The day Becky unexpectedly lost her job, her first reaction was shock. Worse, her husband Bill, who was struggling with multiple sclerosis, was barely able to move — much less work. How would she tell him? So Becky decided not to tell Bill until she could get another job, when there was a […]
All Posts in Category: Blog
Procrastination — It’s Making Me Late
Songstress Carly Simon had a big hit in 1971 with the title track on her second album, “Anticipation.” The chorus? “… is making me late.” For many of us, it might have been more relevant if she’d sung “procrastination.” As I procrastinate writing this blog, I’m simultaneously observing what’s going on inside me […]
How to Make Health Activities More Fun
While our neighbors in the north prepare for winter’s chill to take hold, this is the time of year where Floridians begin thinking about being outdoors again. Fall and winter in Florida are a respite from the mid-90s temperatures of summer, giving us a chance to get more activity and movement in our daily lives. […]
Compartmentalization: The Good and the Bad
Avoiding emotions is often an unhealthy — or at least unhelpful — reaction, but not always. Compartmentalization is one type of avoidance. And at times, it can be a crucial strength, rather than a weakness. Compartmentalizing, or putting aside conscious thought about a situation or emotion to avoid engaging with it, can be […]
Couples Therapy for You — And Your Kids
If you or your partner are hesitant about couples therapy, think about this: Like a wildfire, dysfunction in the relationship between parents doesn’t end where it starts. It spreads, and children are the first ones in its path of destruction. While couples therapy is primarily designed to help partners establish a healthy, flourishing relationship, the […]
Can You Learn Your Way Out of a Bad Marriage?
Few things can have a greater impact on your happiness than the quality of your marriage. Yet, children spend more time in school learning about abstract mathematical concepts than about what makes a marriage succeed. Marriage education has a long and complicated history, as much of it was directed at reinforcing social or […]
Life Tools vs. Quick Fixes
Partners beginning Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) sometimes ask for “tools” to help improve their relationship. The research-based tools of EFT are not “just do this” or “try to remember that.” Instead, the life tools that I work to give them include hope, transparency and agency. The longing for connection and desire to reduce […]
3 Tips to Improve Sleep
In a previous blog, we talked about the three fundamentals of emotional balance: eating, sleeping and moving. Of these three, sleep is often the trickiest. Just because you’ve made time for sleep doesn’t mean it will necessarily come — or come easily when it does. The need for sleep varies between individuals, but […]
For Better Mental Health: Eat, Sleep, Move
If you talk to a therapist about anxiety or depressed mood, it’s likely they’ll point to three primary behaviors that can have a big impact: eating, sleeping and exercise. Lack of rest, poor nutrition and inactivity can feed depression and anxiety. And while there are certainly other factors that can also affect mood, these three […]
Do You Suffer From Anhedonia? What To Do When You Just Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything
When your mood is low, you may find that you’ve lost interest in activities or relationships that were once a staple part of your life and made you happy. In psychology, such loss of interest or pleasure in people and things that were previously enjoyed is known as anhedonia. Anhedonia can occur during normal […]