Coach Kris

This past fall, I was in a rather significant depressive episode, brought on by the worsening of my chronic illness due to a minor car accident. I lost all the progress I had made in the previous year, and was actually at my worst state in 14 years of illness. I was sad, angry, and hopeless. Thankfully, I've been on an antidepressant for several years, and I see a psychologist regularly, so I had some good tools in my mental health toolbox to help me through this period. But this time, I tried something new, something I'd read about but never put into practice. And it's really quite simple: at the end of the day, write down three things for which you are grateful. That's it. And you know what? I really enjoyed doing it! It was a challenge to find not just one or two, but three things that I was grateful for on any given day. Doing this practice helped me realize that even though my current physical state really sucked, I still had good things in my life. Some days the

I think one of the hardest things in life is learning to accept things as they are, instead of moaning about them and feeling frustrated because "This shouldn't have happened to me!" And then also learning that acceptance doesn't mean giving up. Let me give you an example from my own life. All my life, I was an athlete, competing in any sport that I could. I honestly don't remember a time when I didn't  consider myself an athlete. I competed in all the sports I could find during school and college. After leaving college, I continued to compete in a variety of sports, and working out daily was just part of my life. But then, at age 47, I was struck down by an illness that took all of that away. And by age 56 I was totally disabled and unable to work, and can now barely take care of myself. It was a huge blow to what I had hoped and planned for my life, and it was certainly unfair that it happened! I mean, I was super healthy, ate right, didn't smoke, didn

Welcome, one and all, to a place where you can find encouragement, inspiration, and maybe a little hope, no matter what you're facing in life. I have faced many trials, and have learned many lessons - some the hard way - and I want to share what I've learned with others who may be going through tough times. You may be facing health issues, financial woes, the loss of a loved one, or any other challenges. The lessons I've learned can be applied to any type of challenge. Sometimes all we need is for someone to say, "You can do this!" My hope is for this blog to help you in whatever you may be facing.