Scarcely a day goes by anymore when I don’t hear of one more person I know who is caring for a parent in declining health. How ironic it is that as our medical universe gets bigger, more sophisticated and more effective we find ourselves living longer…while also we’re outliving our abilities to care for ourselves! …
Respecting Limitations vs. Settling For Them…What’s The Difference?
Possibly one the most important features of maturity is developing the ability to know and respect one’s limitations; I’m talking about our intellectual and emotional limitations, not our physical limitations. But how do we know if we’re respecting our limits or settling for them? Great question! Here are three ideas on how to answer that…
What’s The Value of Silence?
Many people consider the world we live in to be really noisy. Did you ever consider what the effects of this are upon us? Most of the time we just try to tolerate it, tune it out. We often can’t control our environments much, so we “get used to it”. But what does all the…
The Importance of Safety…
Historically here in the USA we’ve enjoyed a sense of security and safety as a national norm. As of late our nation has been plagued with many incidents of gun violence along with preoccupations with terrorism. This is not a platform for political commentary, but I want to focus on one matter that’s central to…
“I Just Want To Be Happy”…Is This A Reasonable Goal To Pursue?
There’s no doubt that feeling happy is important. When researchers interview folks about what they want most in life, feeling happy is the most common answer. But is this truly a realistic goal to quest after? Can happiness really be achieved, like financial success in a business venture, or is it more a result of…
Making Plans…Is It A Good Idea?
Planning is not always easy to do. Many folks are not generally oriented toward looking ahead more than a month or so. Others look ahead in terms of significant life events, like “when the kids go off to college” or “summer vacation next year, where should we go?” Ask yourself, “do I have a fairly…
Take The Initiative!
So often in life we see something needs addressing – an issue requires our input, some action is necessary to fix something – but we find ourselves hesitating to step up and put the matter right. “Let somebody else deal with it”, we tell ourselves. The moment for action passes and we go about our…
Are You Getting Yourself Overextended?
Have you ever noticed there is always another project at home calling for your attention? It seems that’s just the nature of life in America. The usual demands are constantly there; they never end. The challenge is to say yes to some and no to others. Is that easy for you to do? Do you…
What’s A Good Relationship?
I’ve had the same dream now for two nights in a row. That means the unconscious really wants me to “get” the meanings of the dream. Tried as I could, I could find no particular deep meaning in the dream. The dream involved meetings, talking, considering ideas, traveling from place to place, being in school.…
We Fight Constantly…Should We Break Up?
Every relationship involves some level of conflict…there’s no way around it. You might be surprised to hear that in and of itself conflict is not a bad thing. Conflict can be a way of getting to the bottom of an issue, clear the air, and clarify what really needs to be addressed. So let’s look at…
Chase E. Kneeland, M.Div. LMFT 