Celebrate Your Mother’s Strength—Not Her Girly Thoughts

May 8th, 2016 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Body Image | Girly Thoughts | Parenting | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Celebrate Your Mother’s Strength—Not Her Girly Thoughts)

Sometimes it is difficult to see what is before your eyes. You may not notice what is obvious: Both you and your mother have many strengths. You may be too conditioned by your girly thoughts to appreciate your mom’s resilience, her ability to bounce back from adversity. But who was your first influence in developing …
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Being on the Front Page News with No Girly Thoughts

April 10th, 2015 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Body Image | Girly Thoughts | Health & Wellness | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Being on the Front Page News with No Girly Thoughts)

Have you ever been on the front page of your local newspaper? I don’t mean as a cute baby in the Easter Parade, or for having committed some terrible crime, or for being awarded a prestigious prize, but as an adult, and just because you were happy?   I was, and here’s the proof:   …
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Giving Up Sex for Lent

April 3rd, 2015 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Body Image | Girly Thoughts | Health & Wellness | Sexuality | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Giving Up Sex for Lent)

I was in my local health food store when I saw a neighbor and we began chatting. When she asked what I was up to, I told her about my recent blog on giving up a girly thought for Lent—you remember, the one where I suggested you give up one girly thought for Lent.   …
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Giving Up a Girly Thought for Lent

March 20th, 2015 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Girly Thoughts | Health & Wellness | Therapy | Women's Issues - (Comments Off on Giving Up a Girly Thought for Lent)

“Lent comes providentially to reawaken us, to shake us from our lethargy.” —Pope Francis     Whether you are Christian or not, or devout or not, you are probably aware that we have entered Lent, a season of spiritual growth and self-examination, which often includes fasting and a tradition of giving something up (even though …
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  I was a recent speaker at a “Theology on Tap” lecture. This speaker series takes place in the fun, relaxed setting of a local pub, and my topic, of course, was my latest book, The Resilient Woman. All was going well when I was asked, “Who are your models for resilience?” I had an …
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Our Mother, on Mother’s Day: Honoring Our First Model for Our Resilience

May 10th, 2013 | Posted by Patricia O'Gorman, PhD in Uncategorized - (Comments Off on Our Mother, on Mother’s Day: Honoring Our First Model for Our Resilience)

We all come to the celebration of Mother’s Day with a long history of being a daughter, profoundly influenced for better, or worst, by our mothers.  For some, the notion of honoring our mother on Mother’s Day brings about a mix of emotions. Into this emotionally charged day full of obligations, memories, some sweet, others …
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If ever there was a day designed to potentially dig into our insecurities as women, it is Valentine’s Day.  Here is the day that we are told, reassured, that we are worthy, by having another’s love of us acknowledged.  Some of use will even hold our breath until that love is demonstrated by a token …
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