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Month: February 2016

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Yes I Can! Finding the Key to Your Willpower

February 26, 2016

When changing a habit or trying a new routine, many people claim willpower as the biggest obstacle to achieving their goal. Willpower is seen as a strength. It is how people exercise control over temptation and exercise persistence to learn new things. It is the conqueror of procrastination and a cherished ally when it is available. And that is where many people find a problem. Willpower is not always available. Much like attention or physical energy, willpower…

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Caregiver Fatigue and Self Care

February 25, 2016

Many of us are caregivers in our personal or professional lives, or both. On a personal level, caregiving may involve caring for small children, an older or ailing parent, a sick friend or sibling, or even for a pet. Professionally, we may work in high-stress environments with significant pressure to provide output, we may care for and heal patients or represent clients, and often we take on our client or employer’s needs. In order to succeed in both personal and professional realms, it’s important to be able to identify “caregiver fatigue” in ourselves and to remedy it with self-care before we burn out.

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Life is Not The Brady Bunch: Unique Challenges Faced by Blended Families

February 23, 2016

Although increasingly common in our culture, many blended families struggle and suffer excess stress around what was hoped to be a joyful joining of two families. There are no healthy cultural role models for blended families, the most notable example being the highly unrealistic Brady Bunch. This leaves partners struggling to juggle the needs of the new intimate relationship, their children, their spouse’s children, and any ex-partners, while also trying to meet personal needs. It is very…

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It’s Time to Talk Money!

February 15, 2016

Financial Therapy Blog 2.14.16 Why is it so difficult to talk to your family, loved ones, friends, or colleagues about money? What is it about money that makes it so taboo? Around two thirds of American adults, regardless of race, gender, or economic status, are stressed about money and yet we aren’t talking about it. Financial therapy is a way to learn how to bring up and feel comfortable with talking about money and finances, learn skills…

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Fight or Flight or…What? Finding the Middle Ground to Control Your Instincts

February 11, 2016

When conflict occurs in an intimate relationship, something is triggered in each partner. To some, it may feel like a slow boil, a tingle or a buzz that grows stronger with each word that you interpret as insulting, disrespectful, or mean. To others, it is like flipping a switch. One moment you are calm and collected in your thoughts while talking to your partner, and the next, you are full throttle trying to protect yourself from a…

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Will My Baby Make Me Blue? A Conversation About Postpartum Depression

February 4, 2016

The United States Preventive Services Task Force, a government-appointed health panel, recently recommended that all pregnant women be screened for depression regardless of prior risk factors. The task force notes that using evidence-based screening tests, such as the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, can help reduce depressive symptoms in women with depression and decrease the prevalence of depression in a given population.

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