Word of the Week Archive

Appreciation

Did you know that people are 20 times more likely to complain about something than to show their appreciation for something done well. Twenty times! Can you imagine how many people are happy with something you’ve done but don’t bother to tell you compared to the amount of people who will tell you when you’ve done something wrong?..

Strength

My arms are the size of toothpicks. Always have been, probably always will be. So when I had my first workout session with a trainer a little over a year ago (aerobic exercise is one way I control my chronic illness) and he asked me how many push-ups I can do, I laughed. And then I laughed some more. And then he laughed back and told me to drop to the ground and start while he counted. I did five, but only one of them probably should have counted as a real push-up...

Present

An aunt once gave me a book of Taoist meditations during a point in my life when I was having a lot of anxiety attacks about all sorts of things. She thought the meditations might help me clear my brain of all the fear and clutter. For me, focusing on a meditative thought brings me to the present and helps me let go of the anxiety...

Present

Change

Let’s be honest: change can be a scary thing...

Help

I used to have a really difficult time asking for help - with anything and everything. In my mind, I equated asking for help with incompetency, and I hated to admit that there were things I couldn’t do independently. ..

Crave

It was 12:20 in the afternoon and I simply could not stop thinking about a Subway sandwich...

Solitude

Solitude always has a negative connotation. Understandably, people find great comfort in being around other people. Having good relationships with others opens us up to a world of benefits: safety, support, help, access to resources, and of course, wonderful emotional connections that fill us with love, joy and wonder...

Stress

The holidays are obviously all about gifts: ubiquitous images of shiny wrapped presents, huddled under peaceful, dimly lit Douglas firs or stuffed into embroidered stockings hanging over a merry fire, abound...

Victory

My grandmother’s 83rd birthday was last night. My mother asked me to call her, and I immediately felt uncomfortable with the thought. I’m not close with my father’s side of the family, and I hadn’t spoken with my grandmother in at least five or six years...