Henry

If you searched for “why do I feel suicidal only during my luteal phase,” I want you to know something first: you are not broken, and you are far from alone. What you are describing has a name, a biological explanation, and treatment options that work. The fact that these thoughts appear at a specific … Read more

If you are caring for someone with dementia, you have likely heard the phrase “I want to go home” more times than you can count. It is one of the most common and emotionally difficult behaviors caregivers face, sometimes repeating for hours on end with no obvious solution. Learning how to respond when a dementia … Read more

Yes, it is completely normal to feel resentment toward a spouse with an addiction. If you are reading this and feeling guilty about your anger, frustration, or bitterness, you are not alone. Thousands of spouses in your situation experience the exact same emotions every single day. Resentment builds when you have been hurt repeatedly, when … Read more

Yes, it is normal to feel like a different person before your period. Up to 75 percent of people who menstruate experience emotional and physical changes during the days leading up to bleeding, a condition known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Hormonal fluctuations during the luteal phase alter brain chemistry, causing mood swings, irritability, anxiety, and … Read more

When your mother with dementia asks where her own mother is, and her mother passed away thirty years ago, what do you say? If you tell her the truth, she experiences the grief of losing her mother all over again. Then ten minutes later, she asks the same question, and the cycle of pain repeats … Read more

You can see exactly what they need to do. The answer feels obvious from the outside, and you have told them, gently and then not so gently, more times than you can count. Yet nothing changes, and every day you feel yourself being pulled further into a problem that is not yours to solve. This … Read more

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe form of PMS that causes intense emotional and physical symptoms during the luteal phase, typically one to two weeks before your period begins. But a clinical definition does not capture what a PMDD episode feeling is actually like to live through. It does not describe the sudden shift … Read more

If you are reading this, you have probably answered the same question five, ten, maybe twenty times today already. You are not failing. You are not impatient. You are human, and what you are experiencing is one of the most emotionally draining aspects of dementia caregiving. Repetitive questioning is a common symptom of dementia caused … Read more

If you are reading this, you already suspect something. Maybe you have been paying your loved one’s rent, calling in sick for them, or lending money that never comes back. You did these things because you care. But a quiet voice keeps asking: am I helping or enabling my addicted loved one? That question is … Read more

Walking into your parent’s room and seeing a blank look where there used to be warmth is one of the most painful experiences a family member can face. You are still their child, but they no longer know your face. If you are reading this, you probably already know that ache. Learning how to cope … Read more