8 Ways We Self-Medicate Anxiety

Everyone knows what it’s like to have anxious moments. In fact, our body’s natural stress response is an invaluable tool we need to respond appropriately in times of crisis or danger. But when it is a near-constant companion – fueled by everyday thoughts or situations that do not warrant a heightened stress response – anxiety can be harmful. In fact, it can hurt so much our minds and bodies become desperate for relief, any relief, as fleeting as it may be. Though there are healthy means of relieving anxiety, such as exercise, meditation and prayer, all too often we choose … Continue reading

Are You Putting Other Things Before Your Husband’s Happiness?

There could be some very big changes coming to my family, which will definitely affect my marriage. My husband applied for a new job and has to call today to set up the interview appointment. The reason this would be such a change is because it is a traveling job. Now if this opportunity had come up even a couple of years ago, I would have been completely against the idea. I would never have thought that my husband traveling could be a good thing for our family. But to be honest, that really would have been rooted in selfishness. … Continue reading

Marrying Young

If you support your child’s decisions does that mean that you agree with them? My daughter is getting married, she is only 18. We all think she is too young, they are both too young, does that mean we refuse to participate or do we support them but let them know that we wish they would wait? This is where I am right now. My only child has decided to get married. I tried to talk her out of it, not because I don’t like her boyfriend but because at 18 and 20 I feel that they are too young. … Continue reading

Fidelity Ruins Marriages?

I realize that for many, there is much to be celebrated about since New York passed its same-sex marriage bill which will allow for gay marriage to be legal starting on July 24, 2011. But do we really have to start tearing down the traditional marriage? That is exactly what happened in a recent article that appeared in the “New York Times.” It was written by a homosexual sex-advice columnist, Dan Savage. He said that fidelity destroys more marriages than it saves (I would like to see the statistics on that one). Yes, you read that right. It is the … Continue reading

Time Apart Isn’t a Bad Thing

Recently I have been thinking about how far my marriage has come. There was a time when my husband and I couldn’t seem to handle allowing the other one to go off and do something without each other. I recall the first time I wanted to attend a conference out of town with some friends. This was several years ago and it was called, “Hearts at Home.” As a mom with three young children, it sounded like the perfect opportunity to not only get away and get refreshed but empowered to come back and do my job as a wife … Continue reading

How To Relieve Stress

Just when you think you can take a break, just when you think you won’t worry so much, something else comes along and smacks you in the back of the head. I had a moment like that over the weekend and our lives are pretty much being turned upside down. I’ve had a constant stomach ache, I’m running around trying to do a million things at once and nothing was being done well. I realized I needed to slow down and take a few minutes for me. As a single mother I always feel guilty taking time for myself. There … Continue reading

The Physical Effects of Anxiety

It may start in your head, but chronic anxiety – day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year – inevitably elicits some pretty profoundly negative responses from the rest of your body. So if you’re living with anxiety, as well as a painful or troublesome physical condition – particularly of the heart, lungs, stomach, muscles, skin, immune system, reproductive system, weight and/or head (as in headaches) – it’s time to make the connection. You may literally be making yourself sick with worry. As shared in my new book, Overcoming, Anxiety, Worry, and Fear: Practical Ways to … Continue reading

Take Care of Yourself

It is important, as a single parent to make sure you take care of yourself. You health and well being, both physical and emotional are very important. If you have a problem, so does your child. It is impossible to stop every issue before it becomes a problem. We all have money struggles, work stresses and maybe even health issues. These should not become our children’s worries. As the only parent in the home you are the one your child leans on and looks to for guidance. If you are so preoccupied by a problem that you can’t give them … Continue reading

When a Friend Died

The wedding is over, my family and friends have all gone back to Massachusetts and I am married to a wonderful man whose family can’t stand me. Most of my allies boarded a plane and now were going to be over 1800 miles away. We packed our bags and moved to an apartment an hour away from my in-laws but that was not the only good thing about moving. Both of our jobs were closer to our new apartment than where we had been living, before we had over an hour commute to work every day so this was going … Continue reading

Marriages Need Compromise

I think one of the most difficult things to do in a marriage, or in any relationship, is to compromise. Compromise means you are willing to do your part to make something work. It often requires that you give something up. Last week was one where compromise was greatly tested. My husband took a week of vacation, more or less just to use it up, along with the fact that our kids were on their first week of summer break. However I was not on break, so I still had a full workload. Of course, working from home has a … Continue reading