STRESS is an emotional, mental, and/or physical response to pressure. That pressure may be internally generated, such as when we place high expectations on ourselves and fail to live up to those expectations. Or it may come from external circumstances, such as a demanding job, ill health, or any situation […]
LIFE IS BUSY, it seems there’s never enough time for everything, and other responsibilities tend to crowd out writing — that thing we say we love and want to do most. If you have difficulty accomplishing your writing goals, have trouble getting organized, tend to procrastinate, or simply feel that […]
TODAY’S ARTICLE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE the latest in the Read Like a Writer series, in which I would write about how Sue Monk Kidd Structured her memoir, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter. But when Sunday, the day I write my blog posts, rolled around, I found myself procrastinating. […]
IN THESE DIVIDED AND STRESSFUL TIMES, we are experiencing a sort of collective trauma. Every day we read about or watch events unfold that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago: Nazis marching and chanting in the streets of the United States, cars plowing into crowds as a […]
THERE’S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. Even when you are happily anticipating the celebrations, family gatherings and downtime from work, the holidays can be stressful. This year, because of the deep philosophical and political divides that emerged during the recent elections, stress levels are running particularly high. And if you are one […]
I have been trying to write this post for a month — seriously. But one thing or another would get in the way: work, family responsibilities, illness, scheduled commitments. The very subject of control seemed to attract a barrage of incoming demands, both positive and negative, as though Life wished […]
Stress is a normal, physical, chemical reaction to danger, to change, deadlines, and the unknown. Stress can motivate you to action and help you meet the challenges of everyday life. It is meant, biologically speaking, to help you in the short term. But in this age of over stimulus from […]
I had been packing for weeks. The boxes were clearly labeled with their contents and which room they belonged in. Yet when the moving van arrived, every surface overflowed with items that still needed to be boxed, the pictures hung on the walls, and the still-full garage mocked us. Luckily, […]
