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Here are more tips on how to enjoy the holidays while honoring your loss. Tell your stories. Stories help us stay connected to those who have died and help us create meaning about what we have experienced. Finding a place for that story to be received is an essential part of the grief journey. Document your stories. Tell the story of your loved one as it relates to the holiday season to someone who listens well. You can also spend some time writing specific memories related to your loved one… Read More »How to enjoy the holidays while also honoring your loss – Part 3

Here are more tips on how to enjoy the holidays while also honoring your loss. Remember, the holiday season can be one of the most challenging times of the year for those grieving. Feel your grief. Our most basic nature is to approach pleasure and avoid pain. Yet, our more evolved nature can contact pain if we know there is an ultimate benefit in doing so. Our natural resistance to the pain of grief can create more pain. Be purposeful in remembering your loved one. Be intentional about scheduling time… Read More »How to enjoy the holidays while also honoring your loss – Part 2

How do you enjoy the holidays while also honoring your loss? In my experience as both a therapist and bereaved son, the holiday season can be one of the most challenging times of the year for those grieving. Many who have experienced the death of a loved one wish they could lie down for a nap on October 30th and wake up after January 2nd. This season can be challenging when the shadow of loss is present. The collision between the cultural expectations of happiness and the personal reality of… Read More »How to enjoy the holidays while also honoring your loss – Part 1

Here are 12 more ideas for the holiday season! Remember, it’s a well-known fact that the holiday season bring on the blues. According to the National Mental Health Association, reasons for feeling blue during the holidays range from fatigue, financial limitations, to tensions in personal relationships. 12 IDEAS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON: Change it up. Invite a little unpredictability into your life instead of your routine. Go for a drive. Go without a particular destination. Feel the breeze through your hair. Then let your senses take in the feeling of… Read More »12 ideas for the holiday season

Why do you need 10 ideas to chase the blues away during the holiday season? It’s a well-known fact that the holiday season bring on the blues. According to the National Mental Health Association, reasons for feeling blue during the holidays range from fatigue, financial limitations, to tensions in personal relationships. As for me, I’m generally a happy person. I don’t dwell on things I can’t control. I have realistic expectations. I’ve learned over time and through experiences that trying to change people is futile. I’ve even come to appreciate… Read More »10 ideas to chase the blues away During the Holiday Season

Join me for a Virtual Chat with the Dean of Student Affairs at Walden University this Monday evening at 7pm! I am excited to talk about Trauma and PTSD during a Virtual Chat with the Dean of Student Affairs at Walden University. Join us Monday, October 14th, 2019 at 7pm. We will be discussing Trauma and PTSD. Mental illness happens when we lose our presence in the present. Mental illness is something that is real, and it is something we do not talk about enough in our communities, families, and… Read More »Virtual Chat with the Dean

Join me for the Fall for the Book Festival this Saturday, October 12th, 2019. I will be presenting with three other children’s authors at 10:30am. When: Saturday, October 12th Time: 10:30am – 11:45am Where: Sandy Spring Bank Tent, Merten Lawn Tent 4441 George Mason Blvd, Fairfax, VA 22030 I’m excited for you to join us at the Fall for the Book Festival! I will be co-presenting “Teach Them Well & Let Them Lead: Writing Better Stories for Children.” Children’s book authors, Maria Ribbing Cornell, author of The Boy and the… Read More »Fall for the Book Festival

let’s Talk about Love There are questions you should ask before you get into a relationship. But first, let’s talk about love. I have several friends who desire to be in a relationship or are currently with someone, but their needs are not being met. I told one of my friends recently that she needed to be direct with her significant other about her needs. People often think that being direct and asking what someone needs from a relationship with us is too direct and it will scare them away.… Read More »Three questions you should ask before you get into a relationship

There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. Nelson Mandela