Identity & Life Tips
A teen wrote me, saying she hates how things are at home but she can’t change her family situation. These tips are for people who need help surviving things they have no control over. Here’s part of what she said: “Sometimes people like me, have to endure the pain and just go through life with [...]
On my article about depression when you can’t get pregnant, a reader asked how to connect with other women coping with infertility. I don’t have an infertility forum, and I didn’t want to start a thread about coping with infertility on my fertility Quips and Tips blog because it’s too pregnancy-related. Readers have complained that [...]
Do you sometimes feel paralyzed because of what people will think about your appearance, performance, opinions, and choices? These tips for overcoming fear of what people think are from life coach Arianna Merritt, M.Ed. “For years, I kept my mouth shut as I was too shy to speak up,” she says. “While I wasn’t afraid of [...]
It’s not easy to help girls and teenagers who are experiencing abuse or oppression at home, but it is possible if you recognize the power you have. You may have a lot less power than you’d like, but you may have more power than you know. Here’s an excerpt of an “anti-oppressive practice” paper I’m [...]
I was in 3 foster homes before I turned 12; my mom was single and schizophrenic. I didn’t realize how rare it is for foster kids to overcome shame, powerlessness, and poverty until I wrote a cultural self-identity paper for school (I’m getting my MSW at UBC). Growing up, I was neglected, on welfare, and [...]
If you haven’t chosen a childfree life, you need to know how to be happy without having children of your own. These tips on accepting life without kids are from me – a woman who has accepted infertility. Accepting a childfree life is easier said than done, right? But listen… “The willingness to win OR [...]
Your family wants you to be someone you’re not, and you’re tired of letting them run your life. Here’s how to be yourself when your family wants you to be someone else. These tips are inspired by a reader’s comment: “My family puts me down, and I have no voice at all,” says A. on [...]
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