Give Yourself Loving Care
Dealing With Criticism: 5 Tools to Develop a Thick Skin
“When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.” ~Miguel Ruiz
Have you ever opened a spring-loaded email? You know, the kind with a nasty barb inside that hits you like a punch in the gut?
My business partner and I had recently launched our new podcast, and he had forwarded me an email he’d received from a viewer.
“Just watched Episode One,” the writer said. “GREAT idea! But WAY too much talking. Want specifics, not Melissa’s self-indulgent blathering on about the creative process…”
Ouch. My vision blurred at this …
What Self-Love Means: 20+ Ways to Be Good to Yourself
“Self-love requires you to be honest about your current choices and thought patterns and undertake new practices that reflect self-worth.” ~Caroline Kirk
If one more person told me to “love myself” I was going to levitate into the air and pull one of those impossible martial arts moves from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I was sick of it!
What the heck does loving myself mean? Were they talking about bubble baths, pedicures, and cucumber masks? It turns out there is so much more to self-love than just pampering ourselves. I found this out the hard way.
About a year …
How to Let Go of the Fear of Being Hurt Again
“Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence, and face your future without fear.” ~Unknown
My pet fish died today. Red-striped fins as beautiful as always, he was swimming around in his tank only four weeks ago. First he became less active. Next he refused to eat. Then he was gone.
As I buried him in the yard, my first thought was, I don’t want to have a pet fish ever again. Awareness kicked in, and I realized that my thought was triggered by fear to experience an unpleasant circumstance such as this again.
This is how …
The Secret Recipe for a Happy, Long-Lasting Relationship
“Good relationships don’t just happen. They take time, patience, and two people who truly want to be together.” ~Unknown
Things changed. You can’t put your finger on it, but you know it’s true. You wish you could make it better. You want to fix it.
The problem is that you don’t know how.
Maybe it’s already too late, and the relationship ended despite all your efforts.
In the barrage of cliché advice and consolation you get from friends, relatives, and “experts,” the answer is as elusive as ever. It’s not helpful when people tell you that it just wasn’t meant …
Children’s Hospital Performs Katy Perry’s Roar
In this inspiring, heartwarming video, children and staff members at Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock let out their inner lion and perform Katy Perry’s Roar.
You can make a donation to support the kids of CHaD here, and you can learn more at chadhero.org and chadkids.org.
Be Present, Be Yourself: 5 Lessons from Dance Meditation
“While I dance I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole. This is why I dance.” ~Hans Bos
I am not a dancer. I was kicked out jazz ballet, and I am so clumsy that I once broke the mirror in an aerobics class. I don’t dance at parties, either, because to be honest I don’t enjoy it.
But turns out, just like everyone else, I am also a dancer.
A year and a half ago I was volunteering in the Turkish mountains, and after a rather upsetting situation …
You Are More Than Your Past and Your Pain
“We are like the little branch that quivers during a storm, doubting our strength and forgetting we are the tree—deeply rooted to withstand all life’s upheavals.” ~Dodinsky
I began struggling with anorexia and bulimia in high school, a development that, in part, stemmed from sexual abuse.
I internalized my struggles and made them a part of me, leaving me with feelings of shame, guilt, unworthiness, and despair. I had completely lost connection with my authentic self and instead, took on the roles of “ruined,” “broken,” and “worthless.”
If you had asked me who I was three years ago, I would …
How to Beat Panic Attacks: 3 Simple Mindfulness Techniques
“By living deeply in the present moment we can understand the past better and we can prepare for a better future.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
When I was in high school, a hit-and-run car accident changed my world. My boyfriend at the time lost his nineteen-year-old brother to the accident. I had never met his brother, but it didn’t matter; a dark veil had been cast over my life.
In the days, weeks, months, and years following the accident, I sank into a deeper and deeper depression. I started to have panic attacks and I cut myself daily, trying to feel …
How to Be Who You Really Are, Beyond Your Ego and Fears
“Whenever something negative happens to you, there is a deep lesson concealed within it.”~ Eckhart Tolle
For much of my life, I was ashamed of how my classmates perceived me in my youth.
My chagrin and regret began in the spring of my senior year in high school when I opened our yearbook for the first time.
The seniors got center stage in the yearbook, as usual, with a big picture of each of us along with a four-year list of our activities and awards. I was proud of my list of five sports, especially my letters in wrestling and …
10 Ways to Make the World a Nicer Place
“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept responsibility for changing them.” ~Denis Waitley
I was spending some time with my nephews not too long ago. This is one of my favorite things to do because we have a lot of fun together. They’re silly and loving and inquisitive, and it’s easy to make them laugh.
Spending time with them reminds me that fun and laughter should be a part of my everyday life, and also makes me feel like a kid again.
When we were together that day, I asked them …
Let Go of “I Can’t…” and Go After What You Want
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ~Nelson Mandela
Do you wish your circumstances in life were different? Have you reconciled yourself to accept that you can’t achieve your goals? Do you think it would be nice to travel, but you don’t think you can afford it?
It’s time to change your mindset and learn how to take control of your own life.
Think Like a Child
Children don’t like to accept “no” for an answer. They question every refusal. “But why not?” they ask.
“Because we can’t afford it” is not an acceptable answer to a child. That has …
10 Habits of Unhappy People (And How to Fix Them)
“Ego says, ‘Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel peace.’ Spirit says, ‘Find your peace, and then everything will fall into place.’” ~Marianne Williamson
Have you ever felt that something was missing in your life?
Who am I kidding, everyone has.
I used to be unhappy. But not just unhappy—miserable.
I’d look at other people and wonder what they had that I didn’t. I was sick of living my life. And being sick of it was the tipping point that changed it all. It’s what got me moving in the direction of what made my heart sing.
As I moved …
The Importance of Kindness (an Animated Video)
Adapted from a graduation speech by George Saunders in 2013, this powerful little video reminds us that the only act of kindness we come to regret is the one we did not commit.
The One Thing You Need to Change If You Want to Accept Yourself
“Serenity comes when you trade expectations for acceptance.” ~Unknown
I quit Weight Watchers this week and I have never felt happier.
To be clear, quitting this weight loss program was not an act of defeat, nor was it an example of me running away from something difficult or painful. Cutting ties with Weight Watchers was truly an acceptance of self.
A couple of weeks ago I had a heart-to-heart conversation with a friend. I was feeling really down, and I confided to him that not only do I lack self-confidence in nearly everything I do, I also seem to not …
Do You Feel Stuck, Overwhelmed, and Dissatisfied?
“Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.” ~Andy Rooney
I was born and raised in Louisiana, where food, booze, and fun are the three most important things in most every social situation.
I had my license at fourteen, my first drink at fifteen, and I knew the owner of the local drive-through daiquiri bar by name. (Miss Billy, in case you were wondering.) It wasn’t out of the ordinary. We all drank a lot on the weekends…who doesn’t?!
In college, when my parents were going through a …
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