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Boundaries: Reset and Reinforce Your Broken ‘No’
Some people seem to have the gift of no. Boundaries seem to come easily to them. When asked for favors, money, or permission, they hand out noes with blithe unconcern. Others, like me, feel guilty about denying the requests, even demands of the people in their lives. But if you are naturally compliant, suffered under the rule of authoritarian parents, have undergone abuse, or are simply overly empathetic, then saying no comes at a cost. Strategizing your ‘no’ can help you make and reinforce boundaries that are important to you, whether at home or at work. Before you begin to take back the territory in your life lost to poor…
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What Our Childhood Memories Reveal
Memories act as markers for our lives, and our first ones often reveal a lot about how we see the world. What you make of your childhood makes you, I believe. One of my first vivid memories involves a small house I lived in at the age of three or four. We lived in Colorado at the time and were quite poor as my parents attended graduate school. I would walk up and down the block and once knocked on a neighbor’s door to see if she had any children. I remember her house as pink and her hair as brown laced with silver. She had no children and clearly…
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Baby Heart Revival: A Transforming Miracle
The third grade daughter of a friend of mine had a hurting heart. Childhood depression isn’t always obvious, but this little girl was very introverted, always looked ragged, and was unaffectionate and disconnected from her mother. In fact, she would hiss at her if she tried to hug her. Childhood depression is hard to treat because eight is too young to experiment with medication, and generally, children aren’t self-aware enough to get a lot out of counseling. But children have one advantage over adults, and that is that they are still connected to their youngest selves. Adults can have a difficult time accessing their inner child, but an eight year…
Healing Through Art & Words
