Misophonia: The Unbearable Sounds That Drive People Crazy
My daughter’s super bionic ears hear everything.
Chewing, swallowing, whistling, yawning, slurping, crunching, tapping, sighing, and the “s” and “k” sounds drive her mad.
Responding to Life’s Little Irritations
Do you ever feel as though life’s little annoyances pile up some days? Perhaps each irritation stretches your nerves until you snap? Or maybe they fill you with grace?”
How to Overcome Compassion Fatigue
Her response didn’t surprise me: “You’re at risk for Compassion Fatigue.” The prolonged stress of enduring my daughter’s disrespect, defiance, and dysregulation took its toll. It supressed my full capacity to love and show empathy towards her. I yearned to pull myself out of this situation.
Turning The Blues into Blessing
The scissors flew past my face. “I hate you,” my daughter screamed. “I wish you were dead!”
6 Tips For Navigating Openness in Relationships
We’ve since built a good relationship after that initial meeting over six years ago. Grandma is a welcome extension to our family. We’ve experienced a few hiccups along the way, but we’ve worked through them. Based on my experience, here are six insights that help make openness relationships successful:
3 Ways to Fight the Good Fight
I remember the day well. Our third family therapist in three years greeted me and my husband with a
smile as she led us into her office. I forced a smile back but my frowns, crinkled above my nose, likely betrayed my
true thoughts. Will you be the magic one who can help us make our adopted daughter behave?
Helping Biological Children Cope with Anger After Adoption
A storm raged within my son. He drew a gut-wrenching picture four months after we adopted our daughter. Fear ripped through me as I examined the picture.
3 Truths About Practicing Gratitude and How It Impacts Relationships
My recent revelation about gratitude popped into my brain which stopped my thoughts from spiraling. This allowed me to breathe and enjoy the moment when I spotted my daughter and son together.
4 Lessons in Love
I knew piano lessons would change my daughter’s life. I didn’t expect it to change mine. The teacher poured love into my daughter’s soul amidst challenging behaviours. Witnessing this taught me life-enriching lessons in love. Here’s what I’ve learned:
Looking at Difficult Behaviours From a New Perspective
I hate “blizzards” when they involve my daughter’s behaviours. Her blast of insults and defiance means I must deal with her chilly attitude. This takes work. It’s easy to feel grumpy and want to say grrr, but my attitude is a choice.
3 Strategies for Facing Insults
My daughter browbeat me with insults, so I hurled one back. “Bitch,” I blasted from inside my head.
A Place to Focus When Feeling Discouraged
My boys unleashed pent up emotions towards their sister. Their arms flailed as they spewed, “You’re not my real sister. You don’t belong in our family. I hate you.” Their eyes blasted bullets as they browbeat her. They even banged the house walls in frustration.