SANITY SAVERS: Tips for Women to Live A Balanced Life is in bookstores and is filled with suggestions to save your sanity every day of the year.

A must for any woman seeking to find her balance!

You may or may not know that some of the people in your life may be facing violence at home. Whether you are a family member, a friend, or a colleague, you can help to halt the abuse. Domestic abuse is rarely a one-time event; it usually happens more often and gets worse.

It's impossible to know with certainty what goes on behind closed doors, but there are some telltale signs and symptoms of domestic violence and abuse that can help to alert you. If you witness a number of warning signs in a friend, family member, or co-worker, you can reasonably suspect domestic abuse.

Warning signs include: frequent injuries, with the excuse of "accidents;" frequent and sudden absences from work or school; frequent, harassing phone calls from their partner; fear of their partner, references to their partner's anger; personality changes; excessive fear of conflict; submissive behavior, lack of assertiveness; depression, crying, and low self-esteem.

You can help in a number of ways. Offer support, information and resources such as a fact-sheet from a local domestic violence program. Remember to respect that it is the person's decision about what, if anything, they will do next. In this way you help the person you care about put control of their life back in their own hands and not in the hands of the abuser.

Another way you can help is to focus on this person's strengths. Often the victim of domestic abuse is continually told that he or she is a bad person, stupid, useless, incapable of doing anything right. Told this often enough, they begin to believe it. Give them emotional support by verbalizing what you like about them. Emphasize that they have a right to have a life free from fear, intimidation, violence or abuse.

Finally, help this person devise a safety plan. Let them know that help is available. They may decide to remain in the violent relationship or return to the abuser after a temporary separation, which is not unusual. Do not pressure them to leave, but let them know that you fear for their safety and that of their children. See if you can help this person consider how dangerous the violence may be. Help them develop a plan of action for when the abuse happens again. Encourage them to: keep a list of people to call at the next occurrence and prepare a hidden, packed bag with clothes and copies of important documents, cash, and the address of a shelter.

If you suspect domestic violence, gently find a way to help. Everyone deserves a life with safety respect.

TODAY Show (NBC)
Please check www.drdaleatkins.co m for current appearances.

CT Dept. of Public Health: 2009 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Symposium
April 21: 9:00AM - 10:30AM, Speaker, Topic: Delivering Difficult News in a Positive Way: Relaying Hearing Results to Parents;
Hilton Garden Inn, 555 Corporate Dr., Windsor, CT.
For further information, please contact the CT Dept. of Public Health at 860-509-8057

Rachel Coalition
April 22: 6;30PM - 8:30PM, Speaker, Topic: Healthy Relationships in the Challenging Economic Times;
Michaelian and Kohlberg, 315 B Springfield Ave., Summit, NJ

Hear Dr. Atkins on the radio show, The M Word, hosted by Lori Sackler, WOR News Talk Radio 710, Sunday evenings 9:30PM EST.

Living With Uncertainty in the World

How much more can you take? One more newscast about bank failures or the worsening economy and you will just go through the roof!

When your tolerance level is low and current events get you down, save your sanity and give yourself a boost by taking a break from the news.

Since you can't control the events that happen in the world, focus on what is possible and think about how you can control certain aspects of your life instead. Stay connected to people and things that interest you - this is important for adaptation and flexibility to new demands. Accept change but keep practicing your beliefs.

When dealing with the world's uncertainty, focus on what makes you have hope and feel resilient.

At a time when we have so much going on and there are competing priorities pulling us in different directions, it is easy to lose sight of those things that are of real importance. We may find our daily lives consumed with errands, chores, and worries that deplete us, and we put off creating time to prioritize those activities which sustain us. The result can be a less happy outlook on life.

The effort to bring more satisfaction in our daily lives requires deliberate, consistent choice. This does not have to be difficult, although it may feel that way when we contemplate saying "no" to those nagging activities that "eat" into our time. We CAN develop the habit of choosing what's vitally important over what is less so.

Here are some tips to get you started:

You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.

Chinese Proverb