in my line of work, the people i meet are not always at their best. mostly people come to me when they are at a crossroads, in crisis or need some major alterations in their life.
it isn’t always easy to see the bright side of things when you spend your days steering through stormy waters. when days are especially dark it is hard to trust the sun will shine again, but it will. that is just the natural order of things. it may take longer than you wish, it may get darker still but eventually the skies clear, the clouds pass and the storm dies down.
when i am stuck in the dark, i try to think of a few things that helped me safely endure. sometimes i am grateful for a friend that held my hand, supporting and guiding me through the shadows of my troubles. knowing i have a shoulder to lean on or a hand to steady me helps me fall asleep, buttressed to face another uncertain day.
other times i have to really push my clients (and myself) to find that bright spot. it can be the smallest thing that offered some respite in traumatic times. the luxury of crisp clean linens that feel cool against your body as you lie in bed, the kindness or courtesy of a stranger in line at the market, getting to the gym in effort to care for yourself, a deliciously ripe tomato sliced in your lunch, making all the green lights in your commute home…however mundane, stop and recognize it was a moment free of the plague of problems.
even the most optimistic among us aren’t always served a glass half-full. our thirst may be unquenchable and we may gulp what we have until it is gone. when we are running on fumes we need to pause and revisit what doesn’t deplete us and allow time for our glass to fill again.
when a child throws a
temper tantrum and we call "time-out". this is not a punishment but
rather a way to halt the momentum of the tantrum, re-channel that energy
and re-set their behavior. 
