I have been known to board up my emotions during turmoil and tragedy. I can remember back in my early 20s breaking up with my first serious girlfriend of three and a half years. I was so jaded and exhausted by the time we broke up that I don’t ever remember crying afterwards. I pushed... Continue Reading →
For Those Who Are Not Kind to Themselves and Want to Change
The stress of starting a new job and being in a new location has been getting to me the past week or so. There are a lot of unknown variables going into a new situation. What is the workload going to be like? What are the people I work with going to be like? I... Continue Reading →
For Those Days That Feel Like A Constant Struggle, I Embrace You
Some days are a struggle to wake up and even get out of bed. It would be so easy to give in and sleep all day or mindlessly wander through a sea of distractions until bedtime. When I wake up this way, every action feels ten times harder. It’s like I can feel the weight... Continue Reading →
How to Make Friends with Your Inner Voice
In my recent attempts to understand myself and the patterns of my thoughts and emotions, I stumbled upon a book by Michael Singer called The Untethered Soul. There is a chapter that talks about the person inside your head. You know, the voice inside your head; the endless chatter that goes on in the mind... Continue Reading →
Learning Lessons and Finding Encouragement in Failure
When things don’t go as expected, we tend to think we failed at something and we can easily be subdued by burdensome feelings of defeat. We have a choice in those moments, to accept the experience as a valuable lesson and move through it or to be overcome by loathing. It’s pertinent now more than... Continue Reading →
Our Authentic Self Versus the Influence of Others
We would like to think we are islands, that we are our own separate entity containing our own thoughts, desires, personalities, and dreams. While we certainly are unique, perhaps we don’t realize to what extent the people in our lives, the people we choose to fill our time with influence us. And I don’t mean... Continue Reading →
Coming Home: Feeling the Value of Family and Love [Photos]
Being back home after being gone for months really puts things into perspective for me. My hometown of Chattanooga is a charming, quant river town nestled in the mountains of Southeastern Tennessee. There is no place like it on earth for me but it is after all simply a location. The sights, sounds, and smells... Continue Reading →
How to Surrender to Our Suffering and Resist Validation from Others [Link]
I came across a fantastic video in my YouTube feed this morning by Pete Holmes, a comedian/author, where he talks about two key things to achieving inner peace. The two principles for peace and happiness that he discusses are learning to suffer/resisting nothing and not giving into external validation/criticism. What he discusses has really resonated... Continue Reading →
Learning the Power of Simple, Generous Actions
As I am training my mind to be more present and mindful, I also want to extend that out to affect others. I want to go beyond alleviating stress and anxiety and use my energy to be more compassionate. I want to put other’s first in my life and live community-minded. Most of my life... Continue Reading →
My Struggle with Cell Phone Addiction and Learning to Be Bored [Links]
Today, let’s talk about the elephant in the room of modernity (which is more like the size of a mouse), the cell phone. We all seem to have them and we can’t deny the integral part they play in each of our lives. They can be wonderful devices for communication, socialization, and an endless barrage... Continue Reading →