There is a moment I see happen in therapy all the time. Someone will be talking about a pattern they keep repeating, and somewhere in the middle of the conversation they’ll stop and say something like, “But I already know why I do this.” And they do. They can trace it backward. They know where…
I think sometimes we make joy way too complicated. We imagine it waiting for us somewhere up ahead, attached to something bigger. When I finally get the job. When I make more money. When the kids are settled. When I lose the weight. When I finish the degree. When the house is clean, the schedule…
I think most of us carry around some kind of invisible map for our lives, even if we don’t realize we’re doing it. We have an idea of where we’re going, what should happen next, who we thought we’d be by a certain age, what our relationships would look like, what our careers would become,…
Every August, something shifts. The mornings get busier. The evenings seem shorter. Store aisles fill with backpacks and lunch boxes, calendars begin filling with practices, meetings, homework, and appointments, and before we know it, we’re wondering why we suddenly feel anxious, exhausted, or irritable. Most people assume it’s because life is getting busy again. I…
Over the years I’ve watched people become angry, cry, go completely silent, apologize before they even know what they’ve done wrong, or work overtime trying to fix the situation as quickly as possible. The more I’ve watched these moments unfold—in my therapy office, in my own relationships, and simply by paying attention to the people…
I keep catching myself looking down at my conference badge today. Not because I forgot my name. Because every time I do, I see three words staring back at me. Innovate. Implement. Impact. It’s funny because I’ve spent the day listening to incredible speakers, filling pages in my notebook, and having conversations with people who…
There are some survival stories that leave you wondering how someone managed to stay alive, and then there are stories that quietly change the way you look at your own life. Joe Simpson’s story has always been one of those for me. Not because he climbed a mountain or because he survived impossible odds, but…
Have you ever gotten in your car after a conversation and found yourself replaying every word that was said? Maybe someone looked at you a certain way, paused before responding, or said something that didn’t sit quite right. Before you know it, you’re driving home while mentally editing the conversation, imagining better responses, wondering if…
Most of us know what a hangover feels like. You wake up feeling drained, foggy, and not quite like yourself. Even though the event that caused it is over, your body is still paying the price. What many people don’t realize is that our emotions can leave us with hangovers too. Have you ever left…
Every time I write one of these Survival Story Saturday posts, I find myself asking the same question. What is it that allows one person to survive something that seems impossible? Is it luck? Is it grit? Is it hope? Is it training? Is it faith? The more stories I read, the less convinced I…
