How to Stay Positive During Quarantine: Fun Distractions to Lift You Up

If eliminating self-care could cure or prevent COVID19 infections, I wouldn’t be writing this post. Running ourselves into the ground won’t end the tragedies resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. Quite the contrary, prioritizing our health, taking part in enjoyable activities to help us stay positive during quarantine, and making time for meaningful connections will minimize the emotional destruction. Many of us are feeling short on ideas of things to do during quarantine that will assist us in staying positive. Or we lack the extra energy required to figure out how to stay positive. Here is the list for you! read more

Building Resilience to Balance our Fears and Anxiety about COVID19

Beyond handwashing, wearing a mask, and keeping a physical distance from others to minimize the risk of COVID19 infection, building resilience can help us manage the stress and carry us forward to the time when life eventually returns to “normal.” Anxiety about COVID19 can become all-encompassing and overwhelming without intentional efforts to balance our fears. Bonus: Increasing resiliency can be fun and doesn’t result in dry, cracked hands!

Gifts Brought by the COVID-19 Virus: Connecting with Others, Resilient Reminders, Recovery, and Hope

This crisis has painfully peeled away some of life’s superficial layers, helping us see what matters. People feel vulnerable, and life seems more fragile…because it is. Surprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic that has changed our world, bringing fear and devastation to many communities, has also delivered a few gifts. How ironic that the COVID19 virus that drives people apart, scattering people into their homes, and keeping them standing 6 feet away with faces covered by a mask, has also been the conduit for bringing people together. Connecting with others reminds people they are resilient, supporting recovery and hope. read more

Resilience During COVID 19: Managing the Stress of Coronavirus and Finding Inspiration in a Time of Crises

COVID 19 has brought with it an enormous amount of uncertainty, and our world seems to have changed overnight. Previously familiar parts of life now seem strange and even disorienting (like driving through downtown on a gorgeous Saturday and seeing stores shuttered and no people). Reports of tragedy and sickness surround us, and fear can take over if left unchecked. Managing the stress of coronavirus is made easier by finding inspiration and sources of hope which help us build resilience during COVID 19. When this is over, I wonder how long it will take for hugging friends and standing next to strangers to seem normal and devoid of thoughts about social distancing and virus transmission. read more

Life in Search of Meaning: Finding Your Meaning and Purpose of Life

People that are suffering can sometimes lose sight of the meaning and purpose of life. At times, they begin to question the meaning of it all and the reasons why they would choose to continue to struggle. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to the meaning of life as it is up to the individual to decide. The good news is that there are endless amounts of individual missions, destinies, roles, and dreams that are possible. So what is the purpose of life?



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How are you at regulating emotions? Learn essential emotional regulation skills from children.

Kids can teach us many things if we let them: how to play and have fun, relax more, get dirty, avoid homework yet also persevere, be compassionate and open-minded, and how to improve our emotional regulation. Today we are blessed to have a guest post by Pediatrician, Dr. Alison Escalante, who is a leader helping parents to raise kids skillfully AND enjoy it at the same time. She incorporates emotion regulation into her work, both with parents and kids, and teaches people how to regulate emotions. This post is about how we can learn our emotional regulation skills from children. Regulating emotions can be exhausting at times and I’m grateful for her willingness to teach us more about what it is and how to do it. read more

Feeling stuck in life? Instructions from a psychiatrist on how to live the life you love

If we are feeling stuck in life, or even uninspired, we have the opportunity to be creative and infuse passion back into our journey. You can create your future one step at a time to live the life you love. Stop and take the time to reassess your dreams and life goals, make a plan to live life to its fullest, be intentional with your goals, and pick your priorities wisely.



Downloadable 10-Step Guide

I created a 10-step guide to help you take charge of your life and create the future you deserve. Use this guide to: read more

A Preschool Book Reveals the Secret to a Happy Life for Us All…Yup, It’s That Good

Well done, author Michael Hall. I am impressed. Red: A Crayon’s Story takes the complicated subject of living authentically and successfully sums it up in a story about a mislabeled crayon who discovers the secret to a happy life. In this picture book targeted to preschoolers, he somehow addresses complex narratives in life that many adult books struggle to get across. The story covers the underlying message of love and acceptance so smoothly the reader doesn’t feel lectured to but instead is enthralled by the story of Red’s attempts to live true. With a handful of words, Red teaches us about: read more

What is Self-Respect?

WHAT IS SELF-RESPECT? In my profession, I see lots of people who feel broken. Some have been struggling for years with depression, anxiety, bipolar, etc…. but others are broken because they are afraid to be themselves. I wish I had a magic wand or even a magic pill, anything to make it easier for people to push back the blinds, stop hiding, and live true to themselves. I see self-respect as just that. Not hiding. Imagine the freedom that can come with self-respect. Let me define self-respect better for you. read more