Note from Hannah: This the first in a series of guest posts with the goal of providing new perspectives to mental health, wellness, and being a human. This piece was bravely shared by our guest writer, David. My brain is broken, I thought to myself, as I sat in a...
New Perspectives Make a Difference
Recently I heard a talk radio program where the host said (in reference to what, I cannot remember), "This is not like psychotherapy where they are trying to fix you..." I couldn't hear the rest because I was in total shock. I knew this point of view existed, but I...
Holding Shadows: Forgiveness and Acceptance of the Past
I'm pleased to offer this piece by guest writer, James Day Leavitt. (photo credit: Siobhán Butler) I imagine my past as a long hallway, with doors along each side of the corridor. Behind some doors are my difficult experiences. Things I don’t want to see anymore. ...
Becoming Self-Assured: It’s Helpful, Not Selfish
Being self-assured yields kindness and contentment. This is contrary to what most of us were taught, and yet I’m increasingly sure that it is true. This is why, in my recent post about being self-assured, I questioned the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary about words...
What Does it Mean to Be Self-Assured?
Can being self-assured help us to go boldly into unknown life territory? This is a question I've been thinking about lately. But what does it mean to be self-assured? To me, it seems like a very desirable quality, something to cultivate in oneself and in our children....
There is No Failure
I believe that failure is an unhelpful concept. I'm not even convinced it's a real thing. In my mind, it belongs in the category of make-believe creatures along with unicorns, dragons, and the Easter Bunny. Recently, Seth Godin (marketing genius and writer whose...
Mission in Progress
A couple of weeks ago, I posed the question: Does therapy need a makeover? Many people wrote back saying that while therapy is (or at least can be) great, people without first-hand experience tend to feel negatively towards it. Since then, I have been working on ideas...
Does Therapy Need a Makeover?
I’m on a mission to convey to people everywhere that working on your emotional life is a positive and useful endeavor that yields good results. I may have my work cut out for me. I have a deep concern that most people have negative associations with words like therapy...
Asking for Help is a Skill
There is a grocery item that I buy on a regular basis. It's in a glass jar and it's on the top shelf. Now if it were a box of cereal, I could easily give it a little poke and it would likely sway and bounce off the shelf and into my hands. I'm less than eager to try...