Posts tagged with “Love”
How We Can Stop Judging Others and Ourselves
“There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.” ~Mahatma Gandhi
We live in a world of ticker headlines, 24/7 news, and constantly updating Instagram and Facebook feeds. We are constantly making snap-decision judgment calls, categorizing what we see into “good,” “bad,” or “unimportant.”
In a second, we can see an image and believe we have all we need to form a fully realized opinion.
It’s in our biological wiring to judge everything we see—it’s how we have survived for generations upon generations. We are in a constant state of scanning our environment for threats and attempting to efficiently …
Dealing with Rejection: It Doesn’t Mean That You’re Not Good Enough
“The best way out is always through” ~Robert Frost
I was trembling as I hung up the phone. He’d dumped me.
It was as if, while I was watching a murder mystery at the edge of my seat, the electricity had gone out. Poof! I wasn’t going to get to see the end of the movie, and I had no control over when the lights would come back on.
I felt the fangs of rejection sink into my heart like a merciless tarantula. My mind, which is normally going 500 miles an hour, came to a halt. Suddenly I felt …
Does Your Partner Often Get Angry and Shut Down Emotionally?
“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” ~Carl Jung
Three years ago I was on top of the world after realizing I had fallen in love with my best friend. Relationships this rare are beautiful, until one vital piece of them breaks down: clear communication.
Although I didn’t know it at the time, when my ex and I came together as a couple, rather than being in love, we were both just mirroring each other’s deep unconscious pain; his mother had walked out on him at a young age, and …
You Have to Know You’re Worthy to Attract a Healthy Relationship
“Your problem is you’re too busy holding onto your unworthiness.” ~Ram Dass
Three years ago I went through a breakup with someone I loved deeply.
I had no idea what had happened to me after I fell in love with this girl. I now know that I was asleep from the beginning to the very end of the relationship.
I was totally encapsulated with this girl to the point where I could not see what was in front of me. I was unable to see the red flags that were there in the beginning.
When I first laid eyes on …
30 Trillion Reasons to Be Grateful: An Ode to the Awesome Human Body
“What spirit is so empty and blind, that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?” ~Michelangelo
“Stop hunching! Stand up straight!” This is what I heard as a young child.
A running commentary on my appearance continued throughout my childhood. It was well intended, but not entirely helpful.
I grew self-conscious. If you’ve ever decided you’re too tall or too short or too fat or too thin, or that some parts of your body look unsatisfactory, you’ll understand.
Then I went …
How Introverts Can Meet People Without Bars or Booze
“Be yourself, because an original is worth more than a copy.” ~Unknown
There was a moment during my twenties years when I realized I was an introvert.
Now, this may sound like a mundane realization to you, but trust me, this was the Big Epiphany of my young life.
I spent my teenage years pretending to be someone else. Like a lot of my friends, I went out as much as possible. I partied. I was loud.
Until it dawned on me: I hated going out. I hated parties. I wasn’t loud. Honestly? I just wanted to stay home, drink …
The Key to Letting Go of Your Ex: Love Them More
“The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present.” ~Barbara De Angelis
My first love broke my heart into microscopic little pieces. I honestly didn’t think I’d survive. Losing him was like losing a limb. I couldn’t function.
Yet, by the time that he and I had parted ways, our connection was already severed, bleeding, broken—hanging on by threads we both imagined were there.
When we met, we were idealistic, open-hearted, trusting teenagers. Three years later, we were both addicts, self-harming in our own ways, and both in …
Why Loving Someone Isn’t Enough to Make It Work
“We accept the love we think we deserve.” ~Stephen Chbosky
Have you ever thought that you could love someone enough to make everything work?
Have you been in a relationship where you knew you weren’t really happy, but you kept saying, “But I love him/her. Isn’t that enough?”
I know how it feels to believe this. I have felt this more times than I care to admit. The worst was when I fell in love with my ex-husband. He was twelve years my junior, from another country (Greece), and barely spoke English.
Our souls connected immediately, and I fell in …
When We Love and Accept Ourselves, the World Fits Around Us
“If you feel like you don’t fit in in this world, it is because you are here to help create a new one.” ~Jocelyn Daher
Since I can remember, I never felt comfortable in my skin. I would watch everyone else, and it seemed as though they knew exactly how to be themselves. Even as a toddler I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t like everybody else. From those earliest memories I thought something was wrong with me if I didn’t feel, understand, or think the same as someone else.
My insecurities started young and grew as I got older. …
10 Creative Ways to Express Gratitude
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~William Arthur Ward
It’s probably no surprise to you that gratitude is one of the most effective ways to increase your own happiness—and the happiness of others. But did you know that practicing gratitude can also make you healthier, less stressed, and more optimistic? Plus, it’s even been shown to have positive effects on your career and relationships.
Gratitude is clearly a worthwhile practice, and there are tons of wonderful resources online (even here on Tiny Buddha!) filled with insights, inspiration, and ideas for …
Healing from Heartache: How to Ease the Pain
“Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.” ~Max Ehrmann
If you looked at your broken heart and allowed for tenderness, you would feel better. Maybe not completely better, but there would be a softening. Compassion for yourself is soothing. When our hearts are aching, we need all the soothing we can get.
If you looked at your broken heart from the perspective of the loving mother within you, you would see that the only thing you need right now is …
How to Stop Measuring Your Worth in Achievements
“The better you feel about yourself, the less you feel the need to show off.” ~Robert Hand
The first vivid memory I have of anxiety is when I was only seven years old. I sat in math class, gripped with fear that I wouldn’t get a perfect score on my test. If I got even one answer wrong, I would feel worthless.
This striving for achievement followed me all the way through college. I not only graduated with a 4.0 grade point average, but I had an impressive Curriculum Vitae filled with awards, extra curricular activities, publications, honor societies, and …
4 Things You Need to Know to Have a Strong, Healthy Relationship
“To love is nothing. To be loved is something. But to love and be loved, that’s everything.“ ~T. Tolis
Relationships are not always easy. If you lack the tools to engage properly with a partner and cannot show up in a healthy way, you will find your relationship is ten times harder and most likely prone to failure.
I wish I had known these things when I first started dating, as it would have made my life much easier.
If you want to have a healthy relationship, you must know the following:
1. How to communicate effectively
My …
One Simple Way to Be a Good Friend (A Lesson from My Childhood Dog)
“To be rich in friends is to be poor in nothing.” ~Lilian Whiting
For eleven years of my life, I was graced by the presence of an extraordinary dog. Her name was Jenny, and she was a black lab and springer mix with a hyper personality and an almost absurd passion for the joy of being alive.
She was a gift to our family from a close family friend, and she was by far the most life-changing gift we ever received.
While there are many stories I could share about her, there is one story in particular that stands …
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