If you say yes when you want to say no, you need better boundaries. You need better boundaries if you say nothing or stay in a relationship after being treated poorly. If you sense that someone expects you to give them your last dollar or the only ten minutes you have free all day, you need better boundaries. If you are more concerned with someone else’s happiness, you guessed … [Read more...]
Newspaper Column, "Mental Matters" published each Wednesday in the South Platte Sentinel Health Section
We want physical and mental health holding hands
Here we are in March, and the wind outside my window makes me think of the expression, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” I envision March teetering on a fence, wondering whether to jump to the side of winter or spring. Mental health is a little that way—a balancing act. I’m always talking about mental health—what is it anyway? We have physical health, … [Read more...]
Allow for happily ever after
My niece texted me a poem called My Brain And Heart Divorced by John Roedel. It was a clever take on how our thoughts (head) and desires (heart) can conflict and affect our physical health. My sister is moving to Texas and needs to get out of a house she has called home for 35 years. It is challenging to downsize because she attaches sentimental value to most everything on … [Read more...]
How do you achieve, and right your wrongs?
Some people, by nature, see the whole big picture. I’m not one of those; I notice the detail. If looking for a house to buy, I would notice nail holes in the wall and the construction of cabinets. Big picture people, intuitive, more than sensing like me, would see if the house felt spacious or if natural light filled the rooms. Andrew Carnegie must have been one of those … [Read more...]
Decorate Valentine’s Day with happy memories
Here we are, approaching another Valentine’s Day. Am I wrong, or did we just get Christmas decorations stashed out of sight? At least both holidays favor the color red, just in case we missed the cinnamon-scented candle on the counter. The retail business doesn’t give us the option of forgetting; it reminds us to prepare. February 14th is bittersweet for me and many … [Read more...]
The Flock and Us
Jennifer Goble As I start writing, I can’t help but notice the publication date: 2-2-22. From my friend, Google, I learned a date when all the numbers are the same happens at least once every decade. Numbers aren’t the only things that flock together. I’ve also noticed birds lately. When I owned the Old Library, I entertained myself by watching the turkey vultures who landed on … [Read more...]
Change is inevitable—staying static an option
Jennifer Goble We have little control over change happening around us. We are continually encouraged or forced to change how we think or operate. Looking back can be sweet, but if we fight change, progress, or whatever you choose to call it, we run the risk of less than optimal mental health. The results of being resistant can lead to fear, frustration, hurt, or … [Read more...]
Chickens have no teeth
I saw a large sign the other day: “A chicken doesn’t have teeth, don’t be a chicken.” I know I don’t get around much, but I wondered what in the heck that meant. Did it mean, don’t be a chicken, have courage? Upon turning to my friend, Google, I learned it is a slogan for a dental office. I thought, Oh, that makes sense. Duh! Truthfully, I didn’t know a chicken didn’t have … [Read more...]
Picture the January 1st snowfall
Jennifer Goble I’m writing this on January 1st and enjoying the sparkling white blanket of snow glistening outside my windows. The best part—it arrived with no wind. It lays peacefully undisturbed on pine trees, fences, and sidewalks. It’s beautiful. Maybe Mother Nature is exhausted after her tantrum in Boulder on December 30th. I hope the calmness of freshly fallen snow is a … [Read more...]
Don’t stress about what 2022 will bring
Do you remember Y2K when fear of the computer counting system triggered international anxiety before the calendar rolled into 2000? Fear raised its illogical head during other moments in history also: In 1825, some believed riding a train would rip a body apart; in the late 1800s, telephones carried the fear of people losing their privacy and using it to communicate with the … [Read more...]
In 2022 see The Person Next to You
OMGoodness, tell me it’s true—we are about to kiss 2021 goodbye. Add 2020 to this year, and we have nearly two years of COVID and all that goes with that, harshly divided political views, an angry Mother Nature, and personal losses. It makes me think of Toby Keith when he sings about thanking God for someone leaving—my someone being 2021. Hopefully, we have sharpened our … [Read more...]
Oh, by the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I picked my sister Vicky up at her house, and we went to celebrate Christmas with our older sister Zella who is in a group home. We giggled and colored in adult coloring books as if we were six or seven playing paper dolls in our childhood bedrooms. Zella loves jewelry, so I brought her a variety of four long necklaces she could slip over her head. As she opened each one, she … [Read more...]
Let a good day be the Outcome
I recently helped a friend edit her new book titled, Why I Stay, a collection of stories about why people choose to remain Catholic. A male author shared being diagnosed with a large malignant tumor on his kidney. Recalling his treatment and family trauma, he concluded that he was in a win-win situation. If cancer didn’t kill him, he would get to stay with his family, and if he … [Read more...]
Go with the flow and shift
Jennifer Goble I’m writing this the day after Thanksgiving, yet looking at this article’s publication date, the word “Shifting” is in my thoughts. Many of us over-ate yams, dressing, and pumpkin pie. Refrigerators were likely full of leftovers, and kitchens needed cleaning. I picture the zzzzz emoji, as nothing looked better than the recliner, yet Christmas is coming, and, … [Read more...]
Keep your kindness hat healthy and thriving
News alert: It’s December, and we know what that means—layers of joy stirred with stress. I’m not Ebenezer Scrooge; I love Christmas, but with the season comes overused credit cards, high expectations, and loneliness. From a mental health point of view, I have concerns for those with any mental health disorders such as phobias, depression, anxiety, or PTSD. From traveling to … [Read more...]