Lindsey Pace, LCSW

Is anxiety bossing you around and determining every decision or step you take? In the most basic sense, anxiety is a physiological state in our body that is set off by an area of our brain known as the amygdala when our body or our mind perceives some kind of a threat or danger. Before modern times, this internal alarm system would've saved us from predators and prehistoric dangers. If our ancestors didn't have the instinct from anxiety to run or fight we would not be here. In this regard, anxiety deserves our gratitude and respect.  The way anxiety feels in our bodies varies person to person but typically one can expect to feel the following: tightness or heaviness in the chest, butterflies in the stomach, light-headedness, shallow and rapid breathing, tightening of the muscles, increased heartrate and palpitations, sweating, dry mouth, etc. This physiological process is honestly amazing because it allows us to be at peak alertness and readiness to make the next right move tha

I'm so excited to share some beautiful words with you from one of my very talented co-workers. Shanae Cartwright, M. Div, is a hospice chaplain, co-pastor along with her husband, and founder of Triple B, a business that seeks to empower women in business. I have had the privilege of working alongside Shanae for the past three years. She is always a calming presence for our staff, patients, and families and speaks with confidence and grace to encourage and equip people for whatever challenge they are facing. Enjoy! Recently, I was listening to Judy Garland's, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." The words of the song are so vivid and stirring, full of hope. Songs have a way of evoking emotions such as love, joy and even pain. You can be full of excitement and happy one moment and then reaching for a tissue to dry your eyes in the next. With some songs you even remember where you were, what the fashion of the day was, if you experienced a difficult breakup, or what president w

My family welcomed a new Aussiedoodle puppy into our home and family last week. On the one hand it was a very planned and researched addition and on the other hand it was somewhat impulsive. Although we had been considering getting a dog for months and were talking through all the logistics of this, we had been looking to make this move in the Fall of this year. Unexpected loss in combination with a series of fortunate events prompted us to go ahead and make this leap sooner than anticipated. So, here we are with an 11 week old puppy and ALL the responsibilities and lifestyle changes that go along with that. Much like changes that occur with the addition of a child or having to assume care of an aging parent, our proverbial plate has quickly gone from full to overflowing. So often we add to our plates (whether by necessity or choice) and continue to push forward and expect the same level of engagement and performance from ourselves when in reality we need to take these opportunities t

At the time when I wrote this, I had just gotten off the phone with one of my dearest friends who is going through what we adoringly call a season of suck. This friend has been one of my ride-or-die partners for almost 10 years now. She is what I call my "move-a-body" friend (a term I learned from Brene Brown  one that I will happily share with you). Move-A-Body Friend:  noun "a friend who will hide your crimes and save your ass" Yep, this is the friend I would call if I murdered someone and needed to hide the body. Sorry if that was too dark for you but that's the truth of the matter (not that I would murder someone, but this is the depth of security and loyalty I find in my friend). Without this type of friendship or intimate relationship, I would manage, maybe do well at times, but I would be far worse for the wear. For this reason, it is absolutely essential that we have a friend or community in which we can share all of us- the bold and the beautiful and th

One of my greatest privileges I’ve experienced in my professional work has been and is to be a witness to another person’s life as they near the end of their physical life. In the past 10 years of working in hospice , I’ve had many memorable patients and moving experiences. Just in the past few weeks, I have had some moments that, as they were occurring, I knew were significant. A few weeks ago, I stopped by a patient’s home to drop off a copy of her DNR form to her husband. This patient was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease a few years ago and had experienced a steady decline over the past few months leading her to be eligible for hospice. I wasn’t planning to go into the home and visit with the patient and her spouse since I had already made a formal visit the week earlier and I wasn’t aware of any new issues or needs but the husband invited me in and to be polite I accepted the invitation. As soon as the door behind me closed, I heard the all too familiar sound of congested breathi

Whether you find yourself caring for your precious newborn, multiple kiddos, a spouse who has been injured or is sick, or aging parents, you are likely to experience some level of burnout during your time in this caregiving role. You might've even taken on this role already in a state of burnout from the basic demands of everyday life. While some people might view burnout as a preventable state resulting from not caring for yourself adequately or not having healthy enough boundaries, I would argue that burnout is a natural and normal part of being human. I believe that being a person who cares for and cares about other people is inherently good and exhausting and there is no way to avoid caregiving burnout unless you choose to stop caring altogether, and I'm guessing that's not an option for you.  So, how do we handle burnout when it comes? How can we lessen the impact of burnout? How do I know that what I'm experiencing is burnout and not something else? First, let'

Family caregivers are unsung heroes that make up a delicately crafted, largely invisible safety net of our society. They are among the most hidden and unappreciated workers caring for the incredibly vulnerable members in our communities, the disabled, the sick, and the aging. I’m so grateful for the research and data recently published by The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP who teamed up to investigate the world of caregivers. The results of this study shed light on how grossly overburdened and pressed family caregivers are in terms of the amount of care needed by the care recipient, lack of adequate resources and reliable caregiving support services, and the consequential toll the stress is taking on the caregiver’s overall health. The researchers conducted an online survey with 1,392 caregivers who were taking care of another person (either family or friend) who was 18 years old or older. In this study a caregiver was someone who was providing unpaid care to another adult i