Many of us carry the cultural message that pushing down our feelings—especially painful ones—is the best way to function in life: shake it off; suck it up; carry on; one foot in front of the other, and so on. But this just isn’t true. Pushing down our hurt and pain doesn’t make it go away. It just delays dealing with it until another day. And if we delay for too long, not only do we continue to suffer emotionally, but our relationships, our health, our very being begin to pay the price.
Read moreIt's Your Life
I think it’s kind of funny that we are born and don’t really have a say in the matter. We don’t get to choose our parents or siblings, place of birth or even time period. All of us here today didn’t get to choose if we wanted to live during this era of history or during the time of dinosaurs or 100 years in the future. We just come into being. We are given a life.
Read moreThe Problem with Valentine's Day
I really don’t like Valentine’s Day—there I said it. (I feel the same way about football, but that’s a topic for another day.) It seems to me to be yet another way we must prove our love for someone by showering them with gifts—overpriced flowers, impossible-to-get dinner reservations, etc.
Read moreFinding My Laughter
A few weeks ago, I was in full-on productivity mode. I was on a mission to get myself ready for the New Year. I was making lists and checking things off like a woman on fire. Not surprisingly, after about a week of this I was not having fun anymore.
Read moreImperfectly Beautiful
Sometimes people come to therapy looking for a sanitization—a kind of purification—that removes all the scars and bruises that come from living in this world.
Read moreMaking Mistakes
Noooo, a loud part of me screamed when I first read this quote. I am not fond of making mistakes. Mistakes are messy and painful, and I would just prefer to avoid them. Thanks, but no.
Read moreA New Attitude
I often begin a new year thinking about what it will bring to me. I daydream about new possibilities—I’ll finally learn to play the piano or I will meditate every single day or I will keep my closet organized.
Read moreIt's time. →
Four years ago, I decided to take a chance and utter the terrifying words, “I think I want to be a therapist.”
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