Work/Life Balance
A cup of dark roast coffee, sunrise porch time, fresh sheets, a garden tomato, the smell of a new book, a glass of red fireside.....These are a few of my favorite things. All so simple, yet they bring me so much joy. Henry David Thoreau author, naturalist, philosopher, was born
“Sharon” is overwhelmed by caring for her parents: both of their caregiving needs are increasing, she is weary from lack of sleep and fearful that her own health is in jeopardy. Her siblings live out of the area and seem unable to help. In addition to caring for her parents,
Last month I wrote a blog about sibling rivalry in caregiving which began with the following thoughts: 'As we are all well aware, providing caregiving for our parent(s) is complicated and messy. Siblings can often be both a blessing and a curse in this process, providing much needed relief and
As we are all well aware, providing caregiving for our parent(s) is complicated and messy. Siblings can often be both a blessing and a curse in this process, providing much needed relief and support, or perhaps creating additional stress and barriers to important decisions and resources. Why is this the
I recently heard a parent say that the only day better than the day that the kids get out of school for break is the day they go back. As parents, we long for the relaxed weekends free of projects and the lazy evenings at the pool. But when school
At the end of this week, I’m heading to the beach for our annual extended-family beach trip. This has been a tradition for decades—well before I was born. Yes, which beach we go to has changed, the week we go has varied over the years, but we are committed to
In this post I wanted to bring attention to the book Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents. Of the 2,000+ books that are in our Work/Life Library, this is a book that I refer to most often. I continue to receive
One of my favorite bloggers (Grown and Flown) recently wrote about the “Seven Signs of the Aging Apocalypse” – or those inevitable indicators that we are aging. Recently, as my brothers and I were planning my Dad’s 80th birthday and we were trading hilarious “Dad-isms” that would eventually become a
Is your life philosophy putting you on the path to success? Vice President for US Government, Grant Brooks’ philosophy is doing just that. It guides every facet of his life. Focusing on significance will lead to success “For as long as I can remember, I have carried this deeply held
June is PRIDE month and there are lots of cool events at SAS and in the community that you can attend to celebrate and learn and have fun. In this blog I am going to share some tips on being an ally-- not just in June, but all year round.
My colleague, Lisa, and I were comparing notes the other day. Both of us starting working in our teens (14 and 15 respectively) during the academic year as well as the summers. I worked at Sears in the drapery and bedspread department. I’ll never forget my first boss—Mr. Arnold. He
This Mother’s Day I admired two rose bushes as I arrived at my parents' house. There was a yellow bush that we planted the Mother’s Day after my mother’s mom died. And a pink bush that we planted a different year, the Mother’s Day after my father’s mom died. The
Leaving home and moving onto a college campus is a point of significant transition for many young adults. Every non-commuting campus I am familiar with requires freshmen students to live on campus and there is good reason for this: students who live on campus have shown to earn a higher
In a college class on addiction I learned about the “gas/brake” metaphor for how our bodies respond to substances (think stimulant- puts on the gas / depressant – puts on the brake). Our bodies want to maintain homeostasis. If a substance causes one response (gas), then our body will cause
Chances are that sometime in your life you have been hurt by gossip. We probably all agree that gossip is wrong. It spreads negativity in our workplaces and social groups. It is designed to make someone else look bad and to isolate them from the group. It encourages people to
The day you have been planning for (and paying for) is fast arriving! Your college student is graduating and taking that next step toward full-fledged adulthood. What’s not to celebrate? And please do take the time to celebrate. 😊 After a week or two, however, it’s time to talk about
We are in the midst of our third Powerful Tools of Caregiver class offering, and I am reminded again of the importance of self care for caregivers. As primary caregivers, it is likely you will experience higher degrees of stress, exhaustion, and are more prone to illness. It is important
Resilience is the capacity to respond positively to hardships that someone might come across, including living with a chronic illness. It is about adapting to the new normal, learning information, and focusing on strengths and values. Being flexible and adaptable, having good communication within the family and medical team, and
I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I have two adult sons, both of whom who are married—one for 10+ years and one for 2+ years—so I’ve had some time to practice. My guess is if you are reading this blogpost, you either have an in-law relationship that is
Each week in February, your Work/Life team has invited therapists and dating professionals in the community to respond to questions about relationships. For this final blog in the series, we asked our experts… How do you thrive as a single person? Kate Freiman-Fox, Ph.D. Matchmaking, Date and Relationship Coaching
Every year Lisa and I look forward to our dating clinics where we meet with employees to talk about all things dating and relationships. We offer these as part of our annual February Relationship Series. Although we promote these in February, we can meet with employees anytime to talk about
Each week in February, your Work/Life team has invited therapists and dating professionals in the community to respond to questions about relationships. For this third blog in the series, we asked our experts… How do you authentically share your sexuality in a relationship? Kate Freiman-Fox, Ph.D. Matchmaking, Date and
As you may know, Work/Life is holding a relationship series this month, so I thought it would be a good idea to spend some time discussing the notion of balancing your caregiving relationship with your relationship with your spouse/significant other. Even the most steadfast of relationships can be tested by
Each week in February, your Work/Life team has invited therapists and dating professionals in the community to respond to questions about relationships. For our second blog in this series, we asked our experts... How do you prepare your children to have authentic romantic relationships? Kate Freiman-Fox, Ph.D. Matchmaking, Date and
Each week in February, your Work/Life team has invited therapists and dating professionals in the community to respond to questions about relationships. To kick off this series, we asked our experts… How do you keep from losing yourself in a relationship—new or longstanding? Kate Freiman-Fox, Ph.D. Matchmaking, Date and Relationship
Talk to most parents about their role as parent, and you eventually hear the parent sigh and say, “I just want my kid to be happy,” or “A parent is only as happy as their least happy child.” There was a time in my life when I nodded in agreement,
As promised in my blog, Deciding to Adopt, I will be sharing 4 podcasts about adoption that I recorded with Darius Moore and Alex Kelly with the Children's Home Society of NC. Here are the first two on "Becoming a Foster Parent" and "Fostering to Adoption". On January 18th
In my blog, Deciding to Adopt, I mentioned sharing 4 podcasts about adoption that I recorded with Darius Moore and Alex Kelly with the Children's Home Society of NC. Here are the second two podcasts on "Adopting in NC" and "Cross-cultural Fostering and Adoption". Adopting in NC Cross-cultural Fostering and
You run the same route every day, a flat track. You run the same distance in the same amount of time. You know the route which means you don’t have to pay much attention. One day you arrive to find the shape of the track has changed and the terrain
A social worker at a software company. On the surface, the two don’t seem to go together. Why would a social worker work for a software company? But asking that question forces us to evaluate other roles that contribute to the SAS experience: Why would an artist choose to bring
