Coping with Setbacks
I used to hate the saying “two steps forward, one step back.” It always seemed unfair that after putting in all the effort to move ahead, I’d suddenly be dragged back again—like some invisible force kept holding me back. That one step back used to feel like failure, and it could be enough to make […]
Why Feelings Matter
How are you? How are you doing? What are you feeling? These questions are everywhere, but they’ve mostly turned into polite greetings. We often respond with a quick, “Fine,” “Can’t complain,” or “Not bad.” But what if we paused and asked ourselves, “What am I really feeling right now?” A lot of us might feel […]
How to Get What You Want
It’s almost my birthday! Okay, I know it’s not almost my birthday—it’s on December 2nd. And I also know I don’t really have a whole “birthday month” or “birthday week,” but I like to say it anyway. Why? Because it gives me something to look forward to. The excitement of knowing there’s a day (or […]
Resisting Activities I Love
Last night, I had my regular call with my brothers. We meet once a week to catch up, and honestly, I didn’t feel like getting on the call. I was considering canceling when, right on time, the phone rang. I picked it up, and we ended up chatting for hours. I had a blast. What […]
When Helping Hurts
I’ve always loved helping. I’d jump in to make someone’s work easier, help their party go smoothly, or even try to boost their self-esteem. It felt good to be the person who set aside my own needs to be of service. But when I really looked at it, I started to see it wasn’t all […]
I’m Every Woman
Sometimes I get really loud and excitable and need a party of people to have fun with. Sometimes, I think the world is too loud and I need to be quiet and alone. Sometimes I want to share my controversial opinions and scream them at everyone. Sometimes I just want to sit back and listen. […]
How I Unleash by Yelling on Paper
It sounds easy but it took time and practice to write openly about the things I didn’t want to feel or acknowledge within myself. Anger, fear, or resentful thoughts felt like they needed to be ignored until they disappeared. I didn’t want to identify as someone who was unkind or angry. But that’s not how […]
That’s What You Get
There are many beliefs about being a good person and living a virtuous life, and one popular idea is that when you do good for others, good things will come back to you—what some people believe is the essence of karma. But I don’t see it that way. I don’t think life rewards us with […]
What Are You Looking At?
Why look at my mistakes? It feels embarrassing and frustrating, and most likely, if I’m replaying a mistake, it’s because I didn’t get what I wanted or needed from my efforts. For example, maybe my goal was getting into better shape. If I made an effort and saw no results—or, even worse, ended up in […]
Don’t Panic!
I love those videos where a toddler thinks they’re stuck but just needs to duck, move a small object, or stand up for a different perspective. It’s funny how it gets me emotional about how I handle my own issues. Like those kids, I have panicked when something changed or challenged me. I worried, felt […]
