You logically know that the bad moods and frustrations of your colleagues or friends/families are not yours to own but that doesn’t stop many of us from feeling enmeshed and bombarded by other people’s feelings. We are pretty sure the yucky feelings we have don’t really belong to us but we emotionally and physically…
For many people who experience empathy overload we often feel that there is too much to handle in our lives. We struggle with sorting everything out and feeling as though we are alone in the task of making sure everything turns out well. Sometimes we need to be reminded that we are not alone. …
Uncomfortable confrontation – seems a little redundant, doesn’t it? Do you address someone who is obviously upset with you to find out what the issue is in that moment? For people who feel too much, the answer is a resounding “NO.” Who wants to voluntarily step into what could be emotional quicksand? It’s not…
You’re feeling stressed, annoyed, frustrated and you know it always helps to talk it out with your besties. You pick up the phone or meet for a coffee and away you go. It’s a complete download of the details and your emotions in one big ball of Ugh. Whether you are sharing your angst…
If you are like many people, especially those of us who are still shoveling snow it may feel like your spring took a delayed detour. We know it’s here, we can sense it, but we still feel a bit of a slump. I’ve been hearing it a lot from people lately and I certainly know…
Is there anything you’ve left behind that you feel could help reboot your joy and your creativity? I started writing and practicing music again and it feels different this time—more joyful. Now I can access the feelings and creativity that has nothing to do with my career, nothing to do with my profession, nothing to…
Not too long ago I was sitting on my couch eating some popcorn when I got the call. A colleague of mine told me about the Watkins Spiritual 100 List of 2013 and told me one of our mutual colleagues had made the list. In an instant I pondered to myself, “Gee, I wonder…
Dear Colette, I recently came back to my home town, it’s been three months and I need some advice on finding new friends. I’ve been participating in various athletic classes but I can’t seem to make any connections with anybody. I’m a nice person but I do have a bit of a social anxiety…
Have you ever dreaded seeing old classmates, childhood friends or the much-more-successful relatives? No matter how hard we try not to compare ourselves to others or make judgments to make ourselves feel better, somehow we find ourselves in what I call, “reunion avoidance.” Recently I went back to my childhood surroundings of Toronto, Canada for…
It was the end of a long travel season for me as I went from one event to the next, sometimes flying from coast to coast and back in a matter of 24 hours. For the most part, I loved it! It was fabulous to see all of the people who were so excited…
