How Your Past Haunts You In Ways You May Not Even Know
I was standing in the shower, getting ready to settle in for the evening, when I felt something snake down my back, my leg and my ankle. Somewhat alarmed, I looked down to see what could cause that strange sensation and I saw a huge clump of my hair tangled...
The Two Things You Need To Do To Survive Overwhelming Moments
I sit here typing with my newborn sleeping in her Moby strapped to my chest and my toddler playing happily next to me at our kitchen table with his cloud dough and monster trucks. It's quiet (with the exception of some Uptown Funk - who wants to listen to Sesame...
The Struggle To Not Be a Helicopter Parent
Hey folks! Been awhile. What's new? Well for me, I had a baby so sh*t's been a little crazy! But we're slowly adjusting and I'd like to get back to writing when my children cooperate. And right now my 3 year old is napping and my newbie...
Mommy Wars: Why They Happen and Your Role in Stopping Them
So this is how my day started today: I always wake up an hour earlier than my son so that I can have a little bit of alone time to enjoy and get organized for the day. Well today, he decided to wake up 15 minutes after I did (read: no alone time for Mommy) and I...
Vulnerability: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Vulnerability. It's a word I deal with all of the time in therapy, but also just by being the person that I am. Anyone who knows me, knows that most of the time, vulnerability doesn't really feel like something I choose - it's just the main way that I know...
Why Do We All Judge So Much?
Recently, I saw the following pictures that were trending on Facebook:These are selfies of a model who is 8.5 months pregnant. Gasp. Shock. Awe. Right? Pretty normal, human reactions to have, I think, considering how incredibly tiny she...
The Transformative Power of Shared Pain
I have been in several situations lately where even I, as a psychologist, feel at a loss about what to say to someone. Because the pain they are experiencing is so intense. Because there's nothing that will make it better. Because the situation is...
The Fallacy of Perfection
If there’s anyone who knows what it feels like to try to be perfect constantly, it’s me. Let me start at the beginning. I’m a cancer survivor. I beat Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when I was 15 years old. I also lost one of my best friends to cancer less...
Tonight The Heartache’s Is On Me: Embracing the Break-Up
We've been doing all of this talk about relationships...about how your past impacts your present, about getting to know your partner and a few big no-no's and how to avoid them. But what if after all this, it just isn't working? At some point we have to...
The 4 Most Dangerous Things You Can Do In a Relationship and How To Avoid Them
That’s a powerful thing to say right? That there are four specific things you can do in a relationship that if done enough, over time will totally kill whatever good is there. Might sound crazy, but it’s true. For those of you who read my last post,...