15 GOING ON 16

Thanks to all the listeners of Cleveland's Q104 for supporting me on the air yesterday as I filled in for the traveling Rebecca Wilde. After co-hosting with my husband, the most common feedback I receive is, "You sound so natural together; the conversation really flows." It should - we've been married almost 16 years!

Honest, open communication between spouses is not always easy, but it is certainly attainable. Signs of healthy communication include feeling safe, trusting, empathy, respect, and understanding. Do you laugh easily and often with one another?

If you and your spouse struggle, or have hot topics that you simply cannot discuss, consider couples counseling to help you understand what to do differently. You can book an appointment with me or another counselor through Lakeshore Educational & Counseling Services by calling 800-600-5327.

Take care of yourself!
-Susan, www.susanfee.com

WAKE UP CALL: 3:30 AM

Hi Everyone!

I'll be co-hosting the Q104 Morning Show again with my husband Thursday May 24th. If you're not a Clevelander, you can listen live on the internet.

Have a relationship story or question? Call in and share it. We'd love to hear what's on your mind!

-Susan

TIME DOES NOT HEAL ALL WOUNDS!

"Just give it some time and you'll feel better." You've heard that saying before, right? Baloney. Time by itself is just time. It matters what you do with it. When it comes to recovering from a breakup, some people move on quickly, but some people choose to stay bitter, angry, and sad for years.

Healthy healing means making healthy choices. For ideas on how to do that, watch my interview from Good Company (video link at bottom of page.)

For more tips on how to recover from a breakup, check out my booklet Building Resiliency: 68 Coping Strategies for Surviving & Thriving During Adversity.

Take care of yourself!

Susan

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Surviving a break up is my next topic on Good Company. I'll be on the show Thursday May 3, 10-11 am EST. Do you have a break up story or question you want answered? Post it any time!

I'll post the video here later that day if you can't catch the show live.

Take care of yourself!

Susan

HOW HAPPY ARE YOU? TAKE THIS QUIZ!

How happy are you? Are you satisfied with your life, or do you want more? Dr. Robert Holden is a psychologist, founder of the Happiness Project in England and the author of Happiness Now! (Hodder Mobius; New Ed edition, 1999)

To measure life satisfaction, he created the following statements. Read them and then use the 1–7 scale to rate your level of agreement and add your answers together.

1 = Not at all true
4 = Moderately True
7 = Absolutely True

1. In most ways, my life is close to ideal.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2. The conditions of my life are excellent.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

3. I am satisfied with my life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

4. So far I have gotten the important things I want in life.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

5. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7


If you scored 15 or under, you are dissatisfied with your life. If you scored 31 or higher, you are extremely satisfied with your life.

If you scored somewhere in the middle, Holden shared this advice on Oprah's TV show: the key to being happy is overcoming "destination addiction," which he defines as "living in the not-now."

"It's always about tomorrow, so you're chasing 'more,' 'next' and 'there,'" he says. "You promise yourself that when you get there, you'll be happy. And I promise you, you won't, because you'll always set another destination to go for."

Does this describe you? If so, counseling can help! April is Counseling Awareness Month and I want to do my part to build awareness of how counseling can positively influence lives. If you have a positive story about how counseling helped you make a change, please share it. And, if you are ready to make a change in your life, visit the counseling page of my website to learn more.

As, always, take care of yourself!

Susan

WATCH SUSAN'S TV INTERVIEW ON HOW TO MANAGE STRESS IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Everyone experiences stress and that can certainly affect your personal relationships (and/or be the source of stress!) I talked with Michael Cardamone and Eileen McShea today on Cleveland's Good Company. Click here to watch the TV interview.

Stress needs to be managed. If your pattern is to let it build up to the point that you blow up, it's time to find healthier alternatives. The damage caused to our relationships during blow ups can be deeply hurtful and sometimes irreparable. I've listed several stress management tips in my booklet "Building Resiliency: 68 Coping
Strategies for Surviving and Thriving During Adversity." You can find out more on my
website.

Take care of yourself!

Susan

RELATIONSHIP STRESS!

Tax bills, kids, work, inlaws....there are all sorts of ways that stress can enter a relationship. Watch Monday as I talk about how to give your relationship "shock absorbers" on Cleveland's Good Company (WKYC-TV, 10:00-11:00 am EST). If you can't watch live, check back here Monday afternoon and I'll post a link to the interview.

If you have specific questions for me, post them any time!

Take care,

Susan