Family forms the bedrock of our social support system, offering love, understanding, and security. Yet, not all familial relationships conform to this idealized image. When relationships break down, family estrangement, a voluntary distancing between family members, occurs. This poses a profound challenge to the conventional understanding of familial bonds. At its core, family estrangement involves […]
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The Jinx Mindset: How a Fear of Gratitude Robs Us of our Peace
In our day-to-day routines we often get caught up in the cycle of desires, comparisons, and grievances, often overlooking the abundance that surrounds us. Focusing on what we lack, rather than what we have leaves us feeling vulnerable and stressed, and caught up in a scarcity mentality where we feel as though we never have […]
Who Cares for The Care Giver?
Caregiving is a profound testament to our capacity for love and dedication, and yet, in the heart of every caregiver lies a silent query, echoing in the moments stolen away from the ceaseless demands of care: How do we sustain ourselves while we are so deeply entrenched in the service of others? Our dedication often […]
The Invisible Woman
Many years ago, I attended a ladies’ luncheon with a diverse group of women of all ages. The server had taken our orders and as she stepped away every woman over the age of 50 protested as their orders were not taken. They had been completely overlooked. This dynamic is one that many women experience, […]
Awakening To Authenticity
I invite you to think back on your earliest memories and ask yourself, are you the same person you were then as you are now? How did you think, what interested you, how did you move through the world? How did you think and feel about yourself? Who did you think you were and how […]
Finding Your New Normal
Many of us grew up in unhealthy environments. For some, it was being bullied in school, while for others it was growing up in homes where parents, although they tried their best, passed their own traumas on to us. Perhaps we were rewarded for being self-sacrificing, or received harsh critique, or worse, we were abused. […]
Making Mindful Resolutions
There is a long tradition of making New Year’s resolutions, committing to significant changes in our lives in an effort to improve our life quality and relationships. Many choose to commit to better physical health by deciding to eat healthier, join a gym, or lose weight. Others decide to quit smoking or drinking. Some pledge […]
Guilt & Shame
Guilt and shame are heavy emotions to bear. They compel us to scrutinize our actions and character, often leading to intense feelings of self-consciousness and self-critique. This intense self-reflection can spiral into excessive or irrational levels, potentially contributing to mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other illnesses. Guilt and shame can […]
Love, Compassion, & Empathy
In the realm of human relationships love, compassion, and empathy are paramount not only in our interactions with others, but also play a crucial role in how we relate to ourselves. As James Baldwin said “One can only face in others what one can face in oneself.” We cannot know and love another person without […]
On Grief
Grief is our natural response to loss, an emotional reaction that transcends the boundaries of what or whom we hold dear. It’s an acknowledgment of absence, be it the departure of someone or something we held dear, an expectation we had for our future, or hope for change. We mourn when we lose family, friends, […]