True confession time. I like to shop. I like to shop a lot, especially online. My husband good-naturedly commiserates with friends and coworkers about the size and amount of boxes from Amazon Prime left out for the recycling bin on a daily basis. I know I’m not alone as the latest statistics indicate nearly 75 percent of people shop online at least once a month. While I’ve been shopping online for years now, the COVID-19 pandemic has only furthered my love of online browsing for all manner of things since everyone’s activities have been limited to slow the spread of the virus. In fact, COVID-19 has resulted in a 6 to 10 percentage points across most product categories. That is a whole lot of shopping -- nationally and internationally as the internet makes buying goods from around the world as easy as clicking a few buttons.
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Jenna walked into the coffee shop and saw her friend Amy in the corner, already seated and drinking her usual Grande Mocha Latte. Amy smiled and waved, but Jenna immediately noticed that something seemed a bit off. To most people, it would have seemed that Amy was happy and looking forward to catching up with a friend. Jenna and Amy had been friends since they were in grade school, and Jenna was confused at what it was that seemed amiss about her good friend. As she picked up her coffee at the counter and sat down at the table, she saw a bruise on her left cheek almost expertly covered by makeup. “Hey good to see you! What happened here?” Jenna said pointing to Amy’s face. Amy’s smile crumpled and she said something about an accident. She quickly tried to steer the conversation to Jenna, after all they hadn’t seen each other in a while. Jenna noted that it had been too long since they were able to get together. She had texted her a bunch of times to hang out, but Amy typically said she was busy. Amy had started seeing her boyfriend, Brandon, seven months ago. Jenna noticed that her friend always seemed to have reasons not to see her, which wasn’t like her.
In my clinical practice, I often work with people who are experiencing a crisis. Crisis comes in many forms -- losing your job, a fight with a spouse, a car accident, or a global pandemic. In all different types of crisis situations, which are typically unforeseen, cause significant distress, and require some sort of immediate decision or action, our emotions can be pushed to the limit. It is in these situations that we are faced with making a split second decision, and sometimes we make choices that make the situation worse instead of better.
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AuthorDr. Kim Guarascio, PhD is a New York State Licensed Psychologist who has been providing treatment for teens, young adults and adults for nearly 20 years in Central New York. The focus of her professional career has been centered on the empowerment of women, particularly those who have experienced trauma and abuse. Archives
November 2023
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