Strong People Don’t Put Others Down
Life Is Short—Don’t Wait to Do What You’ve Always Dreamed of Doing
“Life is short. Say what you’ve wanted to say. Do what you’ve wanted to do. Don’t wait until the only thing you can say is, I wish I’d had the courage to do it sooner.” ~Lori Deschene
Lunch hour.
Escaping the stale, re-circulated air of my office, I fled down Main Street in pursuit of freedom from the routine of the day.
A rusty bell clanged against the door of a dusty used bookstore when I pushed it open.
Scanning the horizon of bulging shelves and teetering stacks of magazines, my eyes suddenly met his and my heart began to …
How Our Egos Create Drama in Our Relationships (And How to Avoid It)
“The ego is the false self-born out of fear and defensiveness.” ~John O’Donohue
I started a new relationship in December 2015, then moved countries to be with my Swedish partner in August, 2016.
The last year has been life changing in the best possible ways. I’ve learned so much about myself, things I didn’t have the courage to acknowledge before.
But it hasn’t all been a bed of roses—some of the insights I’ve gleaned haven’t been that comfortable to see.
We met on an intensive spiritual retreat in India. We’ve both spent many years working on ourselves and our issues, …
How to Dissolve Social Anxiety by Doing Nothing
“Your thoughts have to understand one thing: that you are not interested in them. The moment you have made this point, you have attained a tremendous victory.” ~Osho
“What do you do when you go out alone to the forest for the whole day?” my friend asked.
“Nothing. I just sit there, enjoy the peace, and let my thoughts be,” I replied.
“So you meditate,” she said.
“No,” I objected. “I just sit there and do nothing.”
“But that’s meditation,” she insisted.
I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. “Okay, if that’s what you want to call it.”
At that …
Our Words Have Power (So Speak Kindly To and About Yourself)
“I monitor my self-talk, making sure it is supportive and uplifting for myself and others.” ~ Louise Hay
Three years ago, I ended up with no work in a foreign country. I was almost depressed, as I didn’t know what to say when people asked questions about my profession. The idea of making no income injected my mind with a wide repertoire of worries, fears, and concerns.
I was lost and stuck, and the way I was labeling myself at the time felt quite painful: unemployed. Not only did it look like I had a serious problem to deal …
Why I Drank, How It Destroyed Me, and How I’m Healing My Self-Hatred
TRIGGER WARNING: This post deals with an account of sexual assault and self-harm and may be triggering to some people.
Hi, I’m Adriana and I’m an alcoholic.
When I look back at my life, I realize it was inevitable that I’d end up here.
By the time I was nineteen, I’d already had a history of self-harm through cutting, a byproduct of my depression and anxiety. I was anorexic. I’d had a near cervical-cancer scare not once, but twice within a six-month period, leaving my gynecologist back in Sydney speechless. “I have never had a case like yours.”…
How to Ask for What You Want and Need (No, It’s Not Selfish)
“It’s not selfish to put yourself first—it’s self-full.” ~Iyanla Vanzant
I’ve always thought of myself as individualistic. When I was a teenager, I often felt the desire to go against the grain, dressing alternatively and shunning bands my peers liked because I felt they were too popular. So it came as a huge surprise to me when my therapist called me a people pleaser the other day.
I recently started cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, and during the first session my therapist identified that I put other people’s needs and wants ahead of my own.
He’d asked me to give …
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