Health Is Not Just About What You’re Eating
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 …
Breaking the Chains of Victimhood When You’ve Been Abused
“Toxically shamed people tend to become more and more stagnant as life goes on. They live in a guarded, secretive, and defensive way. They try to be more than human (perfect and controlling) or less than human (losing interest in life or stagnated in some addictive behavior).” ~John Bradshaw- Healing the Shame That Binds You
Do you feel like a victim? Are those around you suggesting that you are acting like a victim? Are these same people telling you to get over it and move on? Do these judgments and statements feel harmful or helpful for you?
Most people making …
A 7-Step Plan for Finding Love After a Devastating Breakup
“Resilience in love means finding strength from within that you can share with others.” ~Sheryl Sandberg
It took me a couple months to start repairing my broken heart after the toughest breakup of my life. I thought we were going to spend our lives together, but the gods of love had other plans.
After I’d grieved in healthy (and not-so-healthy ways) I knew I could take two paths: stay stuck in my misery or pick myself up, dust off my sadness, and make a plan to move on.
And now it’s time for you to move on and find love …
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