Recently by Jennifer Taylor

My mother had no idea how commonplace my name would become - and not just my first name - but the entire combination right down to the middle initial. At one doctor's office in Chicago, I found out there was another Jennifer Taylor living in my neighborhood about my age. There are thousands of us, and the Internet has just made the situation more pronounced. I've wondered if I met these other Jennifer Taylors if I would feel a kinship with them. One of them sent me an e-mail saying she was contacting several of us to see what our professions happen to be, and I found out there are many in the creative industry who are photographers and writers.

There is a downside. I'm often mistaken for someone else. In the past month, I've received several Facebook requests from people confusing me with yet another Jennifer Taylor. A man recently sent me an e-mail asking if I was the one he spent nights with years ago. If so, he wanted to reconnect. I sent him an e-mail saying that I wasn't the right JT.

Caitlin Davis had an unexpected identity crisis.  "About a year ago, I signed onto Facebook and realized that I had 10-15 friend requests -- a lot, considering that they had all come within the period of an hour or so.  I couldn't figure out why I was getting so many. They kept pouring in throughout the day and I had no idea why. A friend of mine sent me a link that 'Caitlin Davis' was the biggest trending topic on Google Trends. Turns out that there was a New England Patriots cheerleader who had been kicked off the team for getting drunk and writing racial slurs all over the face of a passed out friend at a party. The story broke that day, and people were friending me left and right, possibly thinking that I was her. The result can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it - if you Google my name now all of the first entries are for the Patriot Caitlin Davis, about her indiscretions and inappropriate behavior.  This is good in the sense that all of my indiscretions are now buried a little bit more online (ha ha), but bad if anyone thinks that I am 'that' Caitlin Davis."

For Robert Wilson, the mistake crops up fairly often. "It happens to me about once a month. Frequently people phone me looking for a Robert Wilson they know. I actually met at a Robert Wilson at a meeting.  He was greeting people at the door and said, as I walked up, "Hi, I'm Robert Wilson."  And, I said, back to him, "Hi I'm Robert Wilson."  He said, "Oh, a smart ass."  And, I said, "No, actually Robert Wilson; and yeah a smart ass too."

Even doctors offices can get confused about their patients. Susan Kasper remembers, "Several years ago I went to my family doctor. It is a rather large office and they have rotating MDs on duty. The doctor came into the room and said my name and started asking questions - I was answering them but as the questions progressed - they sounded stranger - meds that I don't take, symptoms to problems I never had before. I said to the doctor - are you sure that is me - he said - You are Susan Kasper right, I said I was, he said, your insurance is from Oceanside School District - and named the plan - I said correct - then he said my address -- which was wrong. From that point on - the files to both me and the other Susan Kasper had to be 're-done' and each file has been flagged - me with my middle name attached to the file."

As for me, I've never thought about changing my name. I got married two years ago and talk about hyphenating, but haven't taken the steps to legally add his name to my own. 

Photo Credit © Norman Pogson | Dreamstime.com

It's something Lauren from Pennsylvania does every morning, Jimmy in Texas does before going to court, Linsey in Nebraska does on planes, and Robin in Louisiana does every night. Across the country a new habit has burrowed itself into our daily routines - double-checking. We double-check everything. The most common things seem to be making sure doors are locked and keys haven't dropped out of purses or pockets, but what's being checked depends on the person.

Lauren is devoted to checking her curling irons and making sure she unplugged them after leaving the house. She says, " I am ALWAYS double-checking my curling irons. I'm often convinced I'm going to leave them on. I try to stick to a set process where I unplug and put them away each morning, but if I'm in a hurry I will sometimes just leave them on my bathroom counter. My husband works close to our home, so I can name at least five to ten times where I've called to have him run home at lunch and check them!"

Jimmy is concerned with a certain aspect of his wardrobe. He comments," I'm a lawyer so I have to dress up when I go to court.  One day I forgot to double-check my shoes.  On one foot was a penny-loafer, on the other a burgundy slip-on.  To my astonishment, no one noticed."

Linsey's plane ritual ensures she doesn't leave anything behind.  "I double-check my belongings when boarding and exiting on an airplane EVERY time.  I'm always checking for my driver's license and boarding pass.  I don't want to get stranded.  I have never lost anything, but I think it's because I'm a "checker," she adds.

Robin is convinced she is going to sleep in too late. "I double-check my alarm clock! In fact, I have two, and I double-check them several times each night, even though I rarely even change their settings," she explains.

You can blame our compulsion on myriad reasons:  we're doing so much that we might have forgotten something, we aren't able to effectively multi-task, or we've just gotten more concerned with safety. But don't feel alone in your compulsion. Elizabeth R. Lombardo, Ph.D., M.S., P.T, psychologist and physical therapist says, "Double (and triple) checking is not uncommon and tends to enhance in frequency the more stressed out we are.  Given the skyrocketing levels of stress, more and more people are double-checking. Why do people do it?  Our thoughts are very powerful - on how we feel and what we do. Little thoughts such as but what if I didn't... or wait, was that yesterday can have a big impact on how we feel and what we do (e.g., check even though we know deep down we do not need to).  The rational can be seen in yeah, I know I turned off the coffeepot, but what if I didn't?"

Jennifer C. Franklin, Ph.D., MACP is a licensed clinical psychologist who elaborates on our hectic lives.  "When we are not fully aware of what is happening from one moment to the next, when we are on auto pilot, we can easily do things without realizing we've done them." She continues, "We record information as memories when we pay attention to certain things.  If we aren't paying attention to locking the door, to where we place our keys, etc., then we are less able to record a clear memory of what we did and therefore second-guess ourselves."

Judy in Connecticut has the same habit she follows before and after leaving her house. "I back out of my garage, turn onto the street and NEVER remember if I closed the garage door. I wind up either turning my car around at the end of the street to check, or backing up half way down the block to check again," she adds.

And Steven in Seattle is careful to prevent mistakes. "I lift the mailbox lid a second time to make sure my letters went down into the box. Don't know why I do it, because mailbox lids are designed so that nothing possibly can be left on them without sliding down inside when the lid is let go. Sometimes, double-checking can save money. I routinely add up my restaurant checks, and I'd say that 20% of all servers make some sort of addition error, resulting in overcharges," he points out.

As for me, I have to go double-check that my cat hasn't escaped from the condo and gotten into the hallway after my husband left for the office. She hasn't done that before, but you just never know. 

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Think Japan, and what comes to mind? It might be sushi or electronics or even anime. You probably didn't think about acupuncture though, right? But acupuncture has been practiced in Japan for centuries, and there's a lot to recommend it, not the least of which is smaller needles that leave fewer marks.   

People are more familiar with the practice of Chinese acupuncture than the Japanese counterpart. Atlanta-based Kerri Winston, Ph.D., L.Ac, owner of Acupuncture Works, is devoted to the Japanese form. She traces the popularity of Chinese Medicine back to journalism. "I think that Chinese acupuncture really gained a lot of attention in the United States following the New York Times article that journalist James Reston wrote about his positive experiences in China with traditional Chinese acupuncture for post-operative pain during the early 1970s," she comments.

The branches of acupuncture share common characteristics along with differences. Winston says, "Japanese acupuncture and Chinese acupuncture have the same origins and many features in common. Japanese acupuncture is not one set modality, but more of an approach as compared to Chinese acupuncture. Features of the Japanese approach include a heavy emphasis on palpation, extensive use of moxa, (an externally-applied herb), and the use of super thin needles with mostly shallow insertions and quite a bit of subtle manipulation."

Another variation between Chinese and Japanese acupuncture lies in the practioner's approach to the patient's treatment. Winston notes," Usually, in a Chinese style acupuncture treatment, the practitioner decides on a treatment, finds the point, inserts the needle, and leaves the patient to rest. In the Japanese style treatment, the practitioner is palpating the channels continuously and needling points as s/he goes along, often checking the pulse frequently for changes. Some needles are retained but most are not."

It was the treatment style itself that led Winston to the Japanese form during acupuncture school. "I just couldn't believe how individualized the treatment seemed and felt, and how comfortable I was during the entire session," she recalls. "The practitioners of Japanese style seemed to pick up quite a lot more information about each patient through their diagnostic process."

These days, she treats a variety of conditions. "I see a lot of patients who are trying to get pregnant. I have had a lot of success with that and I love to help with family building. I am always working on imbalances in patients' energetic systems that manifest in different ways and show up under different names of conditions - headaches, neck pain, back pain, insomnia, digestive problems, etc. I am looking for the root of the problem so we can work together to find a solution," she explains.

To learn more about acupuncture and decide what is right for you, Winston suggests checking out the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Their website is www.nccaom.org. Information can also be found on the Acupuncture Works website www.acuworks.net. 

Photo Credit © Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com