Sand in Your Sandpile

Facing Life's Stresses

How much sand is in your sandpile? Do you have lots of sand, or just a little? Our sandpiles are our emotional reserves. We constantly give the sand in our sandpiles away as we give to others, our work, our families, and the tasks of daily life. Lots of us have depleted sandpiles. This depletion diminishes our ability to manage stress, which in turn can have negative effects on our physical and emotional health. How do we replenish our emotional reserves? Do you know what puts sand in your sandpile? Sand in Your Sandpile looks at how we can build our emotional reserves through nurturance and comfort, self-esteem, and empowerment. It examines what keeps us from doing the self-care we know we need. Using stories and metaphors, Dr. Kearney examines life attitudes that influence our ability and willingness to take care of ourselves. Since self-care is such a big part of stress reduction and resilience, Kearney wanted to create user-friendly access to practical psychological practices. This workbook is about loving kindness toward self and others with the goal of building a psychological immune system. Through self-care, self-esteem and knowing where your power is, you can learn how to address the natural blocks to coping. The guiding principle is respect for self and others. The goal is to facilitate personal motivation and methods of self-care. In this guide, you are encouraged to personalize the material, do the user-friendly exercises, and put sand in your sandpile. With self-care, you can create a life you want to live.