Many years before James Madison became the 4th President of the United States, he sat down with Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and a few other prominent men. Years later these men would go down in history as the … Continue reading Battling Anxiety: Personal Bill of Rights
A few years ago, I attended a family event. During this event, a family “spat” between two siblings exploded. It started out cordial enough as a simple discussion about politics. Both family members had different political views and have had … Continue reading Control: The Imaginary Bubble
I was a teenager during the 80s. It was the age of MTV and VCR’s. In the mid-80s, we spent most weekends at the movie theaters. We would wait for all the new movies to premiere. I covered my walls … Continue reading Attachment Styles: Every Rose has its Thorn
As a young girl in my late teens, an event happened to me that changed the course of my future. The situation was not ideal, but I rolled my sleeves up and hit it head-on. I made no excuses; I … Continue reading Codependency : Slay Your Own Dragon
When my children were little, they loved all things, Disney. Each one of them had a favorite show and would want to watch them daily. During the mid-1990s, my family and I lived in Italy, we had no access to … Continue reading Toxic positivity: The Poison Apple
2020 has been an interesting year thus far, we have been hit with a worldwide epidemic of proportions not seen in modern times. With COVID 19, the world slowed down, well, not just slowed down but stopped. We all have taken to social media to keep in touch with loved ones, express our thoughts, and pass the time. Forums like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have allowed us to watch how not only our country is handling this crisis but how people from countries across the world are dealing with it. Here, we can see, how others have adjusted to working … Continue reading Validation: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
In 2012, I had an unbelievably bad day. My father passed away. I will admit, even in my early 40’s, I was still a daddy’s girl. The morning after my dad’s death, I also made a discovery about someone I loved very much, this discovery broke my heart and left me feeling as if my life was in utter chaos. This new information was a huge betrayal of trust and honesty. This time in my life was chaotic and heartbreaking. Separating these two events from one another would be something I would struggle with for many years to come. While … Continue reading Gaslighting: Seeing Through the Clouds of Chaos
Earlier this week, I had a friend tell me that she was trying to set a boundary with her husband. She told me how, in the middle of a fight, she had screamed at him that he was crossing her … Continue reading Boundaries: The Invisible Shield
Last week I talked about the passive aggressive trait of recognizing and dealing with the Zinger. First, in our daily communication and secondly, with how to respond when we are the target. This week we move on to part 2 of the passive aggressive communication series, that I have called the silent punisher. Have you ever visited with a family member or friend and when you got home your spouse asked how your day was? You simply respond with “I had a great day.” You settle down with your tea and log on to Facebook and the person, with … Continue reading Passive Aggressive Behavior: Part 2 The Silent Punisher
PART 1: THE ZINGER I was 20 years old when I had my first recognizable passive aggressive experience. I am sure I had experienced it before but this time it was delivered from an expert. After what seemed like a pleasant afternoon visiting someone’s home, I left feeling, well, odd. This person seemed nice, she was well liked and kind. Or was she? Why was I feeling so attacked and bad about myself? Why did I feel a sudden need to lose weight and get my hair done? Why did I feel awful when there wasn’t anything bad that had … Continue reading Passive Aggressive Communication: What just happened?
Finding Your Calm in Chaos 