Coping with Life Challenges

Anxiety, Depression, Grief, Relationships

Dealing With Life Challenges?

There are so many things that challenge of us in our lives. Everyone has to deal with these challenges at one point or another. Knowing how to cope when things are really painful is a skill that can be developed.

Are you going through a painful time in your life right now? Is this you?

You’re dealing with a health issue that has been difficult for you or family members
Your are dealing with marital or relationship challenges – possibly going through a break up, divorce or separation
You’re struggling with financial or work related concerns
You’re single and alone and trying to cope with how painful and lonely that can be at times
You choose the wrong type of people and your relationships Dash ones that are unavailable, self absorbed narcissistic and unable to give you what you need
You’re having difficulty with the struggling child – young child, teenager, adult child or older children
You’re dealing with blended in step family issues and this causes frequent fights

Working with your attitude about a challenge is very important. We all are faced with very unpleasant things that happen in our lives. And finding better ways to cope can make a huge difference when you’re in one of those painful times. When you’re in one of these dark times, it can feel like will last forever, but it won’t. It’s just a matter of getting through moment by moment and day by day until you come out of the darkness.

Need help finding more mindful ways to cope with adversity? Get in touch

Getting Through Hard Times

Understanding Shame | How It Impacts Your Life

Anxiety, Depression, Grief, Relationships

Shame Can Be Debilitating

Healing Shameful Feelings

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This video explains how shame is lethal and what you need to do to reduce shame.

According to Brene Brown,shame is defined as the intensely painful feeling that we are unworthy of love and belonging. She says we all have it and it is one of the most human primitive emotions. She also says the less we talk about it, the more we have it

Shame needs these 3 things to grow exponentially:

1) Secrecy
2) Silence
3) Judgement

To get rid of shame – EMPATHY. Shame cannot survive empathy. So talk to yourself like you would talk to someone you love about something that triggers your shame or reach out to someone you trust and tell your story. Empathy is the way to reduce and get rid of same.

DR. BRENE BROWN: “SHAME IS LETHAL”

Couples Therapy

Maplewood Counseling provides relationship counseling for couples who are struggling with communication problems, an affair, a crisis or other issues. Marriage counseling and couples therapy is provided to help for all types couples with relationship issues.

Anxiety, Depression, Grief

Get help for depression, anxiety, grief, or low self esteem. Therapy can help if you are going through a difficult time such as coping with a divorce or break-up. A good therapist can help you improve the way you feel and work on making positive changes in your life.

Coping With a Life Crisis

Do you need help getting through a painful time in your life? Are you dealing with an affair or infidelity? Trying to survive a lonely, painful time? Is your child struggling? Are you or a loved one coping with a crisis, serious health issues, or helping aging parents?

Attitude is Everything

Anxiety, Depression, Grief, Relationships

Changing Your Attitude

How it Can Change Your Life

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Attitude is Everything in Helping You Cope with Life

Are you a glass half empty or half full person? Working on your improving your attitude can help reduce the suffering you experience.

Is this you?

You’re feeling defeated and ashamed of a a failed relationship. divorce or breakup
You’re very sad about getting older and feel like your life is behind you
You feel like a failure in love and struggle with grief over being alone again
You or a family member is facing difficult health issues
You’re the care giver for a family member who is seriously or chronically ill
You did not get into the college you wanted
You did not get the promotion or recognition you feel you deserved
You got fired or were lost your job

Working with Your Attitude About Failure

Novelist Samuel Beckett ‘s famous quote “Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better” is the topic of many lectures, talks and most recently this I listened to this book by Pema Chodron, which I recommend if you’re looking for help trying to change your negative thoughts and attitude about your situation.

Reducing the Negative and Increasing the Positive

Becoming more aware and conscious of your negative thinking and thoughts and replacing those thoughts with more positive can help you start working on changing your attitude. I often listen to this Sounds True free video “Advice for Difficult Times: A Short Film of Teachings from the Heart” . This short film has offerings from different spiritual teachers about how to get through difficult times. In one section it talks about reducing the negative and increasing the positive with the analogy of pulling weeds and planting flowers, among many other helpful ways to cope with difficult times.

What connects us all as human beings is the suffering we experience at times. What we can do is slowly, over time, when dealing with these challenging experiences is be with what’s there and learn how to reduce the negative and increase the positive. Attitude is everything and training to embrace and allow the experience you are having and working on the attitude about those experiences can make a huge difference in the amount of suffering you experience.

Need help changing your attitude?

Resist or Yield to Painful Experiences

Anxiety, Depression, Gay Issues, Grief, Relationships, Therapist

Coping with Painful Experiences

How to Manage

Do you Resist or Yield to Painful Experiences?

We all go through difficult experiences in our lives that can cause deep and intense physical or mental pain. Some struggle with the tragic death of a loved one, others a serious, chronic or terminal illness. Then there are people that struggle with a child, spouse or parent struggling with issues, a very painful divorce or another catastrophic life event.

When things are so intense and painful that it makes sense (at least temporarily) to run from, resist and fight the reality of the situation. Even though nothing is permanent, it feels as though things will never change. It seems you’ll be stuck in this painful place forever when you are going through it. “This shouldn’t be happening”, blaming others or ourselves for where we are at. Many can feel stuck in anger, resentment, and bitterness, wanting to find ways to escape the painful experience. Running from the extreme discomfort can ultimately make us all suffer even more, turning damaging behaviors to avoid the painful reality of our situation.

“Not getting what you want, getting what you don’t want” quote from Pema Chodron in Coming Closer to Ourselves

We all have to face events like these at one time or another in our lives. It is a part of life and what it is to be human. Even therapists have to cope with tragedies, serious health issues, struggling family members and other painful life events. We all, unfortunately, suffer more when we run from the pain rather than finding ways to accept, allow and work with the emotions that come up. Accepting and allowing our experience can help us attain more wisdom and a deeper sense of compassion for one another.

It takes a tremendous amount of bravery to be open to and allow the experience, and accepting and working what is and trying not to make things worse. Going through a catastrophic event that seems insurmountable?

It has been a tremendous help to me personally and professionally to read and listen to the following books and teachings of The New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle, When Pain is the Doorway by Pema Chodron, Full Catastrophy Living by John Kabat-Zin, Wherever You Go You are There by John Kabat-Zin and a recent Facebook course on UDemy Freedom to Choose Something Different with Pem Chodron, Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better by Pema Chodron, Walking the Walk by Pema Chodron as well as other books.

These videos may be helpful to some…

“Not getting what you want, getting what you don’t want” quote from Pema Chodron in Coming Closer to Ourselves| Super Soul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network

We hope you find this information helpful.

Help with a Difficult Time

Anxiety, Depression, Grief, Relationships

Help with a Difficult Time

You Don't Have to Do it Alone

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Help with a Difficult Time When Things are Painful

We all go through periods in our lives that can be painful and difficult.

Does this sound familiar?

You are going through treatment for cancer or another serious medical illness
You are grieving the deathof a loved one and having a very hard time coping with the loss
You are going through a painful and/or bitter divorce.
You teenager or adult child is really struggling and you are not sure how to help them
You are very unhappy in your marriage or relationship
You’ve been struggling with depression or anxiety
You or a loved one is dealing with serious mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar or schizophrenia
You are struggling with fear over finances, health issues, issues related to aging and feel alone

Compassion and Help with a Difficult Time

We all have or will have to face some really painful challenges at one time or another in our lives. Many of us (therapists included) that have experienced a great deal of suffering can understand how hard it is to really get through.

Compassion and understanding can connect us all during these times. Knowing we are not alone in our suffering – that many others out there are experiencing deep suffering, can be healing.

Finding that connection and support from others going through that shared experience can help you get through difficult times. Also finding help via therapy, friends and family, support or therapy groups, meditation, and/or faith can help you get through difficult times.

Compassion and Support

Hoping you can connect with the shared experience and find support out there to help you. We all need to help one another through difficult times.

Why Your Happiness Matters

Anxiety, Depression

Your Happiness Matters

Attitude is Everything

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As a parent, it’s hard to keep up managing the needs and activities of your children, managing a household, working in or out of the home and finding any time for yourself.

Many parents feel guilty if they don’t sacrifice their needs and spend more time with their kids. This video explains why it’s not always best to choose spending more time with your kids.