Holiday Travel with Young Kids
It’s the time of year when many families take to the road, going home for the holidays. It’s the time of year when my inbox is full of letters seeking…
Holiday Coping
New Year’s Resolution: World Peace 5 Seconds At A Time
It’s almost the new year, a time to stop and reflect and make promises to ourselves to improve on something. I’ve been mulling it over for days. Big items like…
A Special New Year’s Resolution for Procrastinators
Procrastinators rejoice! The coming of the New Year is a fantastic opportunity for you to energize yourself toward achieving your goals. If you are a big procrastinator, you may be…
The Trauma of Everyday Life
How many times have you heard someone say, That was the straw that broke the camel’s back? We can try to rally to face big obstacles, but sometimes the day-to-day…
Food, the Holidays & the Truth about Eating Disorders
Think about your favorite holiday food. Maybe pecan pie, maybe roast beef, maybe stuffing, maybe sugar cookies. Let’s say you are hungry. Think about eating that food right now. Do…
Wrung-Out by Ringing-In the Holidays: Dealing with Post-Holiday Blues
“The Holidays,” generally defined as the period from Thanksgiving through New Years, can be an emotional roller coaster. We’re expected to be (and would like to be) filled with joy,…
New Year’s Resolutions: Role-Modeling the ‘How’ of Making Change
There’s something in the human condition that likes new beginnings. Diets always start after the holidays. Birthdays are a great time to quit smoking. Every week gives us a Monday…
Happy New Year, for Auld Lang Syne.
New Year’s Eve, in much of the English speaking world, is a time of celebration. People ring in the New Year with parties, fancy dress, streamers, noise makers, and champagne….
It’s January: Have You Started Your Christmas Shopping?
Believe it or not, I’ve already started Christmas shopping for next year. With a big family and a small budget, it’s the best way I’ve found to make Christmas special….
Mother’s Day is Family Day
It’s May and Mother’s Day is around the corner. However we may feel about the holiday, the greeting card and floral industries make it impossible to ignore. Mothers are supposed…
Children of the Aging Self-Absorbed: A Guide to Coping with Difficult, Narcissistic Parents & Grandparents
Tempted to throw Momma from a train? Looking forward to the annual blaring of “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer?” If you have a difficult relative who is aging…
Not in the Holiday Mood? It Might Be the Blues
It’s that time of year again. Multicolored lights twinkle across houses and front yards. Parents and squirming children form long lines to sit on a Santa look-alike’s lap. Red and…
Toys for the Holidays: Buying Gifts for Other People’s Children
Holiday time. For many of us, shopping in the toy aisle is our chance to reenter the world of childhood. The old joke about the father who buys a train…
Post-Winter Holidays: Hibernation or Depression?
The holiday season is just about over. The presents are unwrapped. The relatives have left. The leftovers are almost gone. Some things went well. Some didn’t. There were moments of…
Depression and Alcoholism: Five Tips for Recovery
Alcoholics go through a period of grieving when they give up drinking. For those dually-diagnosed with alcoholism and depression, the grief over not being able to drink is intensified. That’s…