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Self care Archives - Andrea Patten
  • birds on bare tree during daytime
    Self care,  Special Topics

    Some Thoughts About Grief: Spoiler Alert — It Sucks

    Grief sucks. There is nothing that prepared me for the loss of my husband. Although he was older than I,  my denial of the possibility of being pre-deceased held steady. Afterall, he was healthy and freakishly strong — an athlete by temperament and training. Even a little discipline from time to time. With the exception of the annual fried baloney sandwich and pretzels for Steelers games, some of his self-care habits still reflected that history. No smoking. No drinking. Regular exercise. We often joked that those…

  • woman wearing eye covers
    Self care,  Thinking

    Attitudes: Breaking Bad

    Did you know that the attitudes around us can have a massive impact on our own? That attitudes are contagious? It’s true: the people and environments around us can shape our mindset. We all know people who seem to have a black cloud following them, someone who always seems to see life through dark glasses. They often complain that nothing works for them; something always goes wrong. Generally, they are the only ones surprised when they cause — or experience — what looks like more than…

  • Happiness,  Self care,  Thinking

    16 Simple Gifts to Love

    When I decided to “broaden my platform” from parenting to other sorts of writing I thought it would be simple — and hoped readers of my parenting book and posts would come along. While some of my more business-y friends called it a re-brand, I simply no longer wanted to focus my writing exclusively on kids and parents. A dear friend and successful author who had studied online identities offered to help me make gradual changes so that I could move forward without abandoning the past.…