Author: Gretchen Martens

We live in troubled times, and often it’s hard to find hope. We struggle with a national dialogue on institutional racism and the “take a knee” protests in professional sports following the August riots in Charlottesville. Three hurricanes have devastated Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico as well as large parts of the Caribbean. Wildfires damaged or destroyed more than 15,000

A Tsunami of Need for Post-9/11 Military Coming Home The Cost of Care for Post-9/11 Military An Ocean of Potential in Our Post-9/11 Military Rebuilding America: Opportunity on the Horizon With Our Post-9/11 Military Gretchen spent a decade working with military in transition, earning her the affectionate name “The Veteran Lady.” This is an adaptation of one of her white

Figure out where you are carrying burdens you don’t own. Give burdens back to their rightful owners. Protect your boundaries moving forward. Finding peace of mind in hard times is a challenge, but it’s not impossible. When adversity hits, we often get paralyzed with shock and overwhelm. We forget that, no matter how bad the situation, there are always things

Make a Resilience List. Remember you are strong and resourceful. Make a Magic Wand List. Use adversity to your advantage. Make a 1-2-3 Action Plan. Create a new goal or a new vision for your life. Finding peace of mind in hard times is a challenge, but it’s not impossible. We are not helpless victims in the face of adversity.

Is your fear real? Is it your fear or someone else’s? If the fear is real and it’s yours, how much does it matter? Finding courage to conquer your fears Fear is often our worst enemy. It can prevent us from finding hope, peace, and happiness. Something triggers us and our amygdala, the part of our brain that controls fear

Make the abnormal normal Give up resentment Practice forgiveness Life is hard. There you go. It’s the brutally honest truth. We may not enjoy troubled times, but they are normal. It’s easy to feel that your life is hopeless when the world and your own life are so full of challenges. You lose faith that things can get better because