Tag: stress

Keep Focused

Does the word psychosomatic still have a negative connotation? It used to be that if someone accused you of having a psychosomatic illness, they meant it was "all in your head." In other words, change your thinking and your illness will disappear. But we know so much more now about the mind-body connection. The mind … Continue reading Keep Focused

Muck

I like cute-creative Halloween. Not ghosty-ghouly-gorey Halloween. Like the year Tween dressed as a skeleton on Hawaiian vacation: skeleton costume plus grass skirt with Mardi Gras beads and puka shells topped with a straw hat. Cute, creative, and made us all laugh. As I walk the dog through decked out neighborhoods, I continually avert my … Continue reading Muck

Carried Away

Today our middle school will hold the 6th grade dance, the one-and-only dance of the year for 6th grade students. Which reminded me of this story I wrote a year ago, when Tween played an unexpected center stage role in tween-age drama. It felt too raw to post then, and too likely to cause offense among … Continue reading Carried Away

Meatless Monday – Apple Pie Oatmeal

Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days When our momma sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out Stressed Out, 21 Pilots I’m no singer but, like many mamas, I sang my babies to sleep. I even made up my own lullaby for Baby Teen which became Baby Tween’s lullaby as well. … Continue reading Meatless Monday – Apple Pie Oatmeal

Thankful Thursday – Kickin’ the Door Shut & a Happy Dance!

By 12:20pm tomorrow, both our boys will be done with this school year. Hallelujah! This has been a particularly rough year for a variety of reasons. Junior year for Teen, filled to the brim with cultural stress even when our immediate little family wasn't topped to our own stress limit. Unfortunately for all of us, his school … Continue reading Thankful Thursday – Kickin’ the Door Shut & a Happy Dance!

How Do We Pray?

As we walked the trail, my friends talked about dealing with stress: exercise, meditation, therapy, hypnosis… I said, “Or you could pray.” They expected that from me, but I didn’t expect their response: “Well, you know how to do that. We don’t know how to pray. Maybe you need to pray for us every morning.” … Continue reading How Do We Pray?

Panic Attack

I arrived home from work mid-afternoon and found Teen seated on his yoga ball hunched over a stack of papers in front of the family room computer, his study spot. I came up behind him and while I was yet two feet away, he abruptly stiffened and threw his hands in a “Don’t Shoot!” position. … Continue reading Panic Attack

Tell the Truth

A few nights ago, just as I realized I had an unforeseen free evening ahead of me, my neighbor popped over to spontaneously invite me to a panel on teen stress at a nearby high school. I said yes. An hour later I fought back tears as a well-dressed dad pointed to a picture of his … Continue reading Tell the Truth

Advent 2 – Finding Peace

Ironically, during a week in which I've intentionally focused on expecting peace, I've found distress more often. The same hour I learned about the mass shooting in San Bernardino, I also heard that a neighbor, husband of an acquaintance, was in a suicidal stand-off with police. He alternately pointed a pistol at his temple and his mouth and, after hours of … Continue reading Advent 2 – Finding Peace

Advent 1 – Expecting Peace

Stating the obvious: we do not live in a peaceful world. War and rumors of war. School shootings. Crime in all its variety. Job stress. Illness. Divorce. Even in my everyday mundane suburban life, peace seems elusive. So today's title made me wonder: do I expect peace? Maybe my faith is too small. Maybe my … Continue reading Advent 1 – Expecting Peace