My lack of self-love had never stopped me from loving anyone else, but, by loving myself, I could now love everyone, and everything, more profoundly. When I heard it, I let it echo again and again in my mind. No one had ever said it quite like that before, nor have they since. I wanted […]
I am doing this at the risk of people who may criticize or question me, because at least some part of me knows: If I don’t, something worse will happen to me, and soon. I’m not supposed to be here. Especially not now. Last night, I clawed my way through my first panic attack in […]
In my mind, if I do not incessantly succeed, people have no reason to rely on me. Believe in me. Love me. A childhood nickname made me who I am today. Well, at the very least, it started me on a path that, nearly 25 years later, I am still on. In fifth grade, when […]
I worry that granting myself grace will make me feel, or become, selfish. I cannot discern when to hold myself accountable versus when to cut myself slack. I do not know how to love myself in spite of my flaws. I don’t remember the exact words, but I will never forget how I felt as […]
Why does something as minor as not being able to find a parking spot, or running out of time to prepare for a meeting, cause my brain to issue these Code Red alerts? Claws gouge the center of my chest. Someone, something, forcibly pulls half of me to the left, half to the right. It […]
Meeting the demands of others, rather than my own, will only lead me astray from what matters most: my happiness, health, and wholeness. I do not remember a time in my life when I was not a people-pleaser. Maybe it’s because I am a firstborn, so, at an early age, I began overachieving. Maybe because, […]
