I needed to process an emotion today. I used this system and it surprised me yet again at how effective it is. You process, and it goes away to the point where you can’t feel it anymore. And when it comes back (it almost always… Read More »How to Process Emotions
The following are 5 fundamental keys to mental, physical, and nervous system health: 1 – Sleep 2 – Sunlight 3 – Movement 4 – Nutrition/Hydration 5 – Relationships Sleep: Try to get 7–9 hours, have consistency in the timing of getting to bed and waking… Read More »5 Core Pillars of Health
When my son was about 1½ or so, he was playing at home and had a small toy in each hand. I had a toy in my hand that he wanted. I offered it to him and it was clear that he wanted it very… Read More »You Have To Let Go To Be Open
Once upon a time, something happened. That thing that happened was just an event in the world — not particularly good or bad. But then someone became aware of its having happened, and that person had an opinion about it. They decided it was… Read More »Stories vs Facts
I went on a walk the other day with a friend who I was just getting to know. She said, “You have six kids, right?” I told her that yes I do, and that it’s fun and crazy. She replied, “You’re so lucky. I wish… Read More »“Rampage of Appreciation & Positivity”
I have a friend who sustained a concussion recently, and she sent me the link to a blog post that is short and very inspiring. I’ll include the link to the post below, but here’s the summary: In 1995, a world-class violinist, Itzhak Perlman, performed… Read More »With What You Have Left
Yesterday my friend sent me a video. A guy is walking in the woods and another guy sneaks up behind him and attaches a huge fake spider to him. He FREAKS out and fights this fake spider to the ground multiple times. I imagine it’s… Read More »Monster Spiders & Your Toddler Brain
As I was coaching recently, I was reminded of the concept of manuals, and want to share it here, as I think it is a really helpful idea for all of us, whether we’re dealing with post-concussion symptoms or not. You know what a manual… Read More »Throw Out the Manual
“Balance is about recovery.” I’m taking an applied neurology course right now and when the instructor said this phrase, I had to pause the video and write it down. So many times we imagine that balance means attaining a state of serene, peaceful stillness. But really,… Read More »Balance Is About Recovery
Today I spoke to a couple who shared with me that after the wife’s concussion, she was told that she should feel better in a few months and if not, then she should seek extra help. She did feel like her symptoms resolved eventually,… Read More »Irritability
I am going to get a little personal in this post today…I hope that’s ok. The past 3 weeks have been challenging for me in some significant ways. Actually, we only had 2 bouts of particularly challenging things happen (COVID, with the associated quarantining, and… Read More »Be Where You Need To Be
Former monk and instructor of Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania Cory Muscara shared this Chinese parable. I have heard it quoted in multiple places a variety of times, and for good reason. It’s worth repeating and considering. “There once was an old farmer… Read More »Good Luck? Bad Luck? Who Knows?
I was coaching a client the other day about some things happening in his family life. As with most clients, he wanted me to help him get clarity on what he should do. And as I do when clients want to rush there, I told… Read More »What We Do Doesn’t Matter…
One of the most helpful concepts I have come across, for myself and my clients, is the idea of clean pain and dirty pain. Clean pain is an important part of emotional healing. It allows us to process and move through challenging experiences. It can feel… Read More »Clean Pain vs Dirty Pain
This line from a favorite song captures the essence of some thoughts I’ve had today. In speaking with people with concussions this afternoon, I was reminded yet again of how this is such an invisible injury. There isn’t outward physical evidence to cue people into… Read More »In the Quiet Heart is Hidden Sorrow that the Eye Can’t See
I told my some of my kids tonight that where we focus our thoughts makes a huge difference for what happens in our lives — that our thoughts tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies, so it’s really important to focus on the things we want in… Read More »We Find What We’re Looking For
We have all heard that mindfulness is important and helpful. (And if you haven’t heard it from me enough, don’t worry — I won’t drop the subject 😉 I frequently tell people to take cues from the toddlers or dogs in their lives if they want to… Read More »Cues for Mindfulness
“Maybe we should take a break from having hope.” This was what one man said to his wife after they had another failed attempt at getting her effective help for her concussion symptoms. It broke my heart to hear that they had come to that… Read More »A Case for Hope
Have you ever felt like your thoughts keep spinning in circles? Like you can’t stop your brain from continually looping back on the same issue/concern/worry? You’re not alone in this. Our brains are programmed to keep us safe, so when something seems stressful or threatening,… Read More »How to Stop Thought Loops
The other day, I was putting a mattress cover back on the bed of a kiddo who had peed in it the night before. This is a somewhat regular occurrence, and as I was performing the physical gymnastics required to put a fitted sheet on… Read More »The Power of Gratitude