Seasonal Affective Disorder

Right about now, every year I think I should probably pack up my pajamas, grab a cot and move into Home Depot. Come Spring, every free minute gets chewed up by trips to H.D. to get countless bags of mulch, new rakes, river stones, grass seed, bug spray, weedkiller, pavers, sand, annuals, fertilizer, loam, paint and various kinds of rented equipment like powerwashers, sodcutters and the like. And that's just for the outside of the house!

It's very easy to get totally overwhelmed reflecting on the dollars spent making Home Depot richer. It's also depressing to see how each year it gets harder to recoup at night after the backbreaking home and garden toil. But as my husband and I hobble around for a garden walk afterward, scanning the fruits of our (slave) labor, we invariably "ooh" and "ah" in delight at the beautiful, orderly outcome. That's the point where I also swear I'll never do the mulching myself again, and where he takes an oath about never re-seeding the lawn himself again. We promise each other we'll keep that promise. Till next Spring......

BlogTalk Radio Show Tonight: "Open Communication" at 8:30 PM EST

Don't miss my next BTR episode, "Open Communication" tonight at 8:30 PM EST!
It's a short, half hour show all about key pointers to foster closer
conversations leading to more understanding between partners.

Open communication is partly about timing and the subject matter, but
more importantly, about the use of language. Tune into this show and
learn some vital tips in this area.
Call in toll-free at 877-497-9046 to just listen or to join me on the air
with questions or comments. Hope you can make it!

Susan Lager

Gone Fishing (Again!)

I'm a very regimented person. I get up at the same time each day, do the morning teeth and face cleanse, make a cup of coffee, balance my accounts, pay some bills, answer my voicemail, check my email, do some dishes, dead-head the garden flowers, make my lunch, do a workout, watch the news, eat the same breakfast, take a shower, get dressed, drive to my office, see some clients, return more voicemails, grab the same lunch, see more clients, answer more voicemails, schmooze with colleagues, drive home, make some calls, change clothes, go for a garden walk, have some dinner with my husband, watch more news, watch a TV episode, do some writing, do some reading, and go to bed. Then it all starts and ends the same way the next day until the weekend when it's a different, slightly more exotic routine.

I'm also very governed by "shoulds" like, "I should keep appointments", "I should work out six days a week", "I should be more patient", "I should always be learning", "I should write in my blog", "I should write another article", "I should work on my next book", "I should finish my membership site", I should prepare for my radio show", "I should get my finances ready for the accountant and Quickbooks", "I should go to more plays and concerts", "I should answer my Facebook messages", "I should volunteer", "I should go back to Italy", "I should lose twenty pounds", "I should be a better friend, sister, mother, and wife", "I should exfoliate more often", "I should talk more slowly", "I should stretch daily", "I should clean the refrigerator".  (On and on, and on, and on.....) It's a wonder I'm not depressed!

So, I've challenged all my "shoulds," and given myself a break from blogging, writing, etc. to be outside this Spring "enjoying" hauling mulch, spreading stones, raking, planting and painting. (Ain't life grand!) I've once again put up a sign saying, "Gone Fishing"!!!!!!!!

If any of this "good girl" routine sounds familiar to you, remember that sometimes, for some of us, "goofing off" and "breaking the rules" is a good thing.

I should go to bed,

Susan Lager

Staying In The Couplespeak™ Game

As a couples therapist I routinely talk to my clients about the ambiguous road ahead of them in working on repairing and enriching their relationships. The work is generally fraught with uncertainty and likely setbacks, as is the case with most hard earned changes. This discussion always involves the issue of what each partner needs to "stay in the game," or what would they minimally require of themselves and each other to maintain hope, energy and good faith in the process.

What each of us needs to "stay in the game" applies to any endeavor which doesn't produce immediate lovely results. Last week, after three years of often grueling work, I received my official documentation awarding me the trademark for the name "Couplespeak." I had invented the name for a division of my company which would provide coaching products and services live and online. Getting the trademark with proprietorial rights to the name required me to write books, articles, eBooks, develop workshops, training programs, blogs, videos, a BlogTalk Radio program, and to manage multiple internet platforms.

Mind you, all the while I've had a full time private psychotherapy practice, and started with very little interest in the internet and tech devices three years ago. But I loved the name "Couplespeak," and believed that if I could live long enough I could grow it into something really significant. The whole process required that to finish, I stay in the game, the Couplespeak game. I had to devise ways of making myself accountable, and maintaining my passion for the project. I had to enlist the support of my friends and family. I had to learn when to take breaks and when to force myself back into the effort. Just as anyone requires in any big, meaningful project, I needed to keep up my faith in myself, and my faith in the work itself. And now, just as anyone would, I'll need to allow this "finish" to become the remarkable start of something else, a new game.....

Best Regards,
Susan Lager
www.SusanLager.com
PS.  For copies of my new books about staying sane in the relationship game,
go to Amazon:  http://amzn.to/12ALenB