Do Not Let the World Make You Hard
How to Honor Your Sensitivity (Because It’s Actually a Strength)
“The opposite of sensitive is not ‘tough.’ It’s insensitive. Sensitivity is a gift. Let’s nurture it, not squash it.” ~Glennon Doyle
I would run no matter how much snow and ice there was, no matter how tired I was or how much my joints hurt. Even if I was hungover. It didn’t matter. Sometimes I would be in incredible pain, but I wouldn’t stop.
I worked as a tree planter in the summers and got paid per tree. I would push as hard as possible, sometimes planting as many as 3,000 trees in one day. And, not surprisingly, I had …
The Secret to Ending Your Suffering
“You can have your experience without your experience having you.” ~Linda Pransky
You’re no doubt aware that your moods can fluctuate from day to day, even moment to moment. I think most people can appreciate, when they really consider it, that their state of mind is a big variable in their experience of life. What they don’t always see is that their state of mind is responsible for 100% of their experience.
The problem is, it’s often hard to remember this or feel consoled by this when you’re stuck, living in your head, feeling bad.
When you’re stuck in anxious…
Moving Through Grief: I’m Strong Because I Feel It All
“Grief is the last act of love we have to give to those we loved. Where there is deep grief, there was great love.” ~Unknown
It’s been almost six months now. Half of a year without my brother and the grief still visits. I’m pretty sure grief doesn’t actually go away; its visits just get further and further apart.
People continue to ask me how I am so “strong” through all of this, mistaking my happy moments as the full picture.
I continue to tell them strength comes because I feel it all.
The story in itself is my …
How Observing My Emotions Helps Me Let Go of Anger and Anxiety
“Even when in the midst of disturbance, the stillness of the mind can offer sanctuary.” ~Stephen Richards
One night my four-year-old daughter woke up crying, startling both me and my husband from sleep. He rushed into her room and I came in shortly thereafter, and I immediately got annoyed with how he was handling the situation. I’ll admit this now: I can’t even remember what he did, but in that moment I knew I would have done it differently and it made me feel irritable and angry.
I left the room and went into the bathroom. While I …
Why Moving Didn’t Solve Any of My Problems
“Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.” ~Neil Gaiman
When I had the chance to relocate to Vancouver some years ago, the opportunity also came with the distinct need to try something new and leave my comfort zone. To be quite honest, I had also become frustrated with many things in my life at the time: work, friendships, relationships including family, and the general “noise” that I felt I couldn’t avoid.
I was beginning to lose my temper more easily. I found excuses to shorten visits with family and friends or to avoid visiting in the first place. …
How to Feel More in Control When Life Gets Overwhelming
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” ~Confucius
I’m in the middle of a career transition and it hasn’t been easy. For the first few months after quitting my job—a job which I thought should have been perfect, where I thought I would stay for years—I was paralyzed into inaction regarding anything career-related. I had lost confidence in my own judgment; after all, I had thought that job would be the one and it wasn’t, so did I even really know what I wanted?
This kind of self-doubt makes …
Are You Wasting Your Time?
“Life is what happens while we’re busy worrying about everything we need to change or accomplish. Slow down, get mindful, and try to enjoy the moment. This moment is your life.” ~Lori Deschene
I was on my way to work. At the time I worked at a bar. It was a Thursday night and my shift started at 8:50 PM. I was running late. I was in a hurry. It happened a block away from my job.
The green light changed and the world stopped. The next thing I remembered I was waking up in an ambulance. The paramedics asked …
How Doing Less Can Help You Have More of What Matters
“Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.” ~Cal Newport
Our culture celebrates the image of being able to get it all done. Having it all. Juggling work and life, while being a massive success at both. Having the big house, the shiny new car, the wife or husband, kids, and pets waiting for us with big smiles at the end of each and every day. Always being happy. Feeling constantly fulfilled. Living a life packed full of sunshine, light, and adventure in every single moment.
It’s a nice image. It’s pretty intoxicating. It’s also largely a myth. …
No Piece of Advice Is Right for Everyone, at All Times
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain ability to function.” ~F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ever been inspired by a quote or an article you read on a self-improvement site like Tiny Buddha?
I mean so inspired that you instantly and wholeheartedly started to apply the advice—no questions asked.
Not only that, but in your inspiration, you started to brag about your newfound wisdom to all your friends.
You just couldn’t shut up about this new piece of wisdom!
If a friend was going through …
How I Stopped Feeling Guilty About Doing What’s Best for Me
“A good rule of thumb is that any environment that consistently leaves you feeling bad about who you are is the wrong environment.” ~Laurie Helgoe
Do you ever worry that if you fulfill your needs you will disappoint others? Do you ever feel guilty for doing what’s best for you?
For years, I felt guilty about taking time for myself. I thought that being alone, away from the rest of the world, meant being selfish. This was especially true in one toxic relationship that kept dragging me down because I was afraid to make a change. As a peaceful, …
3 Things the Dying Taught Me About Living Well
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
I am a hospice chaplain.
I provide spiritual care to the dying and their families.
I do this by being present with them. I listen to their fears, worries, joys, concerns, and regrets. I listen carefully to what is said, and attend thoughtfully to what is not said.
When people find out what I do for a living, the reaction is almost universal: “Wow, that must be hard. I could never do it.”
I totally get it. In fact, years before doing …
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