May Your Heart Heal
Choosing Now to Be Happy: Why the Conditions Are Never Perfect
“Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles, and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises by itself?” ~Lao Tzu
I don’t know why, and I don’t know when it exactly begins, but somehow, we are socialized to believe that happiness depends on the stars aligning, and we subscribe to the notion of a happily-ever-after, whereupon life is supposed to be smooth sailing.
It sounds ridiculous just saying it out loud, but yes, we do this. I’m guilty.
If we could only get into this school, have that job, find a …
How I Moved from Depression to a Deep and Meaningful Life
“Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us.” ~Pema Chödrön
Standing at the bathroom sink, I brought my gaze up to the mirror. I couldn’t avoid eye contact with the one person I had no desire to talk to. I had questions, and I knew the reflection looking back at me wasn’t capable of giving the answers I needed.
My solution was a handful of prescription pills to numb my anxiety and Type II Bipolar.
Every morning I popped a Wellbutrin, Cipralex, Valproic Acid, Lithium, and …
The Freedom of Being Ourselves (Whether Others Like Us or Not)
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” ~Oscar Wilde
“Cringey” is what my kids called it. Me? I was just being Sam.
After hitting “post” on my highly emotive Instagram video—one of those more-than-one-minute jobbies that winds up on Instagram TV—I closed the app and had a brief moment of panic. Maybe I said too much? Maybe I screwed myself by being too honest? Too open? Too… vulnerable?
A few hours after sharing that five-minute, tear-filled video on not giving up on our dreams, I still didn’t have the courage to log back in to see how many followers I’d …
To All the Abused Kids Who Are Dealing with the Consequences as Adults…
“The feeling of being rejected, disapproved of, or conditionally loved by one’s primary caregivers is a monumental, long-lasting burden for a child to carry. It produces chronic shame, guilt, and anxiety. The child is blamed for doing something wrong and in doing so learns to perceive themselves as being bad.” ~Darius Cikanavicius, Human Development and Trauma: How Childhood Shapes Us into Who We Are as Adults
You’re safe now, but you weren’t before.
Before you were abused.
If your experiences were anything like mine, you were told that you were worthless on a daily basis, that your feelings and needs …
When You Keep Failing: How to Recover and Boost Your Confidence
“Success is a series of small wins.” ~Unknown
You tried everything. Nothing worked. What now?
I was the Marketing Director of a tech startup, and my work wasn’t bringing in the money or traction that it should. I did everything to improve my results: I read more books, consulted mentors, changed my mindset and tactics, did more field research and experiments, consulted even more books and mentors.
I won’t go into specifics, as that’s not what this article is about. But suffice to say that I did my best to learn from every book, mentor, experiment, and mistake. And I …
How to Embrace Your Physical ‘Flaws’ and Feel Comfortable in Your Skin
“When you’re comfortable in your skin, you look beautiful, regardless of any flaws.” ~Emily Deschanel
I started doubting the way I looked at the age of eight following comments from other children, about my twin sister being cuter/prettier than me. During adolescence I suffered from bullying because of my appearance and thought I was ugly. Like many others, I believed for many years that everything would’ve been easier if I was better-looking.
At eighteen, when I left home for military service (mandatory in Israel), I started to get positive feedback from men and to feel much better about the way …
How a Cancer Misdiagnosis Helped Me Face and Heal from Health Anxiety
“Trust yourself. You’ve survived a lot, and you’ll survive whatever is coming.” ~Robert Tew
“I have bad news. I am sorry. You have cancer.”
Sitting in the cold, clinical doctor’s office on a snowy, cloudy January day in Chicago, I was six months postpartum with my daughter, and I felt like I had woken up in a nightmare.
My husband had gone to work that day when I was supposed to have my stitches removed after the laparoscopic surgery to remove a large cyst, so I was alone with my daughter.
When Dr. Foley entered the room, I took one …
Free Online Festival: A Different Kind of Trauma Conference
Hi friends!
Last year I invited you all to join the Embodied Trauma Conference, a powerful, healing event hosted by Tiny Buddha contributor Karine Bell.
This free, five-day online summit featured a series of talks from twenty-two thought leaders, all focusing on different aspects of healing from trauma—including developmental, sexual, racial, and intergenerational.
This year she’s offering a FREE follow-up event that I’m sure you’ll find transformative. It’s called Tending the Roots: A 4-day Odyssey of Resilience & Reimagination, Culture & Community, and it takes place next week, between April 21st and 24th.
This event will focus on our …
Why I No Longer Fight for Acknowledgment When Someone Devalues Me
“People will teach you how to love by not loving you back. People will teach you how to forgive by not apologizing. People will teach you kindness by their judgment. People will teach you how to grow by remaining stagnant. Pay attention when you’re going through pain and mysterious times. Listen to the wisdom life is trying to teach you.” ~Meredith Marple
“The ad was a misprint. We can’t offer you any monetary compensation for your writing, maybe dog treats.”
This is an actual response from a successful animal-themed magazine I was going to write for. This letter went on
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