Building Healthy Relationships in Adulthood Human beings are relational. We are social creatures, and we need to be connected to others throughout our lives. This is easily understood in infancy and childhood, when we know that having reliable, safe, and emotionally nurturing adult caregivers is essential for healthy child development. However, this need for reliable relationships does not end as … Read More
4 Tips for Navigating Family Conflict
Conflict is usually seen as negative or something to be avoided. There is even a myth that there is no place for conflict in a happy or “functional” family. However, the truth is that conflict exists, and it can be a healthy part of engaging with others. While poorly handled conflict can break ties, decrease trust, and damage communication, conflict … Read More
How to Make a Lasting Change
Do you have anything you would like to change? Is there something you do too much of? Or, is there something you do too little of? Would you like to change the way you interact with someone close to you, but feel like you are short on the willpower needed to take action? Maybe it feels like you’re in a … Read More
7 Tips for Your Relationship After Children
Imagine that you are at work and your pay is cut by 50 percent, your workload doubles, your hours are extended, and you are on call throughout the night. What would the culture at your work be like? How would your most intimate relationships be affected? This is essentially what happens after birth. Household labour increases substantially, while personal resources … Read More
4 Life Lessons Learned While Struggling Uphill
Hey! Ho! Let’s Go! It’s 5:15 a.m. and we are up early in order to beat the +34°C heat of the afternoon. Howie and I (John) clip into our bikes and begin the brutal ascent up one of the many hills and mountains in Oregon. The initial incline felt like 40 kms of straight-up, vertical climbing hell. In reality, it … Read More
Having a Bad Day? Try Some Self-Compassion
Karen is having a bad day. She forgot her bus pass, spilled coffee on her white blouse, and her bank account is overdrawn again. Her inner critical voice is in high gear creating a list of all her faults: “You should be more organized,” “You’re so clumsy,” You’re such a loser.” And now Karen is feeling down and anxious; there’s … Read More
3 Comforting Ways to Grieve the Loss of Family & Friends
The deep sadness of grief can be one of the most gripping emotions we face as human beings. Losing a loved one, or friend, or pet, or a colleague, can leave us feeling devastated, heartbroken, confused and angry. Grief can also call forth the resilience and fortitude of the human spirit. Bereavement is the general stage of being that results … Read More
5 Ways to Cultivate Creativity in Life and Work
I believe that all human beings are creative, and that creative thinking is a central part of self-expression. Self-expression is a gift we give ourselves and the world. Creativity, therefore, is at the heart of being fully engaged in life and work. Creativity, like any other skill, can be fostered and developed. Under the right conditions, the muse (creative inspiration) … Read More
6 Keys to Get and Stay Organized
A friend recently had a house fire. She forgot a pot of soup broth on the stove. Her last memory was of the broth gently boiling. Hours later she returned to find her home filled with black smoke. The family has since moved into a hotel and the house is in the process of being steamed and scrubbed. Ever optimistic … Read More
Ideas for Inspiring Self-Care
Coping with the lightning-fast pace of modern society, the steady stream of bad news in the media, constant to-do lists that are never done, and the encroachment of technology which keeps us plugged-in every moment of every day inevitably comes up on a daily basis in my work. Recently, I shared a story with my colleagues about being so busy … Read More