by blogger Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author of Yoga for Pain Relief.

Many of us have willpower role models, people we admire for their willingness to keep going when things get difficult. When I ask my students about their willpower heroes, they usually mention famous athletes, successful leaders, and religious figures like Mother Theresa and the Dalia Lama. We hold them up as inspirations and hope that a little bit of their strength and courage will rub off on us. But can we count on them?

The answer is, it depends.

by blogger Lara Honos-Webb, Ph.D., author of The Gift of ADHD.

1. Spend my time building on my strengths rather than patching up my weaknesses.
2. Ask myself every day "What do I need?" and then take a step to meet that need.
3. Make myself right instead of wrong.

by Elisha Goldstein Ph.D., co-author of A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook

As family and friends begin to gather during the holidays, at one point or another we may have to face either ourselves or a loved one with addiction. There are really very few people who are not touched by addiction in one way or another. Addiction comes in the form of alcohol, drugs, sex, shopping, eating, sugar, and other compulsive behaviors that are an avoidance strategy and eventually cause distress.

When caught up in the cycle of addictive behavior, there is an inability to accept whatever is being felt in the present moment and the mind is constantly wandering onto the next ‘fix.’ So it’s safe to conclude that addiction often builds a wall of disconnection and makes it difficult to actually be present for the holidays.

by Suzanne B. Phillips, Psy.D., ABPP, author of Healing Together

I was recently in a nail salon when a woman walked in and was asked by those working there what she would like to have done. Her answer was immediate – “I don’t care. I am here to escape.”

Clearly many of us were there for the same reason. The fact is that both men and women yearn for a little escape from the many demands of the season. It is not so much that they don’t want to participate in aspects of the Holidays – be they family gatherings, religious events, gift giving or New Year’s celebrations – they just need a breather. They need some personal escapes to balance out the holiday expectations, pace and demands with self-care.

The definition of escape is to break free from what confines. What if we break free at certain times throughout the Holidays to do those things that once made us feel good?

excerpt from Eating With Fierce Kindness by Sasha T. Loring, M.Ed., LCSW

For most people, changing deeply ingrained habits is not easily done, especially with habits that are as personal as those that relate to eating. Research indicates that the approach of self-kindness has powerful and lasting results and supports the kinds of changes that will enable your long-term success with achieving a healthy weight. I like using the term fierce kindness, which is the ability to strongly devote ourselves to changing thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviors that are ultimately not in our best interest, and doing so out of self-kindness, not self-judgment or criticism. The “fierceness” is the determination it takes to face your personal challenges. The “kindness” is the act of learning to enhance sincere feelings of warmth and caring toward yourself as you go along.

Quick Tip for Therapists by Susan Albers, Psy.D., author of Eat, Drink, and Be Mindful, 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food and Eating Mindfully .

Clients with eating problems often develop a number of mindless eating routines. Eating in the car on the way to work, snacking at their computer, or munching during their favorite TV show each night are a few common examples. Help your clients identify the mindless eating behaviors that have simply become habitual. These behaviors are often much easier to tackle than emotional eating behaviors.

Quick Tip for Therapists by Pavel Somov, Ph.D., author of Eating the Moment,Present Perfect and The Lotus Effect .

To help with habit modification and problem-solving challenges, encourage your client to cultivate a baseline of choice awareness, which is a habit of noticing available options, through process-mindfulness.

Quick Tip for Therapists by Pavel Somov, Ph.D., author of Eating the Moment,Present Perfect and The Lotus Effect .

To help with habit modification and problem-solving challenges, encourage your client to cultivate a baseline of choice awareness, which is a habit of noticing available options, through process-mindfulness.

excerpt from Stronger Day by Day by Susan Pease Gadoua, LCSW

The rate at which your divorce (and, for that matter, your divorce recovery) proceeds is an important factor that most people don’t consider until they are well into the process. But one day, you may begin to feel that matters are going too slowly or too quickly or you may notice that your spouse is trying to move faster or slower than what you are comfortable with. This is the pacing of the process, and each person has his or her own sense of timing.

Certain key factors determine your pace: whether or not the decision to divorce was mutual; whether the decision was sudden or well thought-out; and what your two personalities and temperaments are like.

by Susan Pease Gadoua, LCSW author of Stronger Day By Day and Contemplating Divorce

I have been amazed by the number of people who absolutely get the relationship that those of us who are animal lovers have with our pets. I've also been amazed by how many people really don't get it.

You may be wondering why I am writing about this and how this is pertinent to what I normally write about -- marriage & divorce.

What has been astounding to me is how many people have told me that they had a harder time when their dog died that when they split up with their spouse. One woman told me she thought something was seriously wrong with her because she wept uncontrollably when she had to sell her horse and shed nary a tear when her husband moved out.

How is it that we can have a much stronger connection with an animal? A being with whom we can't converse or share our worries with?