Holiday Mental Health

December 22nd, 2011
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New York Daily News Photo

The holidays are all around us and sometimes it feels as though the songs, the decorations and even the food are reminders of the beloved people we lost.

This time of year can be especially difficult for those of us in search of a place of peace.  We quietly ache for the presence of a particular person we loved and grieve for while we also try to live in this season of celebration.

If you feel as though you are at that point of bearing too much, it’s okay to take a break from your … Read More

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

December 15th, 2011
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Songs can be powerful time machines.  Sometimes all it takes is hearing the first few notes or strands of a melody and YOU ARE THERE. It is amazing to me how a song has the uncanny ability to mentally fast track you to a place you haven’t thought about in years. Recently, I was driving my car home in the oh so unpleasant nightly commute of bumper to bumper traffic on Connecticut Avenue. I found myself pushing the radio buttons over and over because there were so many commercials playing and I was getting annoyed.  Yada, yada, yada. I was… Read More

Handling Those Nasty Negatives

December 12th, 2011
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Like the weather, feelings are unpredictable.  Sadness and anger come and go.  So do joy and excitement. The most sensible approach to handling such feelings is to accept them…and continue doing what you need to do. ~ David K. Reynolds, A Handbook For Constructive Living… Read More

Holiday Tips For Families

December 10th, 2011
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I say perfect timing to a story that was published in The Washington Post this week!  I thought it was soooo timely and helpful that I wanted to share with you: Michael Hershon/For The Washington Post   Holiday advice for families By Janice D’Arcy/The Washington Post Published: December 7, 2011 Celebrating the holidays with children can be magical, sometimes. Other times, it can be a season of migraine-inducing family problems. We asked a few experts to sort out some of the most vexing, such as navigating expectations, handling family drama, teaching children gratitude and figuring out how to explain Santa.… Read More

Books @ Union Station

December 9th, 2011
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I was downtown at Union Station the other day and was surprised to see that the Barnes & Noble store there is still open.  Now that Borders has closed and the Barnes & Noble store in Georgetown has been bought by Nike, I am always happy to see a book store open and bustling with customers. I find it’s such a indulgent luxury to browse in a book store.  To go from table to table and shelf to shelf, to look at the covers of the books, pick them up, read through them and just feel the weight of the… Read More

A Healing Circle of Life

December 7th, 2011
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It’s the holiday season and wreaths are everywhere.  Doors, windows, large buildings and small, I see them indoors and outdoors, even on trucks and cars.  Evergreens, berries, pinecones, and magnolia leaves, the materials that wreaths are made of today seem endless.  If they’re not chock full of tacky plastic stuff, wreaths are welcoming signs, hopeful signs and even peaceful signs. Wreaths are also a sign of faith in humanity and its circular shape represents eternity, for a wreath has no beginning and no end.   Wreaths have been with us since the ancient Greeks and Romans when wreaths were awarded to… Read More

Screening of Miss Representation

December 2nd, 2011
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I’m writing about something a little different today but I found the event to be so interesting I wanted to share it with you. Last night I attended a screening of Miss Representation, a new documentary film written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, filmmaker, actress and wife of California’s Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom.  The title of this groundbreaking film is a play on the words used in beauty pageants and also a revealing interpretation of the messages mainstream media uses to market women. According to Miss Representation, which premiered at the October 2011 Sundance Film Festival, aired on OWN … Read More

Those Messy Ugly Grief Feelings

December 1st, 2011
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After experiencing a personal loss, everyone has to find their own way of getting back into the game.   Sometimes it’s not pretty. The piece below is from hellogrief.com.  You may not agree with how this woman felt but she is courageous in stepping out from the pack to tell how it really felt for her.  Please give it a read. The One Where I Lie To My Friends Posted On November 8, 2011 @ 8:51 am;  Featured in Parents, Hello Grief   [1]The truth about grief and loss is that they do not always come with pretty, neatly packaged feelings.  Many… Read More