Last week I felt like I hadn't had enough vacation time even though I was just returning from the long holiday break. The fact that it was consistently less than 10 degrees outside certainly was a factor but another was my deep sense of fatigue. My spirits picked up some once in the office. Lots of self-care over time helped too – yoga, Zumba and sleep -- but I still felt tired. 

I became fascinated by memory and trauma after being in a car accident. As you may know, one day I was sitting in my car at a stoplight, minding my own business, and was broadsided by another driver. Of course, this kind of trauma changed my life. But eventually, with the help of family, friends and a great neurotherapist, I mustered the effort to heal and go forward.

This is the year of my mother’s passing.

I ask myself, from my training as a psychotherapist and coach and from my humble and flawed background as a daughter and sister, having made all possible mistakes, what I can share that might make life less difficult for you? Here are my lessons learned, so far:

Sarah (not her real name) was an insomniac.

When trying to close her eyes and relax each night, a freight train was rushing by in her mind, each car filled with ideas, fears, anxieties; ideas, fears, anxieties; ideas, fears, anxieties. Instead of bringing relief, sleeping pills and alcohol had only pulled her into an added problem with addiction.