••• Marilyn and Peter’s problem was not that they tended to argue. They tore each other apart! Their arguments were vicious and extremely hurtful to both of them. Their painful, dirty fight tactics were destroying their marriage. ••• Like Peter…
Category: Mental Health
Smiley Blog: Put on a Happy Face
Put on a Happy Face When you’re having a rough morning, with one thing after another not going right, does it help things to grouse about it? I think putting on a happy face is a better strategy for getting…
Building Successful Relationships: Keys to a Successful Marriage
••• Laura and Kyle went for marriage counseling. Laura was clearly upset. “Kyle’s on ‘automatic NO!’ ” Then she almost sobbed: “Even if I ask for a small favor it’s ‘No!’ ” Kyle retorted, “I don’t think that’s true, but…
Getting Your Act(ions) Together: Don’t Suppress Your Feelings
••• Natalie tended to bottle up her emotions. “I was taught to sit on my feelings,” she explained. “In our family the girls were expected to smile sweetly and shut up.” After a course of assertiveness training, Natalie started verbalizing…
Getting Your Act(ions) Together: Taking Responsibility
••• Delia played the “blame game.” Whenever something was not to her satisfaction, she blamed someone else. She never asked herself if she had contributed anything to the situation. Even when clear-cut facts were brought to her attention, she refused…
Getting Your Act(ions) Together: The Importance of Movement
••• “I’m a natural born couch potato.” Maurice said this with an air of resignation. Then he added, “I even remember finding every excuse in the book to avoid gym at school. ” Maurice needs to learn that strenuous exercise…
Getting Your Act(ions) Together: Inject Humor into Your Life
••• Nancy was telling her friend about an incident that happened several years ago at a party. Nancy’s husband got drunk and made a spectacle of himself. “I was so embarrassed,” she said, “and so angry that I was practically…
Getting Your Act(ions) Together: About Working Productively
••• Gerry and Lionel were in the same graduate study group. Lionel put in at an extra five or six hours of study a day, while Gerry spent much of his free time relaxing. In terms of intelligence, nobody would…
Getting Your Act(ions) Together: Learn to Delegate: Don’t Do Everything Yourself
••• Jack and Kent are next door neighbors who decided to add decks to their homes. Jack spent almost the entire summer building the deck himself while Kent hired a contractor and spent most of his time at the shore.…
Ruth’s Blog: Optimism can be with you 24/7
I had a very funny conversation today. I was explaining all about the Spontaneous Smiley Project to someone knowing zip about Smiley, hardly knowing me and under the impression that I was there to talk business. To him I must…