Posts tagged with “healing”
From Pain to Power: Letting Go of Approval to Love Myself
“If you love yourself, it doesn’t matter if other people like you because you don’t need their approval to feel good about yourself.” ~Lori Deschene
For most of my life, I worried about what others thought. Every move I made felt like a performance for someone else. I’d built my life on their approval.
Then came the losses. Three family members were gone in a matter of years. Each time, the grief hit like a fist to the gut.
My mother was my pillar of strength; my father, who might not have always been there for me but was still …
How Embracing What I Resisted Healed Me from Chronic Illness
“What you resist not only persists but will grow in size.” ~Carl Jung
Ever since I was diagnosed with Lupus at the age of five, my life has felt like a never-ending struggle against fatigue, pain, and a myriad of symptoms. Despite trying numerous treatments and medications when I was younger, I never felt truly vibrant. My body seemed perpetually at war with itself, leaving me exhausted and unfulfilled.
Multiple flares often took me away from school and friends. I wondered why I couldn’t just live a childhood free of pain and suffering, like the other kids.
I struggled with …
How to Cultivate Awareness and Presence, Two Powerful Tools for Healing
“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
In our fast-paced world, juggling multiple responsibilities while managing chronic conditions can make healing seem elusive. However, by harnessing the power of awareness and presence, we can unlock a profound path to recovery that addresses not just the physical symptoms but also the mental and emotional aspects of well-being.
My Experience with Chronic Pain
For a long time, I never really thought about my scoliosis. Not that I didn’t feel pain; it was ever-present and intensified by the demands of …
Finding Light in the Shadows of an Invisible Illness
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.” ~Albert Camus
Life has a way of throwing us curve balls when we least expect them.
For years, I had been managing the usual ups and downs of life when I was blindsided by a diagnosis that would forever change the way I lived: psoriatic arthritis. It’s one of those illnesses that most people don’t quite understand because it doesn’t always show on the outside. I looked fine, but inside, my body felt like it was on fire. The pain was constant, an unwelcome …
Lost, Scared, and Broken: How Self-Awareness Saved My Life
“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” ~Nathaniel Branden
I felt lost. I felt broken. I felt scared.
As I sat alone in that cold, dark jail cell, I felt like I had hit rock bottom.
My feet chilled against the cold stone floor. The creaky wooden bench, stitched together with narrow strips, tormented me.
Inmates shouted all around me. Their voices echoed in the dark. It was like the noise of the outside world had finally caught up with the noise inside my head. I just wanted to scream.
I was sixteen, but I …
Celebrating Six Years Sober: Here’s How I Did It
“I chose sober because I wanted a better life. I stay sober because I got one.” ~Anonymous
Seven years ago, I never thought I would be able to say that I have been six years sober! I didn’t think I was physically addicted. I never got the shakes, never morning drank, never drank daily unless on vacation, never got a DUI (even though that was lucky), and never lost a job or a relationship because of drinking. I was, however, incredibly emotionally and mentally addicted.
I am fifty-six years old and started drinking in high school. Except when pregnant, I …
How to Ease Pain and Anxiety Through Meditation
“If nothing changes, nothing changes. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’re going to keep getting what you’re getting. You want change, make some.” ~Courtney C. Stevens
If someone looked at my life when I was younger, they would think that I had it all together. I went to college to obtain my bachelor’s in psychology and social work, followed by my master’s in social work. I have always had good friendships and family relationships. I traveled regularly. I was and still am young and living my life. Little would they know that so much was brewing inside…
The …
How to Turn Shame into Self-Love and Emotional Resilience
“The less we talk about shame, the more control it has over our lives.” ~Brené Brown
The pain and suffering I experienced as a child, which I kept hidden for over a decade, was the very seed that gave me the strength, resilience, empathy, authenticity, and courage that I possess today—but only because I surrendered the old story to embrace a new one. I alchemized my pain into my fuel, my traumas as contributions to my triumphs, and my curses into my greatest blessings.
But all of this came with a very hefty price.
Growing up with a single mother …
How to Honor Our Grief While Rebuilding Our Lives
“Grief is not something that ever goes away. You just learn to accommodate it so you can move forward in your life and over time it gets less intense, at least most of the time.” ~David Baxter
Grief is a natural response to loss. Loss can mean the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, the loss of a job or home, or a response to trauma, abuse, or betrayal. Grief shows itself differently in different people. But the common denominator is that grief goes deep, and grieving is painful.
Around six years ago, my life …
What I Know About Healing Now That I’ve Ended Contact with My Mom
“Not all toxic people are cruel and uncaring. Some of them love us dearly. Many of them have good intentions. Most are toxic to our being simply because their needs and way of existing in the world force us to compromise ourselves and our happiness. They aren’t inherently bad people, but they aren’t the right people for us.” ~Daniell Koepke
If someone had asked me a year ago if I would ever cut contact with my mom, my answer would have been a definite no.
After reconnecting with my dad in 2020 (we didn’t speak for over eleven years), I …
Healing from Chronic Fatigue: The Amazing Impact of Self-Compassion
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” ~Dalai Lama
In my mid-thirties, my active and adventuresome life as a broadcast journalist collapsed. It began with a trauma, followed by flu-like symptoms that stuck around for thirteen years. Almost overnight, I lost the pep to walk around the block, much less file reports for the evening news.
A battery of doctors diagnosed me with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), among other diagnoses. They said I’d have to live this way since there was no reliable cure. I became one of the …
How to Move Forward After Loss: The 3 Phases of Healing
“Whatever you’re feeling, it will eventually pass. You won’t feel sad forever. At some point, you will feel happy again. You won’t feel anxious forever. In time, you will feel calm again. You don’t have to fight your feelings or feel guilty for having them. You just have to accept them and be good to yourself while you ride this out. Resisting your emotions and shaming yourself will only cause you more pain, and you don’t deserve that. You deserve your own love, acceptance, and compassion.” ~Lori Deschene
To this day, I still remember that call. I had just …
5 Lessons Pain Taught Me About Love
“If there is love in your heart, it will guide you through your life. Love has its own intelligence.” ~Sadhguru
Love was something I craved for most of my life. I dreamed that one day, a person would come into my life, preferably a man, who would love me and save me from my painful suffering filled with emptiness and desperation.
Even when I was single, which I was quite often and for prolonged periods, I would fantasize about a perfect relationship with someone who’d understand and accept me even in my worst moments. I wanted a partner and a …
How I Healed from Addiction One New Belief at a Time
“Recovery is all about using our power to change our beliefs that are based on faulty data.” ~Kevin McCormick
I struggled with what I would consider a disconnect with myself from a very young age. I was born a free spirit, curious and interested in so many things. I was also very shy and sensitive. I was not the type to be put in a box or expected to conform to the norm. That just wasn’t me. I needed to be accepted and supported for who I was.
Instead, my well-meaning parents attempted to “domesticate” me, especially my father. I …
The Truth About Grieving: There Are No Rules for Healing
Here’s what I know about grief: There is no measuring stick.
The loss of a mother, father, sister, brother (or all of the above), the loss of a husband, wife, lover, boyfriend, girlfriend, or life partner, the loss of a best friend, dear friend, or close friend, the loss of a mentor, teacher, guider, inspirer… Who’s to measure? Who’s to say how profoundly those losses may or may not break our hearts?
There are no rules.
The loss of a happy, loving relationship may be far easier to survive than the loss of a troubled one.
A lover may feel …
The Amazing Healing Power of Talking About Our Anxiety
“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything—anger, anxiety, or possessions—we cannot be free.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
I have dealt with anxiety for as long as I can remember. There are times when I don’t experience it and times when it seems unbearable. It’s sort of like a rollercoaster that just never stops. And I am the first person to admit that anxiety can take over your life if it goes unmanaged.
The toughest part about anxiety is that it can be hard
How I’m Navigating My Grief Since Losing My Father
“Grief is the price we pay for love.” ~Queen Elizabeth II
Losing a loved one is never easy, and when that loved one is a parent, the pain can feel insurmountable.
Last August, I faced one of the most challenging moments of my life: My father, my rock and my confidant, passed away after a brave battle with cancer.
As immigrants, my father and I shared a bond that was uniquely deep; we relied on each other for support, trust, and guidance in a new world. His wisdom shaped my life, and his strength inspired me daily. This is my …
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