THE BRAVELY BALANCED BLOG
For the overachiever and the overworked!
How exhausted are you? I know the feeling!
Does being exhausted serve you? What if I told you that you could have it all without subjecting yourself to hustle culture?
Sounds divine, doesn’t it? Follow along and feel the ease!
judgment, resentment, acceptance
I have a confession to make: I compare myself to others all the time. How I look. How I eat. How I am received. And so much more.
I read and hear that we shouldn’t. That we should be happy with who and how we are. Then, on top of feeling inadequate from all the comparing, we also feel guilty for doing something we “shouldn’t” do.
Comparing is a major problem among young girls, who view touched-up images on tictoc and decide they’re too fat, or aren’t good enough in some other sense. According to research, many hurt themselves in an attempt to attain the impossible image they see. Complete self-acceptance and self-love is so important for them to grasp, and so hard for them to do.
The self-doubt thief
Some time ago now (very thankfully!), I experienced on a daily basis an inner struggle between what the ‘experts’ said and what I felt I needed to do. Too often, I’d chose the experts over myself, and every time I’d discover I had been wrong to choose them over me.
I’d often end up succeeding in what I did, but at a huge cost. Too often, I’d end up failing, also at a huge cost. The cost in both cases was a growing self-doubt that ate me up inside and kept me in a chronically anxious state.
I see you
I had a best buddy a few years ago – Seamus. Seamus was my jogging partner, my co-host when I entertained, my confidant. He was fun, filled with life, and endlessly entertaining. He was always there for me, and I was always there for him.
Seamus was an Irish Terrier. When he died of bladder cancer, I felt as though a large part of my insides disappeared, leaving a huge gaping empty hole.
Next door to my house lives Luci, short for Lucipurr, a pitch black cat with green eyes. Whenever Luci is outside, she runs to greet me (and every other neighbor), demanding attention for as long as I’m willing to provide it.
Kindness
I’m taking the first part of a 2-part series on EMDR, a psychotherapeutic method that is often associated with PTSD support. I’m really enjoying it. A big part of why I enjoy learning this and other therapeutic techniques is that we get to practice on each other. We get to personally feel it working, and make genuine and kind connection with each other.
Kindness is, for me, a cornerstone of psychotherapeutic work. It’s a big part of why I love what I do. And I get to do it every day.