Dear Caroline:

You are welcome, and thank you!

“Recently I am not as scared to express that I don’t like something. I wish I could do it more often, it is very freeing“- it takes courage and repetition to change emotional-behavioral habits, such as feeling scared to express something you don’t like and not expressing it => feeling less scared to express something you don’t like and expressing it.

It can be a very frustrating process to change emotional-behavioral habits because it requires so much patience with the self. From my experience, I was stuck for years when it came to changing such habits because I wanted and expected a quick change, and when that didn’t happen, I denigrated myself, seeing the failure to produce a quick change as evidence of my faultiness and inadequacy as a person.. not understanding the nature of the process.

Also, changing behavioral habits involves the people we are interacting with. it requires that they are not aggressive or impatient with us. We need an attitude and practice of gentleness and patience from ourselves and from others.

Keep the good work, Caroline, a pleasure reading from you again.. and I remember and will remember my promise to you!

anita