Tag: stress

Recently, my mother passed away and very soon after two of my young nephews died within 10 days of each other. I was also traveling internationally and had an emergency surgery. My days began to blur. I couldn’t eat or sleep. My heart was heavy and my body couldn’t move. The grief my entire family was feeling became overwhelming and resulted in great stress on my body.

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when stress took over your body?

Alzheimer’s disease is now the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Behind this statistic are 16 million Americans providing unpaid care to a loved one with Alzheimer’s or related dementias. The face of caregiving today is a family member or friend doing their best to survive the role of care partner.

Are you one of them?

Thinking about the dementia journey my mother and I shared over 18 years; waves of powerlessness, loneliness and guilt always come first. They are the emotions I often felt as an uneducated caregiver. Trying to remember the good, my mind usually finds its way to the pain of my shortcomings.

"There is never enough time in the day to get all of this stuff done."

“I have so much work to get done this weekend to prepare for Monday’s presentation"

Have you found yourself or your spouse say any of these?

If your answer is "YES!," you are not alone.

Whether you work for someone or run your own business, being a working parent is not easy. It’s the reason why so many burnout.

Have you ever sat staring at a project with a deadline trying to force yourself to get it done? With so many distractions competing for your attention, it can be an upstream swim trying to focus and tap into your inner creative flow. It can be tempting to push through a project, overriding signals from your body to move, eat or drink water. Then the task becomes a stress, and the project feels forced.

As a single mom of three teens, I carry a substantial load. Stress is a part of my daily life and how I choose to handle it will determine how effectively I approach my work.

Like many couples, Megan and Chris love each other, but they each admit to having communication problems. They recently had a second child and although they are overjoyed with their growing family, they are both handling the stress that accompanies it very differently.

Megan describes feeling overwhelmed by taking care of two small children and all of the household responsibilities. She finds that she is increasingly irritable, she cries more easily than before, and often feels like she is failing to meet the growing demands of her family. Megan is hurt and angry that Chris is more distant than he used to be, but every time she asks him what’s wrong, he insists everything is fine.

Change is inevitable: relationships and roles end, jobs disappear, business deals fall apart, finances become strained, family and friends move away, illnesses or disabilities erode health, loved ones die, and life as you knew it can transform overnight. Mine did as I navigated through chaotic times for many years when my husband was stricken with a mysterious, disabling illness.

Keeping your energy up and stress level down through these shifts is vital for your well-being, health, and peace of mind. Let these strategies guide you through times of change.

When I was a coach for an extra-curricular activity trying to plan practices, I was surprised how many children had commitments almost every day of the week! I could understand parents not wanting children who were couch potatoes with withered brain cells, but I saw the stress it caused both the parents and children.

Most parents would like their child to be involved in enriching activities, but it’s easy for schedules to quickly spin out of control. When it does, parents live in their cars and forget what their spouses looks like, while children try to manage their time like a corporate project manager.