Posts tagged with “wisdom”
Healing Childhood Wounds: A Journey to Love and Connection
The drive on I-95 from the New England coast back home to Washington, D.C., was harrowing— construction zones, accidents, and rush-hour traffic. I was glad my husband was at the wheel.
After spending the weekend visiting our daughter at college in Connecticut, I was ready to check out, so I scrolled through social media on my phone to mindlessly pass the time. But when I paused on a post from my favorite self-help influencer, Cory Muscara, I got something very different from the relaxation I’d been craving.
I started following Cory several months before, after a friend had sent me …
The Magic of Mindfulness: It’s Never Too Late to Find Peace and Balance
“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” ~ Amit Ray
On December 12th, 2019, I found myself in a hospital undergoing an exploratory heart catheterization, a wake-up call I could no longer ignore. My health had reached a critical low. I was battling high blood pressure, high cholesterol, prediabetes, and obesity.
At just fifty-five years old, my long career in automotive manufacturing, with its relentless deadlines, high-pressure demands, and long hours, had caught up with me. The stressful grind had become unsustainable, and I had to make a choice: continue …
How to Reclaim Your Inner Gold
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” ~Joseph Campbell
“Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will not only find the joy that every human being seeks—we will also find our path of authentic service in the world.” ~Parker Palmer
When I was young, I was creative, independent, and assertive. My days were spent climbing trees, building forts, and catching water striders in creek beds.
My best friend Rita and I were raised …
The Growth That Happens When You’re in Between Chapters
“The most powerful thing you can do right now is be patient while things are unfolding for you.” ~Idil Ahmed
When one door closes, another one opens, or so the saying goes. From experience, I know that the new door doesn’t always open right away. Often you spend some time in the hallway, the state in between what has been and what will be.
About two years ago I decided to quit my job. While I was in the process of making big decisions, I decided to give up my apartment and go abroad for a period. I didn’t have …
How I Found Emotional Freedom and 3 Unexpected Benefits
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” ~Maya Angelou
What if the person you’re trying hardest to please is you?
For years, I wore a mask—a professional, composed, always-on version of myself that I thought everyone expected.
My need to please and perform was deeply rooted in my earliest experiences. I was born three months premature, and doctors called my survival a miracle. Separated from my mother and placed in an incubator for weeks, I was surrounded by love but deprived of touch and connection.
Though …
How to Embrace Elective (not Mandatory) Forgiveness After Trauma
Do I need to forgive my abusive mother to let go of the past?
This is the question I found myself grappling with when I started to recover from the pain of childhood neglect. For most of my childhood, I did not have access to a consistent adult who valued me. As a result, I believed that I had no value, and I lived my life according to this belief.
I treated myself as an invaluable being by denying my needs, catering to everyone else’s, and engaging in relationships with people who sought to benefit from my low self-worth. …
How to Live a Joy-Filled Life with Chronic Illness
“Living with chronic illness isn’t a life half-lived; it’s an opportunity to redefine what it means to be truly alive, resilient, and whole.” ~Christopher Reynolds
I have spent the past eleven years of my life in chronic pain. While this journey has been long, excruciatingly difficult, and deeply lonely, I am beginning to come to peace with my body. After seven long years of intense physical pain, anxiety, and depression, my mindset shifted.
Ironically, this shift began the moment that I got a diagnosis. In February 2020, I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. After seven years, I stopped searching and …
When Unhappiness Is the Soul Crying Out for Nourishment
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.” ~Dalai Lama
I had been caught in a web of unhappiness for several months some time ago.
During those months, each morning looked the same. I would open my eyes, sigh in misery, and sit at the edge of the bed for a few minutes to mentally prepare myself for yet another day. It took all the energy within me, which was little, to stand up and go about the day.
Although I was unhappy for many months, I had come a long way in healing from severe anxiety. …
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