Do you often worry about your loved ones when they are not with you? Do you worry that terrible things may happen to them in your absence? Do you have a particularly hard time saying good bye, even when the impending separation is routine and expected?

You are not alone. As highlighted by this WSJ article, some adults exhibit the classic symptoms of childhood attachment disorder throughout their adult lives.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443995604578002352537833908.html?mod=e2tw

Attachment theory posits that the nature of the relationships that human beings have with their primary caregivers in childhood sets the tone for subsequent relationships in adulthood. According to this theory, for example, a child may be anxious about the availability and amount of nurturance and care from their parent, perhaps due to the parent's constant unavailability for whatever reason. This child may then consciously or unconsciously continue to suspect this same inconsistency from any current primary relationship even in their adulthood and hence constantly scan the environment to ensure that all is well and the loved one is always available. 

No matter what the reason is for the development of separation anxiety, whether this anxiety is genetic, modeled by others, or conditioned by the individual's circumstances, or even a combination of all the above reasons, this is a very real problem faced by many adults. While everyone battles the uncertainty and finality of life at one point or another, not everyone lives their lives in constant fear of losing their loves ones.The good news is that for those that do, there are a number of things that they can do to help battle this problem including talk therapy, mindfulness training/meditation, medications and/or any form of self-exploration.

The many benefits of walking are important to revisit, particularly given the cumulative number of hours those of us living in LA spend in our cars. While most people recognize the importance of formal exercise, the exercise of daily living, or physical activity that we naturally engage in while living our day to day lives, has a cumulative beneficial effect on our mood, sense of inner piece and balance and of course, our weight.  

Additionally, simply taking a walk can be such an easy way to break up a stressful routine, reconnect with nature, connect with friends and loved ones, and take a much needed mental time out, if for nothing else than to increase subsequent productivity and endurance! So the next time you feel cooped up, stressed-out and frustrated, consider taking a walk, and try to notice all that is around you. You may find that the simple act of walking and noticing may have a surprising effect on your mood, thoughts and sense of connectedness.

Please see the link below on the comprehensive benefits of walking. 
 http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/easiest-way-live-longer

Now offering relationship-based social skills psychotherapy groups for TEENS and  YOUNG ADULTS with Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism. 

*         Learn, Practice and Implement Valuable Social Skills.

*         Form Enjoyable Lasting Relationships with Your Peers.

*         Get Professional and Peer Support with Organizational/Practical Life Skills.

*         Talk About Your Particular Experiences and Interests with Peers.

Members:                 Teens and Young adults with ASD's.

Fee:                            $70.00 per one hour groups session 
                                   * (services may be reimbursable by your insurance)

Where:                      1150 Yale St, Suite 2, Santa Monica, CA 90403

If interested in joining or learning more about this group, please contact Dr. Inessa Manevich at 310.804.6339 or at [email protected] to set up an initial assessment 

I wrote this blog about a year ago when working for a wonderful private practice specializing in working with individuals on the autism spectrum, Alternative Choices. I thought posting it here would be a great reminder for all those parents out there coping with the first weeks of school. 

In last year's issue of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association Public Newsletter, the article "Working Women: Take Care of Yourselves" by Rachel Milner, Psy.D., caught my attention as being particularly important for this time of year. As children go back to school, working moms (and stay-at-home-moms) are once again faced with not only the demanding daily responsibilities of their jobs and housework, but now children's class selections, teachers, specialized learning programs, various therapies, sports, clubs, high school or college applications and other social activities are once again begging for mom's finite time and attention.

According to the article, while the number of  women in the workforce has increased from one in three in the 1950's to more than half of the current workforce in the US, "women continue to have primary responsibility for home and family matters, [and] many forget to take care of themselves and many run the risk of exhaustion, burnout or becoming ill". (Milner, 2011) In order to decrease the likelihood of these negative outcomes,  Dr. Milner suggests taking the following steps:

• Learn to set limits - You cannot accomplish every- thing yourself. Know your limit and set it.
• Take breaks - It is important to take short beaks during the day. Get up and take a short walk, speak with a co-worker, or do some relaxation exercises at your desk.
• Say no - It may be difficult to say no for fear that you will be negatively evaluated. However, if you take on too much you will not be able to give sufficient attention to anything.
• Take days off - It is important to take time away from the office to rest and regain your energy.
• Give adequate attention to your life outside the office. - If you are having problems in your personal life, your work may suffer.
• Work reasonable hours - Everybody needs to come in early or stay late sometimes, but avoid this becoming a patten.
• Communicate - It is important to communicate with your supervisors and co-workers so that they know what your needs are and when you may need extra support on a project. 
• Recognize signs of burnout - Know the symptoms of burning out, such as having a short attention span, getting annoyed easily, and feeling unmotivated. When you recognize that you are burning out, make some of the changes mentioned in this article. 

Learning how to recognize our own needs and learning to take care of ourselves is not only important for one's own self-preservation, thus giving us more energy and resources to tackle more of life's difficulties, but it also models the importance of self-awareness, limit-setting, and balance to the children around us.