Over the years I've had the opportunity to speak on topics like leadership, parenting and relationships. I observed that one of the biggest emotional drainers is this:

We tend to absorb the moods, emotions and reactions of those around us.

Let me give you an example. One of my children used to come back from school emotionally charged, and often vented his anxiety and frustrations by yelling at everybody in the house. I would often get stressed out and end up yelling back at him, “Stop yelling!”

Each of us have people in our lives that tend to be anxious and very reactive to their environment. We often feel that we are walking on eggshells when we are around them, as we don’t know what will irritate them or trigger an explosive emotional reaction.  

We may have done our very best to help them develop new coping skills but, at the end of the day, we have to come to terms with the facts:  We can't control or change others. We can’t “fast...

Sometimes we don’t realize how fast we are going until we have to stop.  I am a mother of 3 (1 preteen and 2 teenagers). Our minivan is always full of stuff: a basketball, Mc Donald’s leftovers, school backpacks, lunch boxes, hockey gear and theatre scripts…  you get the idea.  If I’m driving at 20 km/h and come to a sudden stop, the transition is pretty easy. But if I am driving at 120 km/h and have to hit the brakes, every loose item is propelled to the front and becomes a hazard. A pencil becomes a sharp arrow; a bottle becomes a rocket; a basketball becomes a meteorite.  The point is, sometimes our life is so fast paced that we don’t even notice until something unexpected comes along that forces us to slam on the brakes.  And then, all the “stuff” comes flying at us. That is exactly what happened to me in 2015.

My Story

My mother died from cancer when I was 9 years-old. My father did shift work at the local...