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Two candy canes making a heart

Manage holiday stress

With the anticipation of the holidays, there can also be that feeling of dread – how are you going to get everything done on an already busy schedule? For many people, the extensive preparations they engage in to pull off those picture-perfect holidays create so much stress, that they can’t even...
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sparkle blurred lights

Family holidays…not always merry

Do you dread the holidays because… You are you an adult who is single and your family and friends wish you were happily coupled? Are you a parent of an adult child wishing you had grandbabies? Every time you are gathered with family do you still feel judged for the life choices you made? Time spent...
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youth looking at an electronic tablet

How is excessive screen time affecting us?

Screens seem to be everywhere in the form of phones, laptops, tablets, and even watches, so we have to think about how we function in an environment with screens constantly being utilized in our lives. According to the...
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Two people talking and holding hands

Celebrate National Family Caregiver Month in November

We all know someone who is providing care for someone else. They may be caring for an older parent, a disabled adult child, or a spouse suffering from a traumatic injury or chronic illness. Even parents raising children are considered caregivers. Caregivers give of themselves without expecting...
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person writing on paper with pen

What's on your plate?

Have you ever heard someone say, “There’s a lot on my plate,” or “I have too much on my plate?”  Chances are you have even said it yourself.  This idiom generally means there is too much to do, too much going on, or too much to deal with in a person’s life.  In fact, we are all prone...
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view of someone in military boots standing behind child

Tips to help military families cope with stress

While family members of our military service members do not actively serve, they do have a very important job – holding down the fort. Military service members put their lives on the line to protect and serve our country while their families adapt, miss their loved ones, and support them from home...
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Man and boy fishing together at pond

Generations can learn from each other

With social isolation having such negative consequences on people and seeming to have increased especially with the COVID pandemic, I thought it would be good to share this article I originally wrote in 2018. When children, teens and younger adults spend time with older adults, there are many...
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male boy with hands on head with books on table

Coping with back to school anxiety

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric diagnosis in school-age children worldwide. Anxiety may appear in different forms, including separation anxiety, social phobia, generalized anxiety, panic with agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and specific phobic disorders causing...
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man and woman pointing at each other and yelling

Five ways to refine your co-parental communication

Growing up, my family had my half-sisters every other weekend, but the co-parenting relationship never took a break. I witnessed many different conversations between co-parents on many different topics like schooling, child support, drama, and even discipline. While the conversations were often...
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