A Family Therapists Point of View

Personal accountability has been on my mind a lot lately. What I mean by it is, being accountable for our own actions, what we do and what we say.  It seems as if that has dwindled a bit lately.  How do we practice personal accountability in our own lives? The first thing that comes to mind is to admit when you do something, good or bad. Yes, even when we have done wrong, made a mistake, or was not able to do something we said we could. Admit your defeat. Admit your lack of knowledge. Admit when you are wrong. When you say you're sorry mean it. Reflect on it and learn from it. Just saying sorry can be seen as insincere if it is not sincere. People can tell by your actions, your voice or body language. The way that we learn and begin to change is by reflecting on it. Looking into ourselves and discovering who we are. Do you like what you see? People will appreciate it. Please share how you address personal accountability.  How do others respond to you when you are acco

As a therapist and a mother, adjustments are never really easy, especially if they are difficult, such as a move to a new state or moving away to college. They have termed this 'homesickness'. Someone who does not know what it means or a translation could see it as sick of home. But in reality it is the saddness and anxiety we may feel when we are away from home and missing what is comfortable to us. People in general do not like change but change is part of our lives. How can we deal with it or make it more manageable? This can be tough. One thing we can do is to set up a new routine. Some colleges and even assisted living and nursing homes have the newcomers create a schedule that is visible to them so they can have something to look forward to and help stay on target.   Another thing is to make your new home your home. Have those things around you that make you feel good and bring you comfort. Pictures of friends and notes can be something that you have to look back on

People always talk about motivation and that either they have it or they don't. What is it? The online dictionary says motivation is the reason or reasons one has for acting in a particular way. The second notation states that it is the general desire or willingness to do something. So why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to be motivated? If it's a reason to act a particular way what does that have to do with being motivated to diet or study? It seems it is just a word that we have attached to these types of situations. Either way, how do we develop the drive to want to be better, to be thinner, to be stronger, or smarter? Similar to so many other things we need to have a positive attitude. A positive attitude is very powerful not only for ourselves but for those around us. When we think of something that we want and we attach positivity to it it seems more reachable. Negative thoughts and attitude actually can turn into feelings of hopelessness or impossibility.