HOPE – A Four Letter Word

While out on a run recently – tunes blasting in my ear, my aging muscles screaming for me to stop, the heat and humidity of the Chicago summer draining the life from me one drop of sweat at a time – I heard a phrase through the earbuds, as if sent straight from the running…

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Is “Mental Health” an Oxymoron?

Does mental health sometimes seem oxymoronic? Think about it, who doesn’t have mental health days?  Don’t we all have anxious thoughts, depressed feelings, confused direction… like all the time?  The answer, far from moronic, is duh.  Is it possible to achieve a healthy mind?  That would be awfully nice. Are we not people who live…

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When There Is Nothing To Say

Have you ever had a moment when you were at a loss for words?  Maybe your best friend just told you that her mother died.  Maybe you just found out you lost your job.  Maybe your child comes to you pouring their heart out.  Sometimes moments happen in our lives and we just don’t know…

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When The Pain Is Too Great

What do you do when the pain is too much to handle?  When people come into counseling that are hurting, their first question is, “How do I release this pain I am feeling?”  They are looking to me to help them feel better.  Unfortunately I cannot take their pain away, even though I wish I…

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Boundaries, Are You Setting Them?

Quotes are powerful.  Sometimes I will read a quote and I feel as though that quote was written exactly for me.  In this blog post I am going to list a few of my favorite quotes that have something to do with boundaries.  Boundaries are a very hard thing to navigate.  Most of us have…

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But What If They Don’t Like Me?

As a society we are so afraid of what others will think of us.  Granted, I know there are a few people out there who really could care less of what others think of them.  They are who they are and they are proud of it.  As for the rest of us, we may struggle…

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The Breakfast Club

Have you seen the movie, The Breakfast Club?  It’s a movie from the 80’s and it’s a classic, in my opinion.  ☺  I was watching it the other day for probably the tenth time and was reminded of how real it was.  No, it is not a true story but it could be.  I remember…

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Fear…it can steal a lot from us

Fear is powerful. It steals joy, happiness, adventure and opportunities from us. Fear works its way into our minds and hinders us from living the life we were made to live. Everyone has experienced fear at one point in his or her life. Even those people who you think are “fearless,” they aren’t. At some…

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10 Things To Lessen Your Stress

Who hasn’t felt stressed at one point or another?  Sometimes life begins to get stressful and we feel as through we have no control over it.  Even if we feel like we don’t have control over the stress in our lives, there is always something we can do to help ourselves.  Sometimes the stress is…

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Choosing To Live Your Life

“Today I choose life.  Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain…To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but to embrace it.”  – Kevin Aucoin This quote is true…

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