Jumping is great. But terrifying. When you jump a horse, there are many things that have to take place in order to properly prepare and then overcome a jump in the arena. Horse and rider must have a certain level of trust between them to leave the ground together, pass over an obstacle and land on the other side. In a similar way, sometimes in life we have to set ourselves up as best as we can then trust that we have what we need to make it through.
In today’s fast-paced world, it often feels as though we don’t have any time for ourselves. Mindfulness is a great way of slowing down our mind and bringing ourselves and our attention back to the present moment. Even if only brief, a short meditation can have a big impact on the rest of the day. One way of integrating this into our daily routine is through enjoying a cup of Tea for You!
We all want to be wanted. It feels good. But any time you have two humans together, there is room for confusion, miscommunication and stress. Gary Chapman has developed a system called the “5 Love Languages” that outline the different ways that people show and receive Love. This has been my favourite way of understanding the emotional interactions in relationships because it is simple, tangible, and has clear ways of improving the quality of our relationship. The 5 Love Languages include: Words of Affirmation (We want to hear them say they care for us), Acts of Service (We like it when they do things to help us out), Physical Touch (We crave physical contact and intimacy), Quality Time (We like to spend time just being with each other) and Receiving Gifts (Big or small, we like gifts). Mr. Chapman has resources available on his website (5LoveLanguages.com) that you and your partner can use to find out what your love language is and many books and resources on how these work and how to use them for your relationship but for our purposes, it is this idea that we show and receive love in different ways that is key. Read more
“Don’t cry over spilt milk” is a common phrase we hear when we get upset over something that we cannot control… but this is definitely easier said than done. Radical Acceptance is an idea advanced by Marsha Linehan in her Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). She posits that all persons experience pain but when we try to fight it we create suffering – and suffering is not necessary. Radical Acceptance is the process of accepting reality – “Life on Life’s Terms,” if you will. To be clear, accepting is not agreeing with the situation, but rather accepting what the situation is so that we can address it in a helpful way. Acceptance becomes “Radical” when we are able to accept the situation completely, body, mind and soul. Read more
Don’t let stress get you down this holiday season. With all of the people, parties, cleaning, prepping and high expectations, it’s no wonder that this time of year can be overwhelming. But with some planning and small changes, you can minimize stress and set yourself up for the best holiday season possible!
What are you grateful for today?
Being increasingly connected these days, the bar of how much we expect (and are expected) to get done is an ever moving target. With so much to be working on all of the time, many of us get caught up focusing on what we didn’t get done or what we still have to do later. While it is important to be aware of what needs to be done, and often helpful to have a plan, it is also important for us to stop and reflect on what went well, what we were able to accomplish and how far we have come.
The practice of Gratitude is one that has been around for many years, likely because of the peace, contentment, confidence and hope that it brings. Stop right now and consider what 3 things are you most grateful for right now? Today? This week? This year? Hopefully the things that you thought about brought a smile to your face. This is something that many of us don’t take the time to do, or maybe feel that we don’t have time to do, but it is a simple strategy that helps us to build our resources for confidence and resilience by acknowledging successes, simple pleasures, good fortune and the kind deeds of others. Read more
Jumping is great. But terrifying. When you jump a horse, there are many things that have to take place in order to …
In today’s fast-paced world, it often feels as though we don’t have any time for ourselves. Mindfulness …
We all want to be wanted. It feels good. But any time you have two humans together, there is room for confusion, …
I am a Clinical Pychologist born in the Cayman Islands and trained and licensed in both Cayman and the US. I work with persons who are experiencing stress, anxiety, depression and difficulties adjusting to changes in their life. I also have specialized training in working with Survivors of Abuse, persons with substance use difficulties and persons with severe and persistent mental illness. I believe that every person has the ability to live a fulfilling life and look forward to the opportunity to join you on that journey!
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