Since I was a teenager or maybe before, I had an interest in understanding relationships and what made healthy relationships. This interest is still what drives me today -- truly meaningful relationships that support, encourage, and challenge us to reach our full potential. When I began studying to become a psychologist, I had high expectations that people only needed to learn certain skills like conflict resolution and relaxation breathing exercises to live highly satisfied and productive lives. When the reality hit me that it wasn’t quite that simple, I was disappointed. Eventually, I realized that it wasn’t book knowledge that mattered, it was wisdom. Wisdom isn’t about just having the right answer, it’s about applying what you know in your life. Even people who know that self-care is essential to caring for others don’t apply it in their own lives so easily.
Real relationships don’t come from just learning communication skills. While I gained valuable skills and techniques in my professional training to help people achieve their personal goals, I’ve learned it’s more about being authentic and speaking from the heart. When you know yourself, both strengths and limitations, and are honest with others about who you are and what you can and can’t do, then you practice self-care and build authentic relationships. We can hear and read tips for self care in just about every talk show, magazine on the stand, and website on the internet. People are obviously looking for ways to take better care of themselves. In this blog, I hope to dig a little deeper and challenge you to find ways to actually apply in your own life what you already know about caring for yourself so that you can care for the people in your life and have genuine connections with them that give you joy. Comments are closed.
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AuthorI am a health and happiness psychologist. I had an amazing opportunity to care for my late husband with dementia that brought everything into focus: love, purpose, healing, self-care, and living without regrets. You can read more of my story here. Comments anyone?Yes, I love comments and feedback from readers! Feel free to make a genuine connection with me. I love the personal contact of phone calls, so call me already :) Or email works well too. Find my contact information here. Archives
June 2017
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