strategies
Compassion Fatigue and Tai Chi

Compassion Fatigue and Tai Chi

This is a guest post by Celia Grand of the Riverview Foundation. Many thanks to Celia for sharing this information! compassion fatigue (dictionary.com) fatigue, emotional distress, or apathy resulting from the constant...

Parenting: Are You a Fixer or a Guide?

Parenting: Are You a Fixer or a Guide?

It seems to me that well-meaning parents lean towards one of two strategies (but often do both): being a fixer or being a guide. Neither is wrong. Like I said, these are what caring parents do. The trick is getting the right ratio of guiding to fixing, and knowing the...

My Work/Life Teeter-Totter

My Work/Life Teeter-Totter

I came home to a mountain of dishes tonight. Okay, a small hill. I wasn’t shocked, because I left them there, saying, “One good thing about it still being cold is we don’t have to worry about bugs!” The dishes were congregating in and around the sink not because I’m...

Your Time, Your Priorities

Your Time, Your Priorities

It’s a very simple truth: how you spend your minutes, hours, days, and weeks is how you spend your life. As I was avoiding writing today, I decided to get lost in the internet, then eat something even though I wasn’t hungry, and finally ask myself, what am I doing?...

Want Better Communication? Stop Pushing Buttons

Want Better Communication? Stop Pushing Buttons

I’m around little kids a lot these days. It’s amazing how early and thoroughly they learn to push our buttons. They know our weaknesses, and they aren’t afraid to use them. A very convincing cry, some irritating whining, or even a guilt trip. Man, they are good. I try...

The Hidden Dangers of People-Pleasing

The Hidden Dangers of People-Pleasing

I know how this is going to sound. But I’m going to say it anyway. Be careful of being nice. The problem is that we do "nice" in ways that are actually detrimental. The misconceptions about how to be nice are the key issues. One of the main problems is that a lot of...

5 Tips to Get You Through the Inevitable New Mom Identity Crisis

5 Tips to Get You Through the Inevitable New Mom Identity Crisis

This week I'm over at What to Expect talking about pregnancy, motherhood, and identity. Find out about the surprising moment of panic that led me to discover how to overcome the new mom identity crisis... (click here to link to the post). It was great to be featured...

Change and Motivation: Overcome the F#ck-It Factor

Change and Motivation: Overcome the F#ck-It Factor

A post for grown ups only due to realistic (okay, okay... inappropriate) language. Change is hard and maintaining motivation over a long period of time is a classic human difficulty. I believe that if you are going to invest in a key life change, you want to think...

Motivation and Change: Are You Ready and Able?

Motivation and Change: Are You Ready and Able?

This is a series on motivation and change. You can catch up with the first and second posts, which I recommend. When you decide that some change you have been contemplating is “worth it,” the next step is to decide if you are ready. You are ready if you both want to...