This Is for Everyone Who Tries
How to Avoid a Soul-Crushing Life Crisis
“Sometimes it takes an overwhelming breakdown to have an unbelievable breakthrough.” ~Unknown
I had hit rock bottom.
Now that means different things to different people, so let me explain what my rock bottom meant.
I’ll start with my physical health. I was underweight, about twenty-five pounds. My face looked gaunt and scrawny.
I was hypertensive, even though I was eating a healthy diet. I also had severe eczema. The itching was so bad that I woke up in the middle of the night with my legs covered in blood from the scratching.
The only thing that helped make the …
Why Joy Is Important for Healing Developmental Trauma
“We all have everything we need within us to create our fullest potential.” ~Abraham Maslow
Did you grow up with a critical, distant, or ignorant mother?
She probably made sure that your physical needs were covered, but she never noticed or understood your emotional needs. If she was anything like my mum, she may even have shamed you for having them!
You’re an adult now, and you have everything you need to be happy. So why aren’t you? Instead, you feel unworthy, disconnected, and lonely even when you’re with people you love. There’s this constant emptiness inside that makes …
What I’ve Learned Since My Years Feeling Stuck and Unlovable
This writing is in memory of my father, who—without knowing it—helped make me the man I am today.
When I was a young boy, my father seemed bigger than life, like most fathers seem to young sons. I looked at him in the same way that I imagine my son Jeremiah looked at me at that age—like a superhero, a towering giant who could fix anything, do anything, and make anything seem better than it was. We see what we want to see, until we don’t.
Life took him away from me very early in my life, so we never …
Giveaway: Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal – A Tool to Calm Your Mind
THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN CHOSEN!
Thank you, everyone, for opening your hearts and sharing a piece of yourself and your journey. I am amazed and inspired by all of you, and so grateful that you shared your strength and your stories here.
I wish you all peace, joy, and so much love!
The winners are:
Please send your address to email@tinybuddha.com so I can send you a copy of the Worry Journal!
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Though life has become a lot less busy for many these days, I suspect a lot of us have incredibly busy …
What It Means to Love: 9 Steps to a Strong Relationship
“Be there. Be open. Be honest. Be kind. Be willing to listen, understand, accept, support, and forgive. This is what it means to love.” ~Lori Deschene
They say your heart pounds when you’re in love.
But the very idea of opening up and letting love in can bring on the wrong kind of palpitations.
Saying yes to love… that’s like standing naked, bare naked, every inch of you on show.
Completely vulnerable.
Or so I thought.
My Impregnable Force Field
“Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.” ~Bertrand Russell…
A Buddhist Chaplain Shares How to Cope with the Pandemic
EDITOR’S NOTE: You can find a number of helpful coronavirus resources and all related Tiny Buddha articles here.
When I decided over two years ago to become a Buddhist Chaplain, I could’ve never dreamed that I would be experiencing our current pandemic crisis.
I chose to become a Buddhist Chaplain after I lost my son in 2010. The experience of losing a child forever changed how I related to the world and how I relate to grief, suffering, and compassion.
One of the most profound lessons I learned about grief is that it doesn’t have to follow the …
6 Things I Do Daily to Feel Good About Myself and Life
All I have ever wanted is for somebody to put their hand on my shoulder and tell me “Everything is going to be alright.”
I couldn’t tell anybody of my need—my yearning—for this simple act, or why it mattered so much to me. This was something I prayed for. This was something that could not be bought.
In the deepest hours of my life (when I was out of work for a long time, grossly overweight, and with my father critically ill in hospital) I longed for a pat on the shoulder to tell me things would be okay. …
How to Recreate Meaning Now That the Pandemic Has Upended Life
EDITOR’S NOTE: You can find a number of helpful coronavirus resources and all related Tiny Buddha articles here.
“It’s not the events of our lives that shape us, but our beliefs as to what those events mean.” ~Tony Robbins
Like millions of others, I lost my job in the wave of the coronavirus pandemic. I was teaching on a small island in the Caribbean. I discovered a purpose through my work, loved the peaceful nature of the island, and, true to my introverted nature, loved living in my too-quiet community. It was a job and a life that I …
What Hurts Us the Most in Unhealthy and Unloving Relationships
“Once we make our relationship choices in an adult way, a prospective partner who is unavailable, nonreciprocal, or not open to processing feelings and issues, becomes, by these very facts, unappealing. Once we love ourselves, people no longer look good to us unless they are good for us.” ~David Ricco
One thing I particularly love is caring about someone and loving them. Being able to do so gives me a great sense of connection, satisfaction, and purpose. It’s fulfilling, life-enhancing, and simply feels wonderful.
All my life I’ve chased relationships so that I could get the love I need. …
Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine.