The Balanced Life, Huntsville Alabama

     In a recent interview, the famous Tom Brady spoke these inspirational words, “As you get older, your life changes quite a bit.  Your life ebbs and flows; through the clouds and through the sun and through the rain and through the beautiful days.  And you appreciate the moments and you find joy in the little things.”

Back to school time is here! Pencils are sharpened, lunches are packed, and we are all struggling to get back into a regular routine. I for one was so excited to see Trapper Keepers were a thing again this year. That brought back some memories of my first one, a hand-me-down from an older brother with a T-Rex on the front. Ahh, childhood.

How many times a day do you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, and whatever new social media app is on the market? I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of picking up my phone to “check messages” and the next thing I know I am going down some random rabbithole on TikTok for 30 minutes or an hour.

In 2014, June was declared National PTSD Awareness month with the hope that it would help spur on more conversations about what trauma is and how it impacts our mental health, relationships, and lives. More importantly, conversations about how we can have hope in even the darkest times and find a way to bounce back and become even healthier, stronger, and happier than we were before the darkness descended.

If you are feeling unsatisfied, hurt, can’t stop arguing, or generally feel misunderstood in your committed relationship, then it may be a sign it is time to seek couple therapy (also called marriage counseling). 

Anyone who knows me well, knows I am not a fan of clutter. I find that keeping things organized and tidy helps me feel calm and relaxed. There’s actually a lot of research to support that living in lots of mess and clutter directly impacts our mental well-being.

Have you been stressed, fatigued, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands?  Has your motivation been waning; do you just want to sleep for days at a time?  Are you physically present but mentally detached? Have you become a cynic? In a nutshell, you may be experiencing burnout. 

If you are a parent, you are quite aware that children express and experience love in different ways. Gary Chapman and Dr. Ross Campbell suggest in their book “The Five Love Languages of Children”, that once a parent learns a child’s primary love language it can have a profound impact on their relationship, happiness and overall development. 

Congratulations! You have made it through one of the craziest and trying years in recent history. We are dusting ourselves off, breaking out new calendars and making fresh resolutions. Most people set goals for the new year, but according to World News Report, 80% of people will give up on their resolutions by February. What is the reason for not sticking to our resolutions?

Well friends, here we are in the middle of the holiday season. Many of us are busy preparing for a new year and reflecting on this past one.

Perhaps you’re familiar with the concept of validation, however, often when we think we are validating someone we are actually invalidating them (and might not even know it). Did you know that there are two rules for validating emotions and six levels and it’s not as easy as it might seem at first glance.

Although my dad in 2002 died at 55 years and 10 months old, he used to say he was “double nickels”. Now it’s my turn to be the age of double nickels at my next birthday in October. There’s always been this dark cloud hanging over my brother, sister, and I since our dad and two other close extended family members died relatively young around the same time.