Self discipline. Those 2 words have haunted me for years. It seems like the more I make up my mind that I’m going to be more disciplined and I’m not going to procrastinate, the more life throws situations at me to distract me from my goal. “Today is the day that I get things done and start living a more disciplined life.” Who am I kidding here? Today is the day the septic tank stops, the car breaks down, the kids come home with massive amounts of homework, or my mother in law comes to visit – with no warning! (Which one of those would be my worse nightmare? I’ll leave that one to your imagination. (more…)

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, or ADD / ADDHD as it is called, is a very common disorder in children, and it has become fairly common and is well understood by people nowadays. However, people tend to think of this disorder only as it applies to children, and not adults. ADHD can develop in adulthood, and even though a lot of children grow out of it, many times, the children with ADHD turn into adults with ADD or ADHD, but don’t get the same type of allowances that people gave them as children. Adults are expected to shake it off – be mature and responsible, and ADHD just doesn’t fit the profile! (more…)

Have you ever been called a “worrywart?” I’m not too sure that word is even used anymore, but it isn’t too hard to figure out what it means anyway! Worrying is almost a hobby for some people, and sometimes circumstances can change a person from a non worrier to a worrier. Becoming a parent is a great example of this; parents never really stop worrying from the time they find out they are going to be parents to the time…well, like I said, they never stop worrying! (more…)

Underweight supermodels. Hours of makeup. Photo touching. Air brushing. Eating disorders. Plastic surgery. None of these things sound right or good to us, yet, in North America today, these things all equal beauty! When they are written down, point blank on paper like this, they don’t look too good – in fact, many people will think they sound quite appalling. Why is it then, that when we see people with some or all of these things, we think that we are unworthy of being called beautiful in comparison to these actors and models?. We can’t even blame the individuals themselves for it – they are just a product of our society’s standards! (more…)

When you hear the words, “everything in moderation,” what is the first thing that comes to mind? Most likely you are thinking of food. We tend to think about dieting and eating less of the bad foods out there when we hear the word moderation, but the phrase, “everything in moderation” can be applied to every other area in life as well. What other areas in your life do you need to practice a little more moderation? Basically anything that allows you to overdo it can be applicable here. Of course, eating falls into the category of what should be kept in moderation, but what about video and computer games, television, the internet, time alone, time with friends, spending money, and the list goes on and on. (more…)

The dishes need to be washed, the kids need a bath, your friend calls in distress, your boss wants you to work overtime this week, you are supposed to go to your kids’ school for a PTA meeting, parent / teacher day, and to help chaperone a class trip – and all in one week. Just writing this makes me weary – I couldn’t even imagine doing it all, plus more! Yet, many people do all of these types of things on a regular basis, and sometimes more. How do they do it? I can assure you that they don’t do it because of a yogurt drink, as some commercials would have us believe! The answer is that they don’t do it – maybe they do it for a little while, but people get burnt out pretty quickly on crazy schedules like that. (more…)

What do you do when you first get your paycheck at the end of the week? Do you:
a) Put it in the bank, look t your budget and divide it between your debts, bills and spending money?
b) Cash it and go out on the town – I’ll worry about the bills later, maybe next week! (more…)

Stress is a complicated emotion. Some would describe it a great motivator, while others know it by the horrible knots that it turns their stomachs into. Some people think stress is just a normal part of life, and they will always have to live with it. However, stress is much more than just an emotion. Stress has been linked to heart disease, obesity, unhealthy weight gain and loss, anxiety and panic attacks, depression, suicide, and many other serious grievances. Stress can be a good motivator, but when a person is under severe amounts of it, and they do not know how to effectively deal with it, the complicated emotion can bring some serious repercussions. (more…)

This is a question that no one really wants to answer. We all basically like to think that we are wonderful people, and that everyone else thinks of us in this way also. However, sometimes this way of thinking can be far from the truth – which is something that not many of us want to think about! Maybe instead of trying to evaluate how selfish we are, we should instead, think about how rewarding our lives are. This way, we will make it easier on our egos… (more…)

When you pass by a Bloomingdales, do you have to look in the other direction so you won’t go inside? Have you ever blown through a few hundred dollars, and not known where it all went at the end of the day? Or maybe you can’t go out for your lunch break without coming back to work with something you purchased, no matter how small it is. Did you identify with the hit movie, “Confessions of a Shopaholic?” If you can answer yes to even one of these questions (and be honest with yourself here!) you may be a shopaholic. (more…)