Jennifer L. Scarponi, RN, BSN, CMLCP, CHHC, AADP

Certified Master Life Coach Practitioner

Blog

We all cannot be perfect all of the time.

Posted on September 6, 2012

Blog

Creating space below the bar…a necessary leadership “evil”

By Jennifer Scarponi, RN, BSN, AADP

A friend of mine came to my office today for a session to work on her business. We had 2 hours, she was 40 minutes late. When she got here she was harried, stressed, completely pressurized. When I asked her why she was so late (my irritated presence and energy doing nothing to help her), she burst into tears.

“I’m doing so much, for so many, you have no idea how much it took me to take 2 hours out for myself today. And I couldn’t even do that. I have no space for failure. My whole life has to be above the bar – for everyone. Every minute. Every day. I have to live above the bar. I was hoping on my way over here that you would let me be below the bar today. I was hoping you might hold space for me.”

Her last two sentences totalled me. Gulp. Shiver. Tears in the back of my eyes. Paradigm shift. Complete compassion. Within a second, my irritation turned to jelly as compassion (battling with a bit of shame for being such an energetic jerk) took over. All in a second.

Big Cokes and Big Brother in the Big City

Posted on June 24, 2012

Big Cokes and Big Brother in the Big City

by Sue Kemple, CHC, AADP
The Wellness Wordsmith

 

I grew up about an hour’s drive from Manhattan, and even as a child of Bronx natives who brought me there often, New York City has always had a way of capturing my imagination.  Aside from the bright lights of Broadway, the Wall Street mayhem, and the storied sports team championships (yes, GO GIANTS!), the most enduring image in my mind is that of Lady Liberty holding the torch to light the way for the European immigrants of yesteryear – especially my own courageous ancestors, welcoming them from arduous journeys across the ocean to a land of opportunity, possibility, and freedom.

But for the past week or so, the primary image that keeps coming to my mind when I think of New York is a mega-sized 32 ounce Coke alongside a bag of butter (flavored) popcorn, with a big red X across it.

Sure does take the sweeping romance and noble majesty out of my imagination.

How Well Do You Handle Anxiety In Your Life?

Posted on June 19, 2012

How Well Do You Handle Anxiety in Your Life?

         By Jennifer L. Scarponi, RN, BSN,CMLCP, CHC

Anxiety is different than fear but it is related to it. Fear is a feeling of tension that is associated with a known source of danger. Anxiety is also a feeling of tension, but in this case, the danger or the threat of danger is unknown. Anxiety is often anticipatory — worrying about the future. Without apparent reason, a person may worry

1.  When I feel anxious, I take deep breaths to ground myself and calm myself down.

2.  To ease some of the tension, I relax my body and physically release the tightness in my shoulders, neck, arms and chest.

3.  I vent my feelings of anxiety by writing or talking to someone. This helps get the strong emotions off my chest and out of my body.

4.  I channel the tension into some kind of physical activity like walking or sweeping the floor or doing the dishes, watering the yard.

5.  I get a reality check by talking to someone I trust about my reasoning or thinking or the conclusions I’ve come to.

6.  If I know I’m going to be in an anxiety-producing situation, I plan through how I will handle it; I get myself ready.

7. I watch how others get through stressful situations and model them; I ask questions about the best way to handle situations or events or people.

8. When the same anxiety comes up over and over, I log and assess possible causes and solutions.