We all experience the so-called “negative” emotions such as Sadness, Anger, and Fear throughout our lives as a result of experiencing unpleasant circumstances or even traumatic events. It’s OK to feel these, and it’s important to express them in healthy ways. It’s when we avoid feeling them and resist expressing them that we develop Emotional Constipation, and the shitty feelings begin to pile up and block our ability to fully enjoy life. Sadness untreated slips into Depression. Anger left untended turns into Rage. Fear left to fester turns into Phobia, and can further devolve into Hate. The path back to…
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Loss, you are indeed one painful Teacher. Never once have you given me a life lesson that didn’t hurt in greater or lesser degrees and send shock waves to my very core, drawing cleansing tears from deep within my being. Not. Once. And this, I believe, is something that connects all life on some higher level, though we may fight like hell to avoid experiencing it. It’s not one of the Fun Feelings, but Loss does hold vital lessons for us whenever we are ready to see them- lessons that are only won the hard way. Lessons like strength, perseverance,…
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For the past several years, I stopped attending church services altogether in favor of ditching religion and religiosity for a deeper, more authentic, hands-on, dirt-under-my-nails, faith-without-borders spiritual quest of healing and enlightenment. I chose to shrug off what had come to feel like confinement and faking it, and just figure out how to connect with and love people in a way that felt a lot more natural and right for me. It has been the best decision I have ever made, and it has allowed me to take all of the good lessons that I learned and apply them (love,…
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Anger- there is no shortage of it. Even though for my own health and sanity I take care to spend the bulk of my time around people who are positive, mellow, and well-suited to handling stress, this powerful emotion is one that never seems far enough away. All I have to do is take a quick scroll through Facebook or Twitter to see and feel the anger, wrath, or full-blown rage seeping through post after post after post, from the POTUS to the online trolls and everywhere in between. It’s exhausting, and I believe it is killing us. Now wait…
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Ugh- getting sick is no fun! You may feel like whenever you get sick that you just have to soldier on and push through, but I offer another option: Rest & Send Love. Confession: I’m definitely still learning this one myself, because it is not always easy as a strong, proud woman to let someone help me. I don’t want to be a burden, you know? But the truth is that you can learn a lot about how to love yourself and others better by spending some time receiving it. So, today, I cancelled my appointments and crawled back into…
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In the wake of any disaster, whether natural or man made, the most immediate need is the lifesaving work of the first responder. Assess the situation, bring relief, create safety. Rebuilding and healing for individuals and communities comes later. Disaster Strikes During the national election results on Tuesday November 8, I was a complete wreck and in so much shock. Disbelief. Total meltdown. The truth is that the bubble I had unknowingly created for myself had been burst, and I was left feeling frightened, betrayed, raw, and very, very vulnerable. The reason I didn’t realize I had created a bubble…
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If you are feeling sad today, like so many of us are- know that it’s OK. You are allowed to feel what you feel, and though I wish everyone would honor and respect your feelings- they won’t, so you have to. Feelings are primal. They are common to all, but show up in us individually at different times and with different prompting. They are real, and powerful, and valid. So feel whatever it is that YOU feel- and in kind, allow others their feelings though they differ from your own. It’s OK. For me, there is a lot of sadness…
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“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Today, half of my country is celebrating. Or if they are not actually celebrating, they are at least relieved that their candidate won. They feel that their voice was heard. If you are among the people in this category, I do offer my congratulations and send my love. Today, half of my country is devastated. As I watched in shock and complete disbelief last night, I felt so much sadness and pain for the sharp division. And in many ways, the world around us is kinda freaking out.…
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Yesterday I had the honor of being interviewed* for the new Do It Scared podcast. The premise of the show, hosted by Danielle Schnakenberg and Liza Wilde, is to showcase all of the scary shit we choose to do in our lives; stuff that makes us feel alive, vulnerable, powerful- stuff that pushes us to become better versions of ourselves. As I was preparing for what I wanted to talk about, I was frankly blown away by all of the (not literal) fires I’ve jumped into over the years. I was struck by how much I’ve changed and grown and…
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Transformation Tip: There’s tremendous freedom in giving yourself a much-needed break, dialing things back and allowing things to be easy. Today, if you need a permission slip for a time-out, here you go: Take it easy & go with the flow. You’ll be back to hitting it hard soon enough! ~The Blessings Butterfly Click to enjoy this peaceful video for 1 minute of you time.
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