February is the shortest month of the year, but it may feel like the longest and most depressing. Dogs can help with that.

Here are 6 ways dogs can enhance our mental health.

• Dogs offer unconditional love and acceptance. They are non-judgmental, and more than anything, want to be with their people.
• Dogs can alter our behavior. Nothing can improve a bad day like a tail-wagging, licking dog to greet us at...

"We are a nation of many nationalities, many races, many religions — bound together by a single unity, the unity of freedom and equality."

-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Valentine’s Day.  This lovely holiday stirs images of flowers, chocolates, and fancy nights out, but it can also bring out a lot of other, less positive feelings for us, whether we are currently in a relationship or not. Realistically, Valentine's Day is probably not too big of a deal if you are already feeling secure, with yourself or in your current romantic relationship.   However, if you struggle with negative feelings about yourself or your partner, it can be tough. I think we have all been there before:  it seems rare that anyone could pass through life completely unscathed by struggling with this commercial holiday at some...

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

It’s inevitable that at some point your job will become stressful.  To some extent, everyone has to cope with that normal experience.  In fact, in small quantities, stress is actually adaptive, creating energy and motivation to engage in constructive activities.   However, there is also a downside.  When intense stress becomes chronic, the unrelenting sense of exhaustion and disillusionment can turn into a condition known as “burnout.”  The link below describes burnout in detail and gives suggestions for avoiding burnout in your career.

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/avoiding-burnout.htm

The difference between an adventure and an ordeal is your attitude…

-Mary Englebriet

There usually comes a time when one or both parents have to return to their pre-parent duties and responsibilities and find a childcare resource outside of their immediate family.  The search for professional quality child care to supplement parental love and attention can create some anxious moments. It’s naturally unsettling to have to think about turning your infant over to someone akin to a stranger. But, with some advance research and planning you can replace those uneasy feelings with some confidence and self-assurance that you have “done your homework” and your kiddo will be in good hands.

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Happiness is not the absence of problems, it's the ability to deal with them.  

-Steve Maraboli

Over the past decade of providing couples and marital counseling, I have found that relationships can be very rewarding but they can also cause stress and anxiety for the individuals in the relationship.  A common theme I’ve encountered is partners feeling confused, unheard, or misunderstood while talking with their significant other.  I often hear questions like, “How can someone I spend so much time with make me feel like they don’t know me?” or “Why do I feel  so alone in my relationship?”.  While there are often multiple factors contributing to these feelings, we are going to look at how a person’s perspective plays into this situation.

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"And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good."

-John Steinbeck