The Breathing Spaces Blog

A Time for New Beginnings

Art - Calla Lily

Spring brings such happiness to my heart. As I look outside, after all the unusual rain, I see the roses flourishing from the extra water and the pruning I did in late fall. The freesia bulbs I had forgotten about are popping with purple color and the new bare root rose I thought wasn’t going to make it is pushing foliage out like a surprise package.

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Guest Post: Finding Support in Depression by Fran Hutchinson

Have you ever had black days? Days when you wanted to see nobody and do nothing, even the things you like best? If this happens once in a while, you could call it sadness. But if it lasts for more than three or four days it is known as depression. Depression is not a weakness, but a medical malfunction that takes away your control, and there are two major types. One is triggered by specific events like a death in the family, loss of a job, an injury that affects your ability to function as you typically would.

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Self Compassion – The Key in Life Balance

I hear from so many people who feel so depleted and don’t have time to replenish themselves: too much to do and other priorities. I am not suggesting you take two weeks off and go to the Bahamas. (Though I admit that sounds amazing, it’s not always feasible.) It is the smallest of things that you can do for yourself that can make the most significant impact.

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Blanket or Sword?

You make your way to the reception desk and a friendly innkeeper says, “Welcome Traveler. Do you require a blanket or a sword?”

It’s not the question you were expecting, and your face betrays your confusion. Fortunately, the innkeeper is extremely perceptive and broadens their question. “Which do you need most right now, Friend?  Do you need a blanket – the comfort of a soft chair, a hot meal, and a listening ear, so that you can vent your troubles, or do you require a sword – the solution to a problem?”

On the surface, it’s a simple question, and yet, these two choices – blanket or sword – embody the most important ways we communicate as caregivers.

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This Too Shall Pass

I would imagine most of us have heard the adage “This too shall pass.”  Because the phrase is so familiar, so mundane and ordinary, we tend overlook the power of its eternal truth.   The phrase reminds us of the impermanence of all things and the idea that nothing lasts forever, neither the good nor the bad things. 

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