This coronavirus pandemic is a once in a lifetime event. After five months of sheltering in place and social distancing it’s no wonder we wake up on occasion feeling as if the world has come to the end. We’re cowering …
Category: Uncategorized
America goes to the therapist (We listen in)
My husband, Howard, posts a weekly Op Ed in the ChicagoNow Blog. Perhaps, being married to a therapist, his sub-conscious took over when he wrote this stylistic piece about our country’s response to the George Floyd tragedy. I’m sure he …
“Integrity versus Despair” while sheltered in place
Integrity versus despair is the last stage of Eric Erikson’s theory of development. If one is fully matured, he posits, the result is wisdom, a sense of our integrated identity. Conversely, lacking a sense of being fully realized, the residual …
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Tagged with: Coronavirus
The virus cancelled my trip to Japan. I’ve rescheduled with a self-guided tour I take every day
“All tours to Asia have been cancelled until January 2021” read the email. It was a stunning disappointment: our trip had been planned for months. The vacations I schedule are intended to restore my energies, reinvigorate my enthusiasm for what …
This is not the apocalypse. This is your opportunity to create the world you want to live in
We are reeling from the impact of COVID-19, confined to our homes, compelled to obey restrictive rules from a catalog of authorities. Fear is the undercurrent of our every activity. We are victims of circumstances beyond our control. Where is …
Life is a gift, and I am filled with gratitude
I ask myself the same essential question that my clients pose in my office every day without exception. How do I find happiness and live a normal, decent life in the face of the personal trials all families encounter? My …
Love is more than a romantic kiss on a moonlit night
The romantic myth of Valentine’s Day would have you believe that your love is delivered in a box of chocolates or bouquet of flowers. If only it were that easy. Lasting love is built on a foundation of trust and …
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You made it through the ups and downs of another year. Now 2020 lies ahead.
There is no escaping some degree of adversity in our lives. We will encounter it simply by living: a heart-breaking relationship, an illness, a natural disaster, a work related disappointment – sooner or later, in one form or another, we’ll …
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Kindness: a non-medical antidote to stress
As the Wellness concept gains acceptance, the health benefits of a growing list of self-care and wholistic therapies are being reported. Mindfulness, for example, has shown itself to be a powerful influence on reducing stress and nurturing well-being. Now a …
Finding healing in nature’s rhythms
The Autumnal equinox is the precursor to shorter days and fading light and the growing darkness that lies ahead. As the Northern Hemisphere slowly turns its face away from the sun, nature begins its retreat to the underworld for repose …
Where and How to Find the Happiness You Deserve
by Arlene Englander L.C.S.W.
A down-to-earth, straight-forward guide to the source of true happiness that resides within us.