
The Joy of Giving Away the Gifts You’ve Been Given
We’ve all been given a unique set of talents and passions…the things handed down. But what will you do with your gifts? How do you pass them on?
We’ve all been given a unique set of talents and passions…the things handed down. But what will you do with your gifts? How do you pass them on?
There are good frights and bad frights, though it can be hard to tell them apart. How to turn frightening experiences into more success and happiness.
How can you make it through the holidays unscathed? To get something different you have to do something different. It’s time to change your perspective!
The opportunities for frustration are endless at holiday time. But, whether from family tensions or travel hassles, you don’t have to let it get to you.
Elijah was a prophet who appeared throughout history to spread light in dark times. How can you make your own Elijah Moments? Ideas to get you started…
The issues that are most likely to keep you up at night depend, in part, on your age.
Anger and anxiety are normal from time to time, but unhealthy and unproductive over long periods of time. These exercises let it all out.
Fighting over money is the number one stress for couples. Here’s an easy three-step plan to end the fighting and make your marriage happier.
Stuckness is epidemic. Follow these four steps to getting unstuck, and reenergize your life!
Few deaths are as tragic as those due to suicide—especially for the family members left behind. Here’s how you can help…
All regrets are not created equal. Here’s how to avoid the ones you’ll rue the most.
How you think you stack up economically against your neighbors can affect your health—negatively. How to feel better about money and be healthier.
A person who carries a grudge hurts himself more than the object of the grudge. Two steps to get that unwanted visitor out of your head and move on.
Why are so many successful people so miserable? And why are the rest of us trying so hard to reach the same sad destination?
Perfectionism is on the rise, causing anxiety and depression and holding people back. Here’s how to break the cycle of perfectionism and be happier.
Sometimes the most important thing you can do for yourself is relax. Type-A personality and CEO of Bottom Line Inc Sarah Hiner cannot stress this enough!
I neglected my own needs for years, giving until I made myself literally sick. I finally realized that caring for myself was key to making it all work.
We are each uniquely designed with talents, experiences and passions to fulfill a particular task in life. Let yourself see it.
Nostalgia—remembering the past in a positive way—is a surprisingly good way to build emotional resilience. Here’s how to cultivate nostalgia.
There is nearly a universal response to the prospect of visiting someone in the hospital: Terror. Here’s how to get past your fears.
“Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on a wound, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.” (Proverbs 25:20)
A little over a year ago I (the Reverend) landed in a very strange, new place…one that felt foreign and quite uncomfortable—a hospital bed in the ICU. I spent five days in this unfamiliar territory. I was poked and measured and evaluated and tested and x-rayed and medicated and fed and bathed and visited. It felt so odd to me to be on the other side of the caregiving but also extremely enlightening. There is no better training for visiting someone in the hospital than being visited in the hospital. I came away with a whole new set of convictions about what is important when making a hospital call.
Both of us have come to the realization that there is nearly a universal response to the prospect of visiting someone who is sick, dying or hospitalized: Terror. What do I say? How do I act? How do I react? What do I bring? This common fear can inhibit good intentions. So let’s begin by naming the fears…
Some people are just phobic around hospitals. The sights, sounds and smells of hospitals make them feel physically ill. In a somewhat ironic twist, they can’t visit the sick without getting sick. That group tends to be the minority.
Feelings of inadequacy about providing care or comfort. The majority of fears revolve around not knowing what to say or being trapped in awkward silence or, worse, saying the wrong thing.
How we will react to the sight of sick or dying loved ones. The default mode for many is simply to avoid the possibility of an inappropriate reaction by keeping their distance. In this situation, their fear has trumped their sympathy.
We’ve come up with a few pieces of distilled instruction that might assuage some fears and create some confidence.
Try to keep in mind that they are exhausted both by their condition and also from simply staying in a hospital, where no one ever really gets a good night of sleep. Their energy levels will be low and so will their attention spans. Don’t stay too long, but do bring lots of love, empathy and a commitment to listening. And never forget that your visit itself will be an immeasurable gift.
Click here to purchase Rabbi Daniel Cohen’s book, What Will They Say About You When You Are Gone?