The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and the most stressful time of the year.

Spreading good cheer and fighting with retailers over coupons/sales/price matching

Giving to those in need and giving to those who have everything

I am not going to lie, this is not always the best time of year for everyone.  Money gets tight and we tend to overextend ourselves.  That is pretty much where everything goes down hill.  There is so much petty competition of gift giving, time/experience giving, fancy decorating, meal making, perfect family picture taking……well everything.  People will in one breath celebrate the birth of Jesus and complain that someone is far too sensitive for voicing a concern.  Everybody is talking about the good ole days when none of the nonsense stuff happened and people just minded their own business.  Well I hate to bust the bubble, but in the good ole days we were all involved with everyones business.

We are ancient beings with ancient brains living in individual, technology isolated, snow globes.  How many people talk to their neighbors daily, care for a new mother for weeks after bringing a baby home, have a tribe of people you interact with on an emotional level daily, help raising someone else kinds and support them continually when life gets hard?  Yep as it turns out we haven’t really figured out how to go about living longer, with more access to healthy foods, support one another, and all with the new technological advances.  How is it that more has become to mean less and good has become worse.  There is no more or less of terrible things in the world.  There is more people living longer with access to things that are harmful, with many ways to spread the bad news.  Abuse, neglect, rape….again more people but also ability to stand up for themselves and simultaneously get ridiculed by everyone.  People have always been offended but they didn’t have a platform before.  Yes we want them to have the platform, but no we do not want to hear what they do with it.  Our brains and bodies have not caught up in these teenage-like years.  Always worried about what others think and needing to put on the show, see that as the standard and try to keep up.  Yep, it is time for a change and December seems to have the mother-load contradictions; so why not now?

Only you can change you.  Be the change….this is not a new concept.  What is the change seems to be where we get stuck.  The change is, be transparent or at best not deceptive.  Walk away from the things that don’t require your opinion but stand up for the things that do.  Allow people to disagree with you without responding with disrespect.  Honor everyones struggles and challenges because we all have so many.  Give of your heart more than building of your ego.  Be more of what you want people to think of you and less of what you think they think.  We can catch up and mature to the changes that have launched us forward.  We can embrace these break throughs to give meaning to our additional minutes on this earth.  Not everyone will be your cup of tea, but that does not mean they should be dumped in the compost pile.  Use the ability to reach across the nation to support the people around you, not challenge them to keep up with the Kardashian-Jones.  When I tell my children that people come in all shapes, sizes, colors, skills, and challenges, they wonder why everyone on You Tube is using make-up to look exactly the same.  Chill people, whole villages would share the same out-house and have less bathroom disputes.  We can overcome the contradictions and make this December one of peace.

Good morning! As we officially enter the holiday season, remember to embrace the moments we have together. Try not to lose sight of joys each occasion brings, big or small. Let go of the perfectionism the plagues us, the misgivings of what lies ahead, and the past resentments that continue to burden you. Be present with those around you and tune in to the peace it brings.

In attempt to make therapy affordable and more accommodating I do not bill insurance.

 

Play Therapy session in your home 45-60 minutes $40

Individual Session 45-60 minutes $40

Family session 90 -120 minutes $80

Online session 45-60 minutes $40

*Unlimited messaging only $40 per week or $150 per month

*Unlimited messaging with 2 sessions per month $220

*Unlimited messaging with 4 sessions per month $280

 

*all messaging services are not intended to provide crisis services.  Messages will be responded to within 24 hours.  Messaging will be done through patient portal to ensure patient privacy.

 

So the battle continues….as it turns out going off the medications was a great idea.  I am vastly improving by becoming more in touch with the subtly changes in my body that tell me something is wrong.  I know this sounds a bit intense but you should do this too!

Lots of mental health people call this mindfulness, but taking time to be present and in tune with what is happening right now is helpful in many ways in turns out.

• want to lose weight..be mindful of what you are eating when you eat it
• want to reduce anxiety….be mindful what what you need to focus on right now
• want to connect more with your children….be mindful and only with them at times
• want to have a better relationships…take time to be more mindful and present during times with your friends, family, and significant other

People, this can be life changing.  So I needed to get accustomed to noticing the small changes in my body that tell be things are starting to go down hill.  It’s not easy and I hope it’s not a long term solution because it’s exhausting to try and be that alert all the time and try to divide my attention ALL.THE.TIME.

I am however getting good enough at it that today I decided I am going to start seeing clients again.  I would love to say that it was because I had a wonderful easy day.  Today actually was rough, I went to a doctor at OSU only to be told that there is only one doctor that could help me.  Good news is that he is Toledo, bad news is the wait list is a mile (9 months) long.  So I’m practicing mindfulness and patience.  I can be patient with some things to no end, other things….not so much.  My health usually falls in the not so much category.  This is me being patient, mindful, and understanding that this is my life for now.

So lets start on this adventure together.  Be present and patient in your today.

Peace

 

Hello from the beach….well kind of at the beach.  So far I think I’ve logged in maybe 3 hours total this week because of my lack of tolerance of the heat.  In fact, this vacation has been vastly different than the many in my past.

In years past, with children or without children, I spent countless hours on the beach chatting with my family members, late nights playing various games, drinks, snacks, and laughs a plenty.  I attended vacations at my skinniest, very pregnant, as a baby and nearly every year I have been alive.  I have fond memories of playing with cousins and being spoiled by my aunts and uncles.  I have gotten to enjoy watching my own children have the same experiences and witnessed special bonds develop between generations.

This year I had to search hard for fun and happiness.  I spent one day in the ER with a migraine and PICC line dressing change.  I’ve struggled with my body image, seeing how I weigh more than the years I attended pregnant.  I have spent more time alone in my room hiding from the noise (aka fun) that agitates my headaches.  The heat and sun have chased me from the beach and being pool side.  I am not even able to lounge in the pool due to a recent lumbar puncture and following necessary blood patch.  People it has been rough!

I sound like I am complaining and ungrateful but I want to tell you I am not!  I love the fact that I have a family that works so hard to come together every single year to celebrate each other and our relationships.   I am so blessed that I have a mother, father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, sisters and brothers (in laws included) even nieces and nephews that have gone out of their way to help me make it through this week.  They have created special time for my children to do all the things I did when I was young.  They have prepared my food, done my dishes, and catered to my needs.  Everyone is always checking in on me, seeing if I need anything, or need help in any way.  They rejoiced with me when I was able to do things and provided support and compassion when I could not.

I was truly not looking forward to this week and I have many reasons to not be happy with what I have been able to do, but I have never felt so loved and blessed in my life than I have this week.  The only difference…..perspective.   People say it’s how you look at a situation that makes all the difference and this is so very true.  This is how you make your own happiness.  Look for the good and bask in its glow like the sun on a sandy beach.  I understand that the dark and hard parts of life can take over your thinking.  Trust me I could have gone there many times this week.  But I won’t let whatever this medical thing is defeat me; it will not steal my joy and it will never take a family vacation from me!

Find your happiness, it’s there, I promise.  I believe you can change your perspective and feel your emotions flip like a switch.  Don’t let dark thinking control you, soak up the sunshine and enjoy the love.

Until the next time….Peace.