Happiness Blog

Labor Day is always celebrated on the first Monday in September, and is also referred to as the “working man’s holiday”.  It is to honor the working man or woman with respect and appreciation for all the work that is done inside and outside the home, union, big company or small company. We all work in some capacity, whether it is earning the paycheck to keep the bills afloat, staying home with the kids to educate and teach them about life, cleaning the house making sure it is a comfortable space for the rest of the family to live, taking care of elderly parents, etc. There are so many different hats we may wear, and it is important for us to take the time to celebrate everything we contribute to ourselves and those around us. Take this day and this month to be proud of who you are and the work accomplishments you have achieved.

In the start of every team meeting here at Lepage Associates we go around the room and all of our therapists share our Highs & Lows from the last week. It may sound quirky, but it plays a lot to the meaning of how we view our lives. This is a great tool to focus on what has been working in our lives and what we may need to spend some time improving. In life it can be hard to focus on the good, when the bad is taking up some of our time and energy, so taking time to recall the highs of your day and week beings in positive energy to also focus on. Use this as a conversation at dinner time talk, when tucking the kids into bed, or around the conference table at work. You will be surprised by how the highs really make you feel much better when sharing them out loud to others.

Are you sick of hearing “I’m bored,” “Can we watch TV,” “Can I play my video games”? Summer break is hard for kids, even now when we are to the tail end of it. Parents are giving up and giving in just trying to survive. Child rearing is difficult in general, let alone when transitions happen from full-time routine at school, to home every day looking for something to do. Use these last couple weeks as a bonding time with your kids. Come up with something fun you can do before the stress of school and after school activities come back around, never having a free breath to speak the words “I’m bored.” Summer vacation is just that, a time for kids to relax, unwind, take in and appreciate the down time with family. I know, teaching them these skills is easier said than done, but is important to a lifetime of handling transitions and independently working our way through them. Have fun with your babies and enjoy the quiet before the storm.

“Don’t make friends who are comfortable to be with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.” –Thomas J. Watson

Friendship is not always easy to come by, but when it does, hold on and never let go. In therapy we talk a lot about “circles of support” and the reason for this is because, no matter what you are going through, a reliable circle of support is one of the greatest tools you can have in your toolbox. It could be friendships with your partner, neighbors, family members, or co-workers. The people we have known for a few years now or since we were kids. These people make us feel loved, wanted and needed. They help build us up while we feel needed building them up. Make this month special and reach out to those friends, thanking them for being there as a reliable source of support!

Have you ever heard of Parents’ Day?  It is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of July each year, but in my opinion, it should be celebrated multiple times a year. People everywhere are encouraged to recognize Parents’ Day through proclamations, activities, and educational efforts to recognize, uplift and support parents in upbringing their children. Let’s face it, parenting is hard and we deserve a day devoted towards promoting this role that requires investment, focus, and commitment of the parent but is oh so important in the human development of our generations to come. Today is a great day to reflect upon some of the fondest memories you have of your own parents or of your kids and being parents yourself. 

Vacations, trips, exploring new places in the heat of July all very exciting while planning, but once gone, we all know the mountains of household work, projects, emails, paperwork, etc. that we have fallen behind on while we were away. It is intimidating coming back to extra work and higher stress levels, so what do we do? Avoiding rewarding activities due our strenuous workload is not the answer.  We need events to look forward to in order to keep us going full steam ahead.  Preparing as much as we can before we leave, and then dealing with the hurdles when we get back is all we can do.  Try and focus on the positive aspects of how we feel after returning from a nice weekend at the beach and how much more we are willing to handle after our week of relaxation.

Summer is here! Along with that comes the heat, vacations, family reunions, outdoor sporting events, and the list goes on and on. Summer is supposed to be fun, a great season that everybody looks forward to! But does everybody really look forward to it? There are a lot of pressures associated with this season, pressure to be in minimal clothing, pressure to go outside, pressure to be social and go out of your comfort zone. Although these thoughts seem daunting, they do not have to be. Build your summer around what makes you happy, not everybody else. Enjoy the things you like most about summer. Maybe that is wearing a one-piece instead of a bikini, maybe it is reading quietly to yourself on the beach instead of playing volleyball. Do what you enjoy most this summer and make this season a YOU summer.