It’s the most wonderful time of year...or is it? Statistics tell us that, ironically, during the most wonderful time of the year is when people in general experience the most depression and anxiety. While I don’t like to admit it, I am one of those people who struggle with the holiday blues. Some of us experience depression during the holidays because of the stress of buying the right present for everyone on our list. Others develop the holiday blues because they have lost loved ones around this time of year. Even the fact that the sun sets earlier, so there is less light in our lives during the holidays, can cause us to be a little more down than usual. My depression stems from unmet expectations, both expected of me and expected by me. I have this mentality that the holidays are Continue Reading
5 Questions to Answer When Friends Disappoint
It's crazy how life is. Or, let’s be honest…how I am. It was one of the happiest times of my life as we welcomed our healthy newborn baby boy. There was so much to celebrate, yet something was missing… Oh, how precious were the days of building our family! Friends helped friends as they expanded their families – anticipating babies to be born, adjusting to new little ones. Sweet hugs and kisses, sleepless nights, temper tantrums, the whole package! Those times were exhausting but priceless! Bonding with friends was easy – for my husband and myself, as we had so much in common with those around us. Friends laughed and cried together, shared stories of exhaustion and exhilaration together. Those were the days that lifetime friends were made. By the time our second son was born, Continue Reading
Breathing Life into Marriage: The Lights on the Dashboard
While driving my minivan, a strange light appeared on the dashboard. I’d never seen it before and didn’t know what it meant. It looked like an exclamation mark inside parentheses: (!) I grabbed my phone and took a picture of the strange light (don’t worry, the van was parked) and I sent the picture to my husband, Jeff, with the question: Any idea what (!) means? He texted back and said it meant either a flat tire or a tire that’s getting low on air. So I stepped out to examine all four tires, and sure enough, one was quite low. It had a slow leak. Those flickering lights on the dashboard tell us when something needs tending. Maybe the car is low on fuel. Maybe the car is leaking oil. The lights on the dashboard help us intervene before we end up with a flat tire, run out of gas, Continue Reading