Some Days Feel Exhausting
It’s Okay to Have No Purpose Beyond Being and Enjoying This Moment
“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” ~Joseph Campbell
I was sitting on my yoga mat with my legs stretched out in front of me. I bent forward into a fold, puffing and clenching my jaw as I extended my fingertips toward my toes. I was growing angrier by the second.
A slew of sour thoughts marched through my brain.
This is stupid. I thought yoga was supposed to be relaxing. I’m so out of shape. Other people have no trouble with this pose. …
Why Trying to Be Good Enough Kept Me Feeling Empty
“The opposite of belonging is not isolation—it’s fitting in.” ~Brené Brown
One of my earliest memories comes from kindergarten.
My mom had bought me a new pair of navy-blue corduroy pants for an event at school. We didn’t get new clothes often, so this felt important. But what stayed with me wasn’t the pants themselves or the event—it was the way I felt wearing them.
I remember standing there, already tense, afraid that the other kids would think I looked stupid. Afraid they wouldn’t want to play with me. Afraid that being different, even in something small, would mean I …
The Betrayal of Expectations: Coping When Life Doesn’t Go to Plan
“What will mess you up most in life is the picture in your head of how it is supposed to be.” ~Unknown
I expected to get into college. I expected to have a career after a lot of hard work, and that one day I’d meet a nice man and we would get married. We would buy our first house together and start a family, picking out a crib and the baby’s “going home” outfit and organizing a drawer full of diapers. We’d have more babies and go on vacations and grow old together.
I expected that one day I’d …
When Being Helpful Hurts: A Guide to Better Boundaries When You’re Feeling Drained
“You teach people how to treat you by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce.” ~Tony Gaskins
It was a Tuesday afternoon when I said the word that saved my sanity: “No.”
Just two letters. But the weight I’d been carrying for twenty-eight years finally lifted.
My phone was ringing. Again. It was my cousin, and I already knew what she wanted before I answered. Could I watch her kids this Saturday? I know it’s your only day off, but it would really help me out.
I sat in my car in the grocery store parking lot, …
How to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed by Other People’s Strong Emotions
“It is not your responsibility to figure out what someone else is feeling and why. Let go of the illusion that ‘fixing’ their bad mood will make you feel better.” ~Sarah Crosby
Some years ago, I was talking to my husband on the phone. He sounded annoyed about something to do with his work, but I noticed an intense emotional reaction in myself. Immediately, my heart contracted and my stomach lurched. I could feel a runaway train of emotions activate within me.
My whole body was awash with nausea, and I felt so very uncomfortable.
This was a familiar and …
The Hidden Cost of Trusting the Universe More Than Yourself
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” —Rumi
The last days of the year felt like the right time to let go. I stood in my backyard with twenty-five years of journals—thick notebooks filled with prayers, confessions, and late-night spirals—ready to release them to the flames.
I wasn’t being dramatic. I was being deliberate. I stopped daily journaling several years ago.
For years, I’d used these journals as a kind of inner courtroom, constantly building a case against myself or others. Every page held evidence of failures, proof of my profoundly …
Letting Go of the “Good Person” Identity and Spiritual Expectations
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” ~Lao Tzu
For many years, I was deeply involved in spiritual communities—satsangs, meditation centers, ashrams, and groups focused on positivity, service, and personal growth. These places gave me comfort, community, and a sense of purpose. But they also shaped something inside me that I didn’t fully recognize until much later:
I had built my self-worth around being a “good person.”
On the surface, it sounds harmless. Who doesn’t want to be good, kind, and helpful? But looking back, I see how the pressure I put …
Staying Present in a Life That Isn’t What You Expected
“To live without arriving is to learn how to stay.” ~attributed to the Buddha
For most of my life, I assumed that arriving was the point. Like many people, I believed adulthood would eventually deliver a clear role, a measure of security, and a sense of belonging I could point to and say, This is it. This is who I am. I trusted that if I worked honestly, followed what mattered, and stayed true to my values, that moment would come.
Now, much later, I’m facing the possibility that it never will.
I know I’m not alone in this, even …
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