"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall down an open manhole cover and die." -Mel Brooks TO YOUR BODY, STRESS IS SYNONYMOUS WITH CHANGE. Anything that causes a change in your life causes stress. It doesn’t matter if it is “good” change, or “bad” change, they are both stress. When you find your dream house and get ready to move, that is stress. If you break your leg, that is stress. Good or bad, if it is a CHANGE in your life, it is stress as far as your body is concerned. Even IMAGINED CHANGE is stress. (We call it … [Read more...]
Intimate Relationships – Intimacy, Sex & Sexuality
"Marriage is one of the chief causes of divorce." The information in this piece was originally contained in a Newsletter I wrote in 1999. I believe that it is every bit as relevant today as it was then. There are certain hazards or pitfalls that are specific to intimate relationships. If we are unaware of them, we fall into them, to our peril. If our life experiences have conditioned us to defend ourselves against the vulnerability involved in love, trust, affection, closeness and need, we develop defenses. Someone, I no longer recall … [Read more...]
Living with an illness – Getting Well Together
Living with an illness can affect anyone who is close to you! Let me tell what I have learned about becoming and being sick and about getting well. My understanding (and belief) is that most illnesses are developed as a result of our environment, viruses, germs, etc. But these same illnesses are exacerbated and / or accelerated by stress. Not necessarily caused by stress, but driven by stress. Today, so many people are devastated by threats to their mortality. The threat of pandemics, AIDS, nuclear weapons in the hands of unstable … [Read more...]
Assertiveness and Difficult People
“One who measures up to his own idea of greatness may have had a very low standard in mind.” Learning to deal with Assertive and Difficult People in your daily life. What Is Assertiveness? What is the difference between being assertive and being aggressive? Will people think that I'm being pushy? These are common questions and concerns. Here are some pointers to help clarify what assertiveness is really all about. Assertiveness is... Assertiveness is expressing our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs in a direct, honest, and appropriate … [Read more...]
Anger Management – Learning to Control It
"If a problem has a single neck, it has a simple solution." Is there really such a thing as Managing and/or Controlling anger? Absolutely. Or, maybe. Or, could happen. Anger management is today's most popular anger treatment technique. Part of anger management is to understand why we are angry, and where it is rooted in us mentally and emotionally. We are angry about something, and the real problem is rooted deeply. The root of anger is usually fear, and fear seems to be an emotion related to the unknown future – in other words, we fear … [Read more...]