WellnessWithHolli

We are having a discussion about Healthy Families . If you are new to this series, please return to Part One: Healthy Families - Is Mine Free of Entanglements? , and then join us here. We are examining families as a “system.” In other words,   families are like complex moving machines where each individual is an integral   and interdependent part to its overall level of functioning. Today, we move to Part Two Healthy Families: Is Mine Flexible? Flexible means to be able to change or adapt with ease. Flexible families tend to move through turbulence embracing an adaptive posture and stabilizing it in the process.  Let’s explore two areas of flexibility: Elastic Energize Elastic In defining a family system, elastic means the following: One which has the ability to stretch,    bend, or flex beyond its previously defined stasis. Read again, aloud. One which has the ability to stretch,   bend, or flex beyond its previ...

For several decades, my dad maintained an extraordinary garden filled with an assortment of Deliberate Cultivation scrumptious melons, colorful chili peppers, various beans and mouth-watering tomatoes! After enjoying several seasons of delicious delights, the cool temperatures of winter brought change with it. My dad meticulously removed all the dead plants from his designated garden boxes, rolled up his hoses, turned off his drip system, and methodically secured his plethora of tools in his neatly arranged garden shed.  The soil remained in its solitary mode until the warmth of spring signaled the arrival of planting season.  Beginning his yearly ritual, my dad tended to his boxes making sure their structures were solid and secure. He checked and rechecked the drip system. My dad spent days cleaning out the remnants of debris, raking through the layers of earth while gingerly feeding it nutrients from a nearby compost pile. And then with his hands, he tenderly removed a...

We are discussing Energy Zappers! What are they? Habits or social behaviors which are a part of our everyday life, but unfortunately they often do very little to enhance our sense of well-being! Mostly , they deplete us! If you missed last week's blog, please take a read  Energy Zapper #1: Giving Advice  ! Today, we are going to discuss Energy Zapper #2: Drama!   To be honest with you, I thought this was going to be an easy Z apper to blog about! However, as I have been thinking about it all week, I realized that like a brilliant cut diamond, drama is multi-faceted!   At first glance, its attraction is obvious. However, there is much  more to it than meets the eye! As we get started, let's take a look at a few common connotations of drama as we narrow down a definition that suits our purposes. First, drama has always been and continues to be source of entertainment! Whether it is our favorite TV shows, movies, music, theatre, books, sports, news...

I have blogged about relapse so many times, but I think it is such an important topic - especially in the New Year. As most of your know, when I write or talk about relapse, I am not talking to just a few people, but to everyone! You see, I believe that each and every one of us has - at one time or other - regressed or fallen back into a pattern of unhealthy thinking, behaving, or feeling.   It  might be for a day, a week, a month, or even years. However, I think that when we do, most of  us struggle with uncomfortable emotions that range from embarrassment, guilt, and self- doubt to debilitating shame. Tragically and ironically, these very emotions are what keep us bound in our relapse episode. As we begin this New Year, I want you to know that you are not alone in your struggle with relapse. I want you to know that after experiencing an extremely painful decline into emotional relapse, I gained a more empathic insight into relapse and a much deeper understandin...

"The first wealth is health"  - Ralph Waldo Emerson With the New Year here, many of us are already stressing about what new resolutions or expectations we should place upon ourselves. That is typically followed by the dread of how quickly we will break them or not measure up to them.  I have a suggestion - let's greet the New Year by letting go of stuff. Lots of Stuff!! By stuff, I mean anything! It could be letting go of .... a person or persons- a toxic relationship, an unhealthy partner, a dysfunctional family member, a negative group... a place or thing - the memory of or a tangible reminder of an environment or person that is harmful or unpleasant... an idea or thought - negative life messages, worry, pessimism...  an emotion, attitude or feeling - regret, guilt, grief, anger, blame, self-doubt, disappointment...  a behavior or habit - rescuing unhealthy individuals, over- committing, working too many hours, not eating right or exe...