Adolescence

Poem and image my own

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Where is Home?

I ask my three-year-old self to show me her home, and she points to the floor beneath the formica-topped table in the kitchen. There, caged within the chrome legs of table and chairs, she is out of the path of adult legs, whose movements are as unpredictable as their moods. I ask my four-year-old self […]

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Set a time limit on negativity.

Originally posted on Thriving Under Pressure:
Time is in such short supply. The sooner we appreciate its value, the better life becomes. When I was a kid my mom set the egg timer for almost everything we did; whether it was how long we spent doing our homework, weeding the garden, watching television, or complaining…

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Finishing Foundations

I turned to God when my foundation was shaking, only to find that God was shaking my foundation. – unknown I’ve carried this quotation with me since my early thirties, a time when the bottom fell out of my life and I fell into a deep abyss of depression and mental breakdown (or breakthrough, as […]

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Thriving Under Pressure: TEDx Talk

One of my favourite bloggers is Dr. Andrea Dinardo whose posts offer straightforward, and sometimes tough advice for how deal with stress and develop resilience.  Especially poignant for students, her message is now available through TEDx video. Dr. Dinardo’s blog, Thriving Under Pressure is available here.  

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The domino effect.

Originally posted on Thriving Under Pressure:
Smile like you’re changing the world. Because you are. 🌸 We often think of changing of the world as some great big, grand gesture. Performed on stage with millions of people watching. When in fact it’s just you and me (and 7 billion others). Smiling, connecting, caring, and loving.…

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Inner Children Need Care Too

“Pay attention to your inner child,” my therapist advised me when I first got sick. It seems that fear causes emotional regression and any needs suppressed over the years come barreling forward in irrational outbursts.  Hard to deny that one from where I’m sitting. I’ve been dreaming about children lately – children in my care – […]

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Cutting the Psychic Ties

There is a woman following me around, stabbing me in the chest every time I go near my husband, so I go off on my own.  The pain is too much to bear.   “Why are you alone?” someone asks me. “It’s just easier that way.” “Why don’t you stab her back?” “She only wounds me, […]

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Denial Is a Poor Example

“Your homework for this week is to write about the things your mother taught you,” my psychologist advised at the end of our session. Memories have been resurfacing and along with them rage.  I am incensed that I was never protected from some of the things that happened to me. “Well, she taught me that […]

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