My nephew’s best friend ended his life last week. The fellow he travelled Europe with. They were in a band together. Sometimes, they talked long into the night. They understood each other like no one else. They ate pizza. They played video games. They went skating. They hung out. They did normal stuff that young …
Depression…a Big Black Dog
Depression is a misunderstood condition. If you’ve been very sad, grieved hard, been “down in the dumps” or “felt blue” but not actually depressed, you might think you get it. And if you think you get it because you’ve been very sad for several days, you may be unintentionally dismissive of the experience of a …
Benefits of kindness
This week has been “one of those weeks” for me. I have three days of classes at school to get ready for next week, a workshop to run, and a full schedule. I have a whole lot of organizing to do regarding school schedules, requests, responses etc. each evening. I’ve got a “to do” list …
Battling the Negativity Bias
Our brains are wired for a negativity bias. Bummer, huh? We all, by default, tend to be natural Eeyore’s, looking for the cloud, the crack, the fault, the rolled eyes, the raised eyebrow, the implied criticism, the pursed lips, the blemish, the deficit etc. {! social/video/youtube?url=http%3A//youtu.be/irL6nLkaj2E%3Ft%3D1m19s !} There is a way out…and that is …
So Low that Down is Up
In an odd sort of way, this day I look forward to annually…December 21st. I’ve blogged about it before…here in 2008, here in 2009, here in 2010, and here in 2011. It’s the day that is the symbol for me of relief…when something has reached it’s extreme and after that it can only get better Because …
The One Thing…
…is hopefully that people can try to take away, I guess, is the relationships they have with people…when you ask someone how they are doing, do you really mean it? When you answer someone back how you’re doing, are you really telling the truth?… We live in a society of social networks and twitter pages …
Pain
Do we know how to sit in pain, discomfort, uncertainty and confusion? Uh…that’s a hard one. Do we want to know? Nope…that’s an easy one. No. Do we have a choice? Sigh…that’s an easy one too. No choice, nope. There was a time in my life years ago, when I was in a dark place…my …
The Hidden Cost of Public Protection
Becoming a good soldier, a good cop, or a good fire fire fighter and being a warm, engaged, vulnerable partner/parent is difficult. Because being a good public protector means not staying in control, dominating, exerting power and never showing vulnerability…it’s a requirement to stay alive on the battle field… …and sets that same public protector up for …
‘Tis the season for despair
Mornings and I are not good friends, though I work hard to make sure we remain on speaking terms. Tomorrow, I suspect we will be barely civil. I’m not a fan of mornings in general, but tomorrow I have an 8:00 class at the university…and with the days getting shorter, it’s gonna be very dark …
Creating Hope in Winter
This is the day I think of as “So Low That Down Is Up” day…the day where there is more darkness than any other day of the year. I’m a light-lover by nature, and so these long cold winter nights are hard on me. Not only me. I think the majority of us are affected …