Behind Silent Smiles: A Quick Glimpse into the Inspiring Novel
Behind Silent Smiles is a novel inspired by a true story. It spans a lifetime and a world to inspire hope. First a little girl... ...Then a grown woman From the Romanian Countryside... To Bucharest... To Sacramento,…
International Day of the Girl Empowers Girls in Conflict
On International Day of the Girl, the world comes together to honor girls, our young women who have the potential to bloom and thrive and make a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. Sometimes, though,…
For Mental Illness Awareness Week, What I’ve Learned About Mental Illness
Mental Illness Awareness Week is an important "ribboned" event. A dedicated chunk of time (the first week of October each year) increases society's knowledge and understanding of mental illness. This is a wonderful thing to which to dedicate time and…
What Triggers a DID Switch?
A DID switch, a dissociation in which a different personality emerges and takes the place of the dominant one, can be painful and bewildering. Why do they happen? What triggers a DID switch? Now an excruciating pain spread across his…
Make an Emotionally Healthy School Year: A Checklist
An emotionally healthy school year means that kids and teens are thriving. The school year is underway. Classes have begun, students are learning, and ideally, there's a concerted effort among schools, home life, and other support systems to help students…
Are My Racing Thoughts and Obsessions OCD?
Many, if not all, people have occasional racing thoughts and obsessions and wonder if it's OCD. OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) is a debilitating illness that involves, in part, racing and obsessive thoughts. According to the National Institute on Mental Health, OCD affects…
How to Quiet Your Mind
The idea of quieting the mind seems like a foreign concept, esoteric and perhaps even the stuff of science fiction. As our society get busier and noisier and faster, so, too, do our minds. Stress levels have skyrocketed, tens of…
Enhance Your Emotional Health with a Bare Spot in a Garden
Emotional health is an important component of our mental health and has to do with our subjective emotions like joy and sorrow, pride and shame, self-love and self-loathing, and more. While it’s true that emotions come and go, often striking…
Life and Wellbeing are a Balancing Act
So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. —Dr. Seuss Dr. Seuss certainly knew his stuff. Life—and wellbeing—are indeed a Great Balancing Act. Specifically, they're about balancing doing with being. Balancing Act: The…
How to Handle ANTs to Increase Wellbeing, Mental Health
Knowing how to handle ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) can reduce anxiety and increase wellbeing. Recently, in ANTs—Automatic Thoughts Can Ruin Your Picnic, I explored how ANTs can be pesky little creatures that get in the way of our living life…