Holding Christmas Ornament

Healthy (and Fun) Communication During Family Holidays

…As each of you prepares for your family holidays, maybe you are also considering what to expect this year. Even though you may have had sadness or loss, political changes or political consistency, marriages or divorces, there are often unifying factors. There are often things that can bring you closer as a family to talk about over snacks, dinner, or desert. Moreover, there may even be things that you can talk about that are not uncomfortable….

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Grounding and Gratitude

Being present and experiencing the world around us is so important. Around the holidays, many of us experience a wide array of emotions, from stress and overwhelm, to joy, excitement, and love. Grounding in the here and now can be a great way to slow down and experience the world around you. Here are two […]

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to remember under trauma

Self-Care Thoughts as You Go Through Trauma or Hardship

Most people go through something terribly hard in their lives A study from the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology found that out of over 1000 people in the US, almost 70% had experienced some type of traumatic experience.  These events can include things like traumatic death, sexual assault, and domestic assault. Rates are similar […]

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Savor and Observe What You Consume

We are a culture that CONSUMES We are great consumers of food, coffee, alcohol, information, clothes, cars, concerts – if there is a thing, and that thing is good, we consume as much of it as we can. Sometimes, this tendency is harmless; then again, sometimes, it’s a pretty big problem. One of the ways […]

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The Gratitude Tree

For those of you who have not visited lately, there is a tree in the hallway outside our office. It’s not a real tree in the vegetative sense, but merely in the artistic sense. The tree is just a large sticker, and next to it, a sign asks, “What are your grateful for?” Simply take a post-it leaf or bird, write one small thing that you are thankful for, and put it on the tree.

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7 Quick Tips About Gratitude

Being grateful doesn’t mean finding good things to drown out the bad, or to somehow say that you’re not allowed to feel grumpy because you have things to be grateful for. Ultimately, it’s trying to remind ourselves that often we have both; that our lives are both wonderful and difficult, light and heavy, fun and frustrating. It’s taking on a practice that says maybe sometimes you get to be grumpy and grateful.

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