“The feeling of being rejected, disapproved of, or conditionally loved by one’s primary caregivers is a monumental, long-lasting burden for a child to carry. It produces chronic shame, guilt, and anxiety. The child is blamed for doing something wrong and in doing so learns to perceive themselves as being bad.” ~Darius Cikanavicius, Human Development and Trauma: … Continue reading To All the Abused Kids Who Are Dealing with the Consequences as Adults… →

“Success is a series of small wins.” ~Unknown You tried everything. Nothing worked. What now? I was the Marketing Director of a tech startup, and my work wasn’t bringing in the money or traction that it should. I did everything to improve my results: I read more books, consulted mentors, changed my mindset and tactics, … Continue reading When You Keep Failing: How to Recover and Boost Your Confidence →

Hi friends! Last year I invited you all to join the Embodied Trauma Conference, a powerful, healing event hosted by Tiny Buddha contributor Karine Bell. This free, five-day online summit featured a series of talks from twenty-two thought leaders, all focusing on different aspects of healing from trauma—including developmental, sexual, racial, and intergenerational. This year … Continue reading Free Online Festival: A Different Kind of Trauma Conference →

“When you’re comfortable in your skin, you look beautiful, regardless of any flaws.” ~Emily Deschanel I started doubting the way I looked at the age of eight following comments from other children, about my twin sister being cuter/prettier than me. During adolescence I suffered from bullying because of my appearance and thought I was ugly. Like … Continue reading How to Embrace Your Physical “Flaws” and Feel Comfortable in Your Skin →

“Trust yourself. You’ve survived a lot, and you’ll survive whatever is coming.” ~Robert Tew “I have bad news. I am sorry. You have cancer.” Sitting in the cold, clinical doctor’s office on a snowy, cloudy January day in Chicago, I was six months postpartum with my daughter, and I felt like I had woken up … Continue reading How a Cancer Misdiagnosis Helped Me Face and Heal from Health Anxiety →

“People will teach you how to love by not loving you back. People will teach you how to forgive by not apologizing. People will teach you kindness by their judgment. People will teach you how to grow by remaining stagnant. Pay attention when you’re going through pain and mysterious times. Listen to the wisdom life … Continue reading Why I No Longer Fight for Acknowledgment When Someone Devalues Me →

One day a man met a hungry tiger. He ran. The tiger chased him. Coming to a cliff, he jumped, catching hold of a tree root to stop himself falling to the bottom where, horror upon horror, another tiger waited to eat him. He hung on for dear life to that thin root. Then a … Continue reading How Happiness Sneaks Up on Us If We Stop Chasing It →

“Remember, being happy doesn’t mean you have it all. It simply means you’re thankful for all you have.” ~Unknown For many years I was single. But I wasn’t just a regular single, I was a miserable one. Rather than enjoying a time in my life when I didn’t have to care about anyone else but … Continue reading How to Create Happiness Outside of a Relationship and Enjoy More of Your Life →

“How you do one thing is how you do everything.” ~Unknown One afternoon, during a particularly low slump, I was getting out of the shower. Quickly reaching for something on the sink, I knocked an old glass off the counter, shattering it onto the floor. In most cases, one might experience stress, frustration, or sadness … Continue reading Where My Depression Really Came From and What Helped Me Heal →

“Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity. Ours is a culture that measures our worth as human beings by our efficiency, our earnings, our ability to perform this or that. The cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy … Continue reading Why Productivity Without Presence Is a Recipe for Burnout and Misery →