Knowing what you don’t want can lead you to what you DO want. Knowing what you do want leads you to what you can do. Shifting to an “I can” mindset creates healing.
Ask Annah: Why Do I Feel Worse 2-3 Years after My Significant Life Loss Event
Dear Journeyer, I am often asked some variation of this question: “It’s been three years since my child/parent/sibling/spouse/best friend died and I feel worse now than I did when it happened. What is wrong with me?” Though this query often references the death of a person, I have also heard it with regard to other forms of loss, including but … Read More
Healing and the Two Sides of Freedom
As I prepared for my family’s July 4th celebration, I couldn’t help but think about some of the events and threads that comprise our freedom. Our freedom, for all of us who live in countries that afford us the privilege of choosing our own daily course of actions, was born on the backs and of the bloodshed of too many to … Read More
Healing and the Two Sides of Trust
“Learning to trust is one of life’s most difficult tasks.” ~Seventeenth-century theologian Isaac Watts Trust. What is it? What does it mean? What does it accomplish? This five-letter word is like a second cousin to another five-letter word–Truth. Trust is basically having faith or a steadfast belief in the people, places, and planet around us. It’s a sense that these things will be … Read More
On Validation and Self Worth, a Digging for the Light Excerpt
Earlier this week I shared with you something that I had previously revealed only to two other people: my therapist and my husband. It’s a scary, scary thing to not only admit to our shortcomings, but to put them out there for the entire world to see. Scary. SCARY. SCARY! What I can tell you, though, is that I … Read More
On Validation and the Value of Self Worth
As I sat in my therapist’s office last week, a small truth began to unfold before my eyes. “I guess I’ve just always been looking for validation,” I said. Learning. Growing. Understanding, Journeyers. That’s half the battle. As those words tumbled from my mouth, I remembered a conversation with my first successful therapist. I say “first successful” because my parents … Read More