Grief
Suicide Prevention Takes a Village
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a good time to become better informed and empowered to combat the tenth leading—and still rising—cause of death in the United States. In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that suicide rates climbed in almost every state from 1999 to 2016, with increases above 30 ...
If You Know Someone at Risk for Suicide
Suicide accounted for nearly 45,000 lives lost in 2016, and the numbers are rising in nearly every state across the U.S. according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Studies report that one out of two people know someone who has died from suicide. And for every one person who has died from suicide, another ...
Moving Forward in the Wake of Tragedy
When we see traumatic events in the news, it is normal to possibly feel vulnerable and upset. Whether someone is directly affected by an event or experiences secondhand exposure, acknowledging feelings about these occurrences is important for one’s mental health. The unpredictable nature of events like these is all the more unsettling. To best prepare ...
Giving of Yourself Is a Gift to Yourself
From Christmas to Hanukkah to Kwanzaa, the winter holidays come wrapped up in themes of peace, love, presents and light that are admirably meant to bring more joy to this world. How wonderful it is to join in these celebrations! We’d be remiss, however, not to remember that so many—sometimes even you or I—may also ...
Life Changing: A Personal Remembrance of 9/11
It’s September 23, 2001, and our U.S. Air flight from Nashville to New York City’s LaGuardia International Airport has been cancelled. We’re soon rebooked via American Airlines. The friendly face of our ticket agent noticeably tenses upon seeing our tickets are from another carrier. As technically non-ticketed passengers, we’re asked to move to a special ...
Knowing the Signs Could Save a Life
In many ways our world is more connected than ever before, with social media venues of all kinds providing real-time access around the clock. However, even with all that connection and communication, suicide rates remain at alarming levels, proving that sensitivity to, and awareness of, warning signs is critical in providing lifesaving interventions. It’s not ...
Six Steps to Identifying Addictions: What Controls Your Life?
Addiction is a complicated problem. It is diverse in its causes and its costs. If describing a person with an addiction was to be simplified, it might be “the intense desire and action of continuing certain behaviors despite the negative consequences.” An addiction controls your life, your thoughts and your choices. It is a compulsion ...
Living in Uncertain Times: Coping With a New “Normal”
Stress is a normal reaction to abnormal situations. We are now living in a new day and time in American society – an uncertain time where stress is common and can be perceived as uncontrollable. It is nearly impossible to go through one day without hearing alarming information on the news about national security concerns, ...
Living Beyond the Losses of Life: Hope and Healing in Recovery
Loss is a part of all our lives. At some time we will likely experience the death of a loved one, a shattered relationship or the debilitating effects of illness. How we cope with these significant tragedies is crucial in determining how we will survive, grow and eventually recover. As the table below reveals, there ...
How to Manage Your Mood
Are your moods unpredictable, uncontrollable or consistently disproportionate to a situation? You may be experiencing excessive emotional distress due to unmanaged moods. The many challenges of today’s society seem to provoke mood swings for many people, which can debilitate relationships, careers and even physical health. Mood swings are characterized by a drastic change in emotion ...
