Maybe You Just Need to Slow Down
When Love Feels Like Pain: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way
“Sometimes the person you love the most is the one who teaches you the hardest lesson about yourself.” ~Unknown
I once thought that being in a relationship meant sacrificing parts of myself for the sake of “love.”
I stayed when I should have left.
I forgave when I hadn’t healed.
I silenced myself when I needed to speak. I gave up my voice, my boundaries, and my sense of emotional safety. I stopped expressing my needs to avoid conflict. I minimized my feelings so I wouldn’t be “too much.” I slowly disconnected from the parts of me that felt confident, …
The Simple Words That Reshaped How I See Myself
“Only say good words to your child. Even if it looks like they’re not listening, if you repeat those kind words a hundred or a thousand times, they will eventually become the child’s own thoughts.” ~My grandmother
When I think about my childhood, the first word that comes to mind is “night.”
The nights were always the hardest.
My father struggled with alcohol and sometimes turned that pain into violence at home.
As a kid, I felt like danger could appear at any time after the sun went down.
I was afraid to sleep deeply. I kept the light on …
What Losing My Brother Taught Me About Addiction, Shame, and Love
“Protest any labels that turn people into things. Words are important. If you want to care for something, you call it a ‘flower’; if you want to kill something, you call it a ‘weed.’” ~Don Coyhis
Losing my brother to a substance use disorder taught me things I never wanted to learn. Things nobody prepares you for. Things that will change you in ways you never thought possible.
It taught me that you can love someone so much it physically hurts—and still not be able to save them. It taught me that you can mourn someone you love long before …
Breaking the Cycle of “There’s Something Wrong with Me”
“The wound is where the light enters you.” ~Rumi
“I can’t do anything right. There’s something wrong with me.”
My daughter said these words quietly, almost as if she didn’t want me to hear them. But I did. And the moment I did, something in my chest cracked open.
I knew that feeling. I’d carried it my entire childhood.
We were in the kitchen; I sat on the floor and pulled her next to me. My mind racing while I tried to keep my focus on her, eyes full of compassion, as if I could pull her inside me to …
Want to Eat Healthier and Feel Better in Your Skin?
Would you say you’re a healthy eater? If not, is this a goal for you?
For years, people thought of me as healthy because I rarely ate meat or desserts. But it was more that I was desperate to stay thin, and I consumed tons of processed food and sugary candy because I could eat them without gaining weight.
Now that I’m older, and especially since I have children, I’m much more conscious of what I eat. I want to actually nourish my body so I can keep up with them for years to come, and I hope to make
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