Happy Thanksgiving

Today is extra special because - it is both Thanksgiving AND my sister's birthday! I am so proud to to be Debbie's sister, as she has always been, and continues to prove, what an amazing and awesome woman that she is! I'm happy to celebrate her today with family and friends and our favorite foods.

On Thanksgiving, we especially think about our Mom and how we now cook the holiday foods that she once prepared for us. To think of our Mom is to think of her in the kitchen, or on the back porch, as she took breaks during the preparation for the meal.

Our family continues to change and change is not always easy - that is essentially why many of my clients have choosen to begin therapy - due to changes in their lives. Our yearning for "how hings were" is not uncommon, nor is it wrong. I love that we are able to hold the memories that are special and significant to each of us. While I truly miss the people who no longer sit around our Thanksgiving table, I realize that there are lessons for me to learn in the losses. I can remember how they impacted my life and perhaps, I am more grateful for them in their absence than I was for them when they were very present in my life. That's certainly something to consider. I hopefully become even more aware that I want to celebrate even more the people as we do gather. In conversation yesterday with my Favorite Youngest Nephew, Andrew, we were reminded that perspective is so very important...we can focus on the people or things no longer in our lives, or we can be aware of all that remains constant and good in our lives. And I am so grateful for that. Imagine if all of the losses were compounded at once.

On a grander scale, I'm also remembering how this community of the Gulf Coast was & has been so recently impacted by Ike. These changes will be affecting all of us, in one way or another, for some years to come. I hold the memory of Galveston and the coastal communities as they slowly but surely rebuild.

Today I am thankful for: Brian, Debbie, Nana, Andrew, Matthew, Kelsie, Buster, Buddy and the newest addition, Bentley; Judy & Fred; Jodi, Dar, Gayle for loving Deb so much; Shelly & Tim for being wonderful, kind-hearted folks who shared Concan with us! I'm thankful for my health, my home, my opportunity to work with incredible people who trust me with their troubles and concerns, hopes and fears. I'm thankful for friends, near and far, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Arizona, Australia - although friends of the road, truly also friends of my heart.

I'm thankful that you believe there is something to read here and I hope your Thanksgiving day is full of joy. Remember to look for it.

Relax

One of the things I like the best about my office is the soothing sounds of music that play all the time ~ in fact, I so strongly believe in the energy of the music and how it impacts my office that, it plays 24 hours a day. The tones are subtle and striking and create a mood that clients respond to as they work through the challenges of their life: stress, tension, depression and overwhelm. I'd like for you to consider the possibility of giving yourself a moment to breathe deeply, calm yourself, reduce anxiety and let go of tension.

Can you picture it? Can you feel it? I invite you to try. No, I invite you to make it happen.
Today! You might contact a therapist. You might even call me to schedule an appointment. You might just want 10, 20 or 30 minutes of serenity ~ RIGHT NOW!

Your wish is my command. Check out my wonderful selection of spoken word meditations to walk you through the process of calming and relaxing. Follow one of these with one or two beautiful and inspirational pieces of music....you can choose between piano, guitar, new age or world music. Not sure what might go best together? Let me choose for you in a terrific set of collections - there's even one for the children in your life.If you are more of a visual person, then the video section is just for you! Make your choices and download immediately. Prefer the music put to CD? No worries, just give a call and I can create just the CD for you.

I'm sure that for some of you, in the back of your mind, you are aware that we've entered "the holiday eating zone" and you are equally aware that January 1 is historically the day to make significant changes to your eating and exercise regimen. What if you were to take the next 6 weeks and be ahead of the game! Download EZWalk onto your MP3 and off you go. You'll start of nice and easy at 10 minutes, 5 days/week and by 6 weeks, you'll be getting 30 minutes of good healthy walking.

And one more beauty about this program: new pieces are added monthly! Please take a look and I invite you to let me know what you think.

Stressed? Anxious? Overwhelmed? New therapy tools coming!

I'm so excited to be able to let you know I'll soon be adding a wonderful selection of adjunts to the therapy you may already be receiving - or simply, great tools to assist you in your everyday, normal struggles in life! You'll be able to sample various spoken word meditations, innovative and rejuvenating music and visuals to assist you on your quest toward a more peaceful YOU! Please check back soon!

Laughter IS the best medicine

Think about laughing.

It's really infectious, isn't it?

When is the last time you laughed out loud - not simply LOL, but really LAUGHING OUT LOUD, tears-rolling-down-your-face-hard-to-catch-your-breath-because-you-are-laughing-so-hard?

I love to laugh out loud at a book. As I write this I am reminded of the books that made me laugh out loud, regardless of who was around and might hear me! Regardless of what they might think of me! I want to share these books with you because they are delightful - each in their own way and add joy to my life. Enjoy!

Jen Lancaster

www.jennsylvania.com

Bitter is the New Black:

Confessions of a condescending, egomaniacal,

self-centered smart-ass, or

why you should never carry a Prada Bag to the unemployment office.

Bright Lights, Big Ass:

A Self-Indulgent, Surly Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to

Why It Often Sucks in the City, or Who Are These Idiots and

Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?

Such a Pretty Fat:

Or, Why Pie is Not the Answer

Funny!

Karen Rauch Carter

www.fengshuipalace.com

Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life:

How to Use Feng Shui to Get Love, Money, Respect, and Happiness

Bill Bryson

In a Sunburned Country

I love all of his books but when you combine funny with Australia - well, it's just the best!

Jill Connor Browne

The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love

all I can say is "Be p'ticlar"

(ok, I may have misspelled it, but basically - be particular - in EVERYTHING, be particular. If you aren't, who will be?

Why NOW is the essential time to use stress relief and management unless you want to suffer the consequences!

League City, Texas – October 27, 2008 - This is a unique time in our history. After record highs in the financial world, we’re just seen record falls. Record foreclosures on family homes. And unbelievable pressures in daily life – ranging from workplace stress to family stress to financial stress.

Because stress is a proven factor in life-threatening illness such as heart attack and stroke, and considering the added stress from the economy, it’s never been more important to learn how to deal with stress, and manage it in your life.

According to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association in 2007, one-third of Americans feel they are living with extreme stress. About half of Americans (48%) feel that their stress has increased over the past five years.
And it’s probably no surprise that money and work are the leading causes of stress (mentioned by three quarters of Americans).

So what can you do about it?

It all comes down to managing stress. It’s extremely difficult to avoid totally. In fact, some stress (in small, controlled amounts) is good, but letting it build up each day without an effective form of release is where the trouble begins.

“It doesn’t mean you need to meditate on a mountain top for 8 hours each day”, says Delee D’Arcy, a League City family therapist. What it does mean is the importance of 5-15 minutes of stress relief each day - it adds up in the long run. Therapy sessions offer you a chance to sit down with someone other than a friend or relative and feel heard. Therapy time is all about You!

“Effective stress management can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day, using the right tools and techniques.” Delee D’Arcy has just released a complete package of stress management tools, including a book, audios and videos that help you relax and distress for a short time each day.

“With workplace stress becoming even more prevalent, I’ve created these tools so that people can take a short “time-out” during a break at work. Getting the mind to focus away from their problems and helping people calm down and manage anxieties using breathing techniques is a skill that will reward you each day” says Delee D’Arcy, a therapist in practice since 1994.

Less stress in your life leads to better relationships; being more effective; being happier and being healthier.

With benefits like these, now is certainly the right time to get in control.

Contact:
Delee D’Arcy, MA, LPC, LMFT
delee@deleedarcytherapy.com
3027 Marina Bay Drive, Suite 110, League City, Texas 77573
713-302-6698

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VOTE!

Good Therapist?

You might be reading my blog because you found my webpage while searching for a therapist. How can you tell that I'm good at what I do?

A website doesn't give you information like friends, family or your physician will. And yet, you may feel uncomfortable asking these folks for a referral - perhaps you are wanting to keep your reasons for seeking therapy PRIVATE! And indeed you should. In some cases, it seems that EVERYONE (I'm generally not into absolutes) has a therapist and so the notion of privacy has flown out of the window. I'm not suggesting that seeking a therapist is shameful. On the contrary, I simply want to acknowledge any concerns you might have.

Research has indicated that the therapist's style has less to do with movement and personal growth in therapy - of greater impact is the RELATIONSHIP one has with their therapist. Do you feel safe in the room? Do you trust that your "therapy space" is important to the therapist? Do you feel that your confidentiality will be maintained? These are all very important aspects of the therapy process.

Instead of recreating the proverbial wheel in this space, I would like to refer you to a website that I found this morning. I am impressed with the content of the article and pages in regard to choosing a good therapist. Check it out here: "How to Choose a Competent Counselor" I will continue to add some thoughts in relation to this article, but I believe that the essence of searching for, and choosing, a good therapist are certainly covered in this article.

If you need a good therapist, give me a call. Let's discuss if me and my space are right for you. If I am not the "good therapist" for you, I'll refer you to another who might be the one for you.