Lies We Don’t Have To Tell

Dr. Rick Petronella Understanding the Roots of Deception in Relationships In the intricate world of relationships, lies often indicate deeper emotional struggles rather than mere dishonesty. It’s vital to recognize that when someone chooses to lie, it’s frequently rooted in feelings of shame, fear, or a natural instinct to protect themselves. Understanding this can open […]

Groundhog’s Day & Valentine’s Day: Listen Your Way to Deeper Connections

Dr. Rick Petronella As February unfolds, it brings a unique mix of celebration and reflection. Groundhog Day serves as a whimsical reminder about predictions and change, while the upcoming Valentine’s Day invites us to celebrate love and connection with those who matter most. This newsletter seeks to inspire readers to deepen their relationships through the […]

Embracing a Season of Gratitude and Recovery

Dr. Rick Petronella As we approach this holiday season, we are reminded that gratitude can be an influential force in our lives. Each of us is on a unique journey of recovery, whether it’s from a substance, a relationship, or other life challenges. Recovery is not just about overcoming obstacles—it’s about healing, discovery, and striving […]

Removing fear from our lives… Do it! in 2023

Dr. Rick Petronella January 2024 Newsletter Removing fear from our lives… Do it! in 2023 The new year is an interesting time because, for a brief moment, we have a clean slate starting out. This makes way for hope. All the uncertainties we have about ourselves and others come to a brief halt, and we […]

Difficulties Can Make Us Become Better People

By: Dr. Rick Petronella Troubles come in every shape and size. Depending on how you define it, trouble may visit uninvited, stay too long, and then stubbornly refuse to leave. If that’s the way it is– if trouble, difficulties, and hardships are commonplace in life, then our challenge becomes learning what we can about them. […]

Don’t Let COVID Be the Christmas Grinch!

By: Dr. Rick Petronella The Grinch is a fictional character created by Dr. Seuss and is best known as the main character in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The grumpy, anti-holiday spirit of the character has led to the everyday term “Grinch”. In this difficult year with all the challenges that 2020 has brought us, we […]

Thanksgiving

By: Dr. Rick Petronella It is easy to feel grateful when everything is going well in our lives. What about when things are not going well? When there are burdens and struggles it’s hard to feel grateful. Do we wait until life gets better again or can we start where we are, in the midst of problems […]

What Can We Learn from Our Regrets?

By: Dr. Rick Petronella Is there anybody in this world who has not regretted a decision they’ve made or a path they’ve taken? I am sure we all have. Yet, how people respond to their regrets varies considerably. Some people easily shrug off their regrets; no problem! Others review their regrets and seek to make […]

Why Does Everything Seem So Hard?

By: Dr. Rick Petronella We’ve all seen and heard the recommendations flooding the media about how to take care of our physical health during this challenging time… We’re supposed to wash our hands, maintain social distancing, and wear a mask whenever distancing isn’t possible. But what about our mental health? What can we do to […]

How to Have Self-Confidence When You Don’t Feel Like It

By: Dr. Rick Petronella Self-confidence essentially means to trust and have faith in oneself. It is our certainty as to our judgement, and our ability. A self-confident person is able to act on opportunities, rise to new challenges, take control of difficult situations, and accept responsibility and criticism if things go wrong. The word “confidence” […]

Category Archives: Uncategorized