We spend a lot of time thinking about things we can do to make our lives better, but in reality, there are a number of things we can STOP doing – right now, today – that will improve our lives for good! Daphne Stevens, Ph.D., LSCW, provides life coaching, psychotherapy, and a range of other mental health services designed to help you live your best, most fulfilling life.
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No Clue, but Lots of Curiosity….
Ask a question here, then answer in the next paragraph
My 65th birthday was a day of discovery. For one thing, I realized that 65 wasn’t nearly as old as I’d thought.
Well, yeah, there were the wrinkles. And the gray hair. And the realization that, after a lifetime of yoga and fitness training, stair rails were suddenly important. When had I even begun to notice stair rails?
But the day offered new questions. I’d been a wife. A mother. A friend. A writer. But mostly I’d been a therapist.
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Caduceus
I love snakes. Mind you, I wouldn’t like one as a roommate. I hear they’re hard to house-break, although I once knew pet boa named Raymond who lived happily with his Human.
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“It’s so hot!” “It’s so cold!” “Are you ready for Christmas?” “What are you doing this summer?”
Small talk. Dumb talk. Ordinary talk. (Of course it is hot! It’s summer. Of course it is cold! It’s winter. No one is ever ready for Christmas–and if they are, we don’t want to hear about it. And what am I doing this summer? Being hot and complaining about it!)
Yet I long for such small talk. The current conversational trends–“Are you staying safe?”
“Is your family okay” “Wearing a mask is a pain.” are well-meaning. But too often the question behind the question is “How are you staying sane?”
Insanity is the new normal. “If it bleeds, it leads,” goes the old saying about news reporting– and there is plenty of bleeding to lead. We’re bombarded with images ranging from the horrific to the utterly banal: Cruelty, hatred, stupidity, absurdity, exploitation, lies and distortions are everywhere. It’s overwhelming. It’s outrageous.
It’s predictable.
Many of us are still quarantined. We face endless days devoid of the structure that are sources of personal identity, or endless days and nights of care giving, housekeeping, worrying, and feeling inadequate. Living with family 24/7 makes for tension and cabin fever. And living alone gets–well, lonely.
Chronic Anxiety and Quitting Smoking
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Bipolar Illness
Question:
I am desperate to find some help for my brother, who I believe has bipolar disease.
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Lost in Life
Comment
I just got through reading your article, ‘Telling the Truth’ in the Fall 2002 issue of Integrated Health and Healing. Continue reading
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Question
I suffer from religious obessions and depression….. Continue reading
Praying With Anger
Daphne Stevens, Ph.D.
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“What’s wrong with me?” a woman asked recently. “I’m so angry all the time. I used to have the patience of Job, but since I hit my mid-forties, I get irritated at the least little thing.”
Holy Commerce
Daphne Stevens, Ph.D.
©Copyright All rights reserved.
I shopped like a madwoman last month. Why is it easier to fit new clothes into a suitcase than to drag out the season’s old favorites and wear them again? I was preparing for a business trip to Santa Fe. First I hit some tried-and-true catalogues for basics—good fitting pants in several neutral colors, and a simple packable dress that could be accessorized easily. Then I hit the mall.
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