mental health

Watercolors: What took me so long? (Unfounded fear)

What stops you from taking a watercolor class or anything else for which you’re convinced you are terrible? I once painted a trio of peonies and was told it looked like Mickey Mouse’s head. It took me years to pick up a brush again. But I have!

Man with Asperger Finds His Voice in Toastmasters

Clive Wan has Asperger Syndrome and for those on the autism spectrum, social interaction can be difficult. He joined Quincy 675 Toastmaster’s Club to gain confidence when speaking. Typically quiet, he admitted, “I don’t have a lot of social interactions.” Yet the 34-year-old Braintree resident became the club’s president.

Mental Health: Turn Off TV News, Instead Read it

Relentless negativity sends me into fetal-position sadness and defeat. How about you? Our “new normal” is abnormal. For positive mental health, turn off TV news. Instead, read the news. It gives you more control of what you’re taking in, according to Dr. Daniela Gitlin, author of Practice, Practice, Practice: This Psychiatrist’s Life.   In her […]

Ask yourself: is this the way you want to live?

What change do you yearn to make? Take a deep breath and share it with a trusted someone.  Make it real through declaration. There is accountability when you hear, “So what’s happening with…?” Recently, “Jenny,” a friend in her 30’s, announced, “I need to look for a new job.” This is no small thing.  Previously, […]

Simone Biles – Self-Protecting is Greater Than Gold

An act of humility transforms Olympic sports when Simone Biles, the world’s most decorated female gymnast, bowed out of the uneven bars and vault events due to severe mental stress and concerns about personal safety.  Certain that her condition would result in competitive loss, she made way for her team to step up and to […]