Thought of the Week 05.17.21 – 05.21.21 – a five-part series

Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress: Working hard for something we love is called passion. Simon Sinek 

I find myself talking about a work life/personal life balance ALL the time, as many of you will attest to. I started my journey toward achieving balance more than 25 years ago.

I was in grad school, studying for my MSW, and found that my life was very Unbalanced, when a fellow student told me about a book called “Many Lives, Many Masters,” by Brian Weiss, MD.

It was such an impactful book, changing how I viewed myself, others, and indeed, life. Yes, it does recount reincarnation, but, even more, it teaches about life lessons, and how they can impact a person.

At once, I decided that I wanted to “do that!” I chose two life lessons (or, more accurately, they chose me…balance and acceptance).

This week, I will focus on “balance” and how it pertains in our lives in positive ways.

Five Tribes Therapy and Me – Part 1

On June 15, 2023, The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 was affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States, with a 7-2 vote. Being a “pre-ICWA baby,” born some years before ICWA was established in Congress, this was a very emotional and impactful day for me. As the...

ACT Stage 6 – Committed Action

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “To become a butterfly, you must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” Winnie – the – Pooh We’ve been taking an in-depth look at Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). As I’ve covered in...

ACT Stage 5 – Values

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “We can select a valued action, never mind we’re feeling flat. Because a mood is only fleeting and there’s more to us than that. Corinne Shields  6 Core Psychological Flexibility Processes Stage 1 – Acceptance, to allow unwanted...

ACT Stage 4 – Contextualized Self

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “This above all. To thine own self be true.” William Shakespeare. 6 Core Psychological Flexibility Processes Stage 4 – Contextualized Self, to become intimate with the authentic self, the “real” self, as it is consistent and...

ACT Stage 3 – Present Moment

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer Present Moment. Mindfulness. Groundedness. These are all concepts present, indeed, foundational, in ACT. I no longer notice that I am...

ACT Stage 2 – Defusion

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “When you accept things you have no control of, you give yourself the freedom to focus on things you do.” Aimmee Kodachian As we discussed in the previous Mental Health Musings, ACT is basically built on the concept of...

ACT Stage 1 – Acceptance

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” Carl Jung. I’ve been working within the specialty of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) since I began my career back in the late 1990s. I started my career as a...

Introduction to ACT

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) “What we need to learn to do is to look at thought, rather than from thought.” Steven C. Hayes. Clients and other therapists who know me know that I consider myself an “eclectic” therapist, i.e., one who utilizes a variety of...

Life Happens

So this happened! I had a long-overdue total knee replacement (TKR) of my right knee. It’s been a true adventure, and I want to share it with you. I decided to dedicate an entire blog to the subject, as it fits in so nicely with my “mind, body, spirit” view of life,...

2022 Holidays Overview

It’s ironic when you write a social media post outlining some of the concerns and stressors of the Holiday Season, only to write a blog a few days later outlining some of the concerns and stressors you personally experienced THIS Holiday Season. Even as a person who...