever find yourself pushing through the week, waiting until the weekend, hoping to relax and recover only to find yourself back in bed Sunday evening dreading the week ahead? What about when every decision seems difficult to make and all the tasks you normally could do seem like an uphill battle? Sounds like you may be experiencing at minimum, elevated levels of stress and at maximum, potential burn out. Most of us have heard about burn out and we may even hear from our doctors that we need to limit stress. But how? 

Oftentimes we feel we need a complex answer to solve a complicated problem. However, a simple solution is the most effective. Let’s start with that. Implement one very tiny positive habit into your routine. Drink a glass of water in the morning. Limit screen time. Wake up at the same time every day. Stop watching SO ...

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