You have thought that particular series of thoughts a million times, maybe more. Drop it. Let the river wash it away. Never give it another moment of your time, nor another erg of your life’s energy.
Tag: self compassion
A year ago, I made a commitment to myself, and began an effort to make shifts in my habits, to say ‘no’ a lot more, and to reclaim my life in ways that for too long had gone awry. This week, I had to make that commitment again.
We all want to feel safe, and there are many places in our lives that can provide that feeling. Feeling safe affects our well-being on all levels, from the primal to the emotional to the intellectual. Many of us rarely have the opportunity to let down our protective barriers or relax our emotional suppression; to wear our vulnerability on our sleeves. How often do we truly offer, without reservation, to be and hold that sacred safe space for others?
There are probably as many ways to achieve success and happiness in life as there are philosophies, ideologies, values, and belief systems. This is the beauty and complexity of the human experience: you can be who and what you want to be, or at least try and then choose something completely different. Even in the darkest places and during the most chaotic times, we are adaptable and capable of transcendence.
Since the advent of psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, pharmaceuticals, and grandiose illusions of purpose, meaning, and happiness, those who do not fit neatly into “normal” behavior have faced stigma and violent prejudice. We have also dehumanized large segments of society in favor of political, ideological, economic, or dogmatic ignorance and stupidity.