Dr. Neill Neill

The blossoms and flowers are out in their full magnificence in Victoria B.C. where I was yesterday. I feasted my eyes on the flowering trees lining the streets and the daffodils. Back home a camelia is blooming in our own yard. I have always loved to drink in the energy of blooms.

 

Back in the sixties and early seventies, we had the "flower children," a synonym for the hippies. Idealistic young people would wear flowers in their hair as a symbol of love and peace. Their slogan was "flower power" which stood for non-violence in the face of the Viet Nam war. The flower children exerted a powerful influence on society. Those were the days of Woodstock and Easy Rider.

Dr Neill Neill

Food craving leads to consumption. Consumption leads to more food cravings. Alcohol craving and consumption works the same way.

 

‘Tis the season for eating, drinking and otherwise celebrating with others we are connected to. It can be a great time of enjoyment, love, generosity and generally good feelings.

 

Yes, good feelings accompany eating. And a great deal of time we eat for those good feelings associated with foods we ate in the past. We don’t need a second helping of turkey for the nutrition. We don’t eat that third mincemeat tart because we are hungry. We turn to these foods for the good feelings associated with them. And we end up eating too much.

Dr. Neill Neill

 

For most families the holiday season is an emotional time. Our young children make more demands upon us. Our adult children expect something of us. If our parents are alive, they may have expectations of us. Our friends may expect us to go shopping with them or go to parties—thus causing holiday stress!

By Carrie Powell-Davidson

 

We hope that Christmas is a time of joy and happy memories for everyone but the sad truth is, it is not.  Many people have experienced the loss of a loved one and celebrating Christmas without them is unbearable.  Others may be battling one of life’s challenges such as addiction, illness or poverty and well, their priorities just don’t include a warm and fuzzy holiday.  For many of us who work so hard throughout the year, the mere thought of taking on yet another burden like preparing for Christmas is squashing any hopes of a merry ho ho.  As retailers and revelers prepare to greet the festivities with open arms, let’s slow it down a notch and have a look at some ways that might help you to relax this season.

 Dr. Neill Neill

Every year each one of us grows older. Some try to avoid this by using every product possible for looking younger. But, what about the knowledge and understanding we have gained through life experiences? Is it more important to look younger or accept the wisdom that comes with age? 

Dr. Neill Neill

There is more to retirement planning than the financial issues. As a psychologist, I see people with avoidable emotional issues. If you incorporate mental health and life legacy goals into your planning as you approach retirement, you can create a happier retirement and a more peaceful marriage.

 

 

Sam retires and is finally "free to not have to get up and go to work every day…"

Dr Neill Neill

 

Today I write about happiness, entitlement, achievement and meaning. How do they all connect?

A guest came to visit a Saskatchewan farmer for the first time at his farm. As the visitor took in the expanse of billowing wheat fields that stretched out from the well-maintained family home and farm buildings, he commented to the farmer, "God has been good to you." The farmer replied with a smile, "He certainly has…but you should have seen the place when he was managing it by himself."

Neill Neill

Why do you go see a medical doctor, psychologist, chiropractor or other health professional? Most people would answer that they seek help because they have a problem that needs fixing.  What is the true problem that needs fixing?

Dr. Neill Neill

 

Some people seem to succeed at whatever they put their minds to, almost as if they attract success. They are positive and happy; they seem just to play at what they do. At the other extreme, you find pessimistic and negative people. Life for negative people is a serious business, often filled with struggle and punctuated with failure.

 

Most of us live somewhere in between. You might look at a highly successful, happy person and think, “I’d be happy too if I were that successful.” Alternatively, you might picture a chronic failure you know, and think, “I’d be miserable too if I couldn’t succeed at anything.”

 

The word "success" evokes images of business or career; for example, the successful retailer, teacher, helicopter pilot, organic farmer or restauranteur…