Relaxation

“Today I want you to think about all that you are instead of all that you are not.” ~Unknown When I was nineteen, something happened to me that felt like a death. I had spent a lot of my teenage years feeling lonely and invisible, desperate for someone to break through to me and convince

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.” ~Haruki Marukami

“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” ~Karl Barth I had no way of knowing when I went to visit my brother’s family that summer in 2019 that my three-year-old niece would say seven words that would forever change my relationship with joy. It was July and predictably steamy in Georgia where his family lives.

“There are only four kinds of people in the world—those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” ~Rosalynn Carter, Former First Lady of the United States The call reminded me of an old TV commercial for a medical alert device. Only this

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” ~Robert F. Kennedy How do you define failure? When something doesn’t go as planned? When someone tells you they don’t like what you’ve made? When an outcome doesn’t match your expectations? I find it increasingly important to define failure. Which seems like a weird

“For the person that needs to see this today: Your heart will heal, your tears will dry, your season will change. Rest tonight, knowing the storm will end.” ~Unknown Like many people, I didn’t have the easiest time growing up. Between having a toxic family upbringing and being bullied, I learned to trust nobody and

“Be more afraid of losing yourself than losing the approval of others.” ~Unknown Sometimes, when I feel restless, I listen to angsty music that I used to listen to as a teenager, such as Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, and Bullet for My Valentine. I can still belt out every lyric to Misery

“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place to go where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” ~Maya Angelou In 2019, I found myself in a psychiatric institution sitting across from a psychologist who was grilling me about why I was there. She seemed angry. I told

“One of the hardest things I’ve had to understand is that closure comes from within. Especially difficult if you’ve been betrayed by someone you love because you feel like you gotta let them know the pain they caused, but the peace you seek can only be given to you by you.” ~Bruna Nessif The post

“Never fear shadows. They simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere nearby.” ~Ruth E. Renkel Before I started healing my anxiety, I thought there was something seriously wrong with me. Every panic attack, every morning filled with dread, every social event that I would mentally prepare myself for made me feel like I had some