July - 2018

Self Care Is A Revolutionary Act

PeaceStill, because we all deserve our own self care and compassionate attention.

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Chart a course to fulfillment

Chart a course to fulfillment

I wasn't always so quick to admit this, but I’m notoriously bad with directions. My friends joke, “if you don’t want to get there, ask Barbara.” Once on a driving trip to Atlanta I looked up to find myself far past the mark…in Savannah. In my defense, it was pretty dark. The problem isn’t only that road and street signs are, unfortunately, displayed in the smallest possible font, it is also that there is something about driving that causes me to “zone out.” When I get behind

Letting go of past hurts and resentments

Letting go of past hurts and resentments

Begin with a journal exercise With pen and paper close by take some quiet time to let a past resentment or hurt fully bloom in your consciousness. Notice how you feel – is your body tense, has your breathing become more rapid? Now pay attention to what you are telling yourself about what happened. You might hear something like, these things always happen to me or what did I do to deserve that or why is life so unfair? Write down exactly what happened along with all of your qu

Why we say yes when we want to say no

Why we say yes when we want to say no

Often, we say yes when we want to say no just to avoid the experience of discomfort. When we respond in ways that fail to honor our own boundaries we usually delay, rather than completely avoid, discomfort. It is inevitable and your relief will only be temporary. The choice to avoid discomfort now will almost surely lead to discomfort later. It has been said - She who trims herself to suit everyone will soon whittle herself away. What can you do instead? Search within for the

Manage anxiety with self-compassion

Manage anxiety with self-compassion

Anxiety is the “check engine light” on our psychophysiological dashboard. It should be fairly obvious that when we’re not taking care of ourselves—when we’re not sleeping, eating, or moving our bodies adequately—this creates imbalances that contribute to anxiety. Similarly, when we behave unethically, these actions stir our minds and bodies with the muddy raw ingredients of anxiety. Research suggests part of the path forward relative to this aspect of anxiety. A 2010 study ex

Being with your disappointment

Being with your disappointment

“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.” Theodore Isaac Rubin Difficulties and disappointments are a normal part of life. When we are experiencing difficulties, it does not mean we are being punished, that we are bad or that we have done anything wrong. Everyone, without exception, experiences problems at one time or another. This is normal. Likewise, challenging or unpleasant emotions ar

Meditation for challenging times

Meditation for challenging times

Listen on Insight Timer Disappointment is a normal part of every person's life...including mine. When I am facing a problem I can take care of myself by remembering that I am not being punished. Even good people have bad times sometimes. I take a deep breath and remind myself that I am equal to the challenge. I have the wisdom, the energy and the strength to get through this. I know that I will be okay even though I may not know yet exactly how this situation will be resolve

Heal what hurts

Heal what hurts

Sometimes we use pain as a shield or as an excuse not to live up to our potential. Stuck here we are so busy dealing with pain we have no emotional energy left to fuel our dreams or nurture our highest vision of ourselves. Part of healing what hurts involves forgiving and letting go. It is often being in this place of holding on and unforgiveness that we spend too much money. This can happen when we do not take the time to meet deeply rooted emotional needs. Instead we go for