Shout Out Health

TAKE A POLL: On National Coming Out Day, We Want to Know...

In honor of National Coming Out Day -- Oct. 11-- we've got only one question for you, guess what it is?

Let us know, find out what others are saying, and share your thoughts in the comment section below!

 

Your Daily Dose: GLEE-Inspired Blog Mom, Equality California, and more!

Don't have time to find today's hottest health-related (or just plain inspiring) headlines? Here's what making news as we speak (we opt for the upbeat or amusing, when at all possible). After all, you can find all the bad news on CNN, right?)... Enjoy your day!

 

HORMONE THERAPY:  Happy Weekend!  

TOP STORY: "...hate is the virus we all need to be worried about..."

MUST READ: Amazing GLEE-related blog from mom of 6-year-old boy ...

MIND BODY: LGBT mental health deserves more focus ...

I NEED A HERO:  Equality California shifts gears ...

MIND BODY 2: Energy Healing - Is it for Real?

COSMOS: Your Health Horoscope for the Week!

Oct. 2-8, 2011: Regardless of your Sun sign, tensions may be running a bit higher this week than normal. If you notice you're somewhat more stressed than usual and your trusted way of coping isn't working, don't take it to heart. Head for your therapist and get a little help to ease your way through. That doesn't make you weaker or less capable. You belong to the human race with the rest of us. We all experience stress from time to time.

Relationship issues may be at the heart of any tension you're feeling on Monday and Tuesday, Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn. You may want to amp up the heat, maybe even move in together with someone special. On the other hand, perhaps you'll decide you've had enough of the monogamous lifestyle and prefer to party again. That's all well and good, but sit down and have a heart to heart to see what, exactly, is going on. Are you or your partner the problem? Take time to talk. If you decide to break up, a fabulous lifelong friendship may still be possible. Then again, day to day stress could be the crux of the issue. By Wednesday, you will probably be thinking clearly again as the stress subsides, and nobody will think the worst of you. You're not alone, after all.

In contrast to many, Gemini and Sagittarius, you seem to have an almost magical touch on keeping balance inside and out. Of course, everything depends on the individual chart; but for this week at least, that seems to be the case. What gives you that edge right now? I almost wonder if you've discovered yoga and the art of meditation in the midst of an otherwise hectic daily life. Perhaps the values you've adopted have finally meshed with who you are, or is it a deeper kind of transformation? Balance suits you!

ASK THE THERAPIST: 'Why Isn't A Nice Guy Like You Married?'

Q: It used to be whenever someone asked, "How come a nice guy like you isn't married?" I could reply indignantly, "Because the law doesn't allow it!" In my state, gay marriage is now legal, so what am I supposed to say when people ask why I'm single? Tell them about the single gay lifestyle of one-night-stands and sex parties?  I don't want to be an old gay maid but I'm terrified it may come to that and now it's making me depressed.

A: So you blamed the fact that you are single on the fact that gays didn't have the right to marry?!  Talk about shifting the blame. Now that the right has come to your state, you are forced to take more responsibility and it doesn't feel so good. But that is exactly what you need to do to change your situation.


Rather than pointing the finger at the "single gay lifestyle," go look in a mirror and take inventory. Are you are trying to turn bad boys into relationship material?  Are you dating out of your generation because "that's all I'm attracted to?" Or, you can't make room for a man in your life unless he meets your rigid check-list of requirements?  I don't know, but I suspect you haven't thought much about it either.

If you are afraid of becoming a "gay old maid," then it will be as if you are in a car careening toward a wall and you are watching in slow-motion.  You can't enjoy your current life and the people in it because you are so focused on the future and what you see as a horrific inevitability.  It's time to stop fearing and start risking.  In Texas they say, "Raise your skirt and lower your standards."  Show off what you've got and open up your world to men who didn't make the previous cut.

What to do in the meantime, until you find that idealized relationship and partner you are currently putting on a pedestal?  Take inventory of the people and aspects in your life you truly appreciate and nurture them.  Being single in the future won't be so scary if you start to embrace and enjoy the single life you have right now. -- Greg Cason, PhD