Anger can bring about extremes in people – sometimes we become overwhelmed, turning into a raging hulk or sometimes we avoid anger and push our feelings away. Where you fall on the anger spectrum – overwhelmed by anger vs. avoid/deny anger – may depend on how anger was addressed in your family.  Take a moment and think about what happened when you were growing up and someone got angry…  
 

Any of the following issues: anxiety, stress (physical, mental, or emotional), difficulty sleeping or racing thoughts, can put a strain on your way of life if they are experienced in high doses.  Though medication may be advisable, there is another tool that has the potential to provide relief, and is much less expensive – your breath.  Deep abdominal breathing, also known as diaphragmatic (pronounced dye-uh-frag-matic) breathing, can produce a calming response ultimately leading to relaxation.

Attachment. Attachment reflects how we connect and relate to the world around us.  Our attachment style is the product of our early temperament and the type of parenting we received.  This style is our preference for how we interact in relationships.  Your style is the “dance” you do really well.  Some of us are experts at the two-step while others have two left feet.  Regardless of how you “dance” or interact with the world, it is important to know your style in order to better understand your strengths and developmental needs.

January is over.  Is the same true of your New Year resolutions? We make New Year resolutions with the best intentions for change and improvement. Setting goals and accomplishing them can build our self-esteem and increase our resiliency to meet further challenges.  However along the way our motivation disappears.  The up and downs associated with resolutions can take an emotional and mental toll on us.  There are several ways we can interpret not fulfilling our resolutions.  Some may dismiss them as unimportant and rationalize them away.

February 14.  Valentine's Day.  The ultimate day of romance? Or is it a stressful, sentimental, overly commercialized headache?  This day is the second biggest day for the greeting card industry in the United States, right behind Christmas. With all of the hoopla, it makes you wonder if the original purpose of Valentine’s Day was lost along the way with the cards, cute stuffed animals, heart shaped chocolate boxes, et cetera. The purpose of Valentine’s Day is to celebrate love and affection.

 
You’ve made the decision to seek therapy.  Undoubtedly, your mind is filled with assumptions, fears, and hopes.  
 
“Do, I sit or lay on the couch?”
“What’s an Oedipal complex?” 
“I’m not crazy. I don’t need therapy – only crazy people need therapy.”
“I wonder if this will even help.”
 

• “Don’t call her back right away.” 
• “After the 5th date, things should get physical.” 
• “If I cook, you should do the dishes.” 
• “I expect to be engaged after a year of dating.” 
• “One of us should be home with the kids.” 
• “I expect to be taken care of.”  

There is nothing worse than feeling down and blue during the holidays when everyone around you seems to be bubbly and excited.  However, you are not alone.