I often hear people diminish their own suffering with phrases like: It’s just first world problems. I have it so much easier than other people. It’s no big deal. I really have no right to complain. Sometimes we say these things because we’re trying to remind ourselves to be grateful for what we do have.Continue reading “Your Pain Matters, Too”
Category Archives: Mental Health
Two Secrets to Hope
People often reach out to me and say, “Alyssa, my life is insane. You just can’t imagine.” And I get it. I actually can imagine. I’ve been there. My life has been – and still is, because we’re always learning and growing – everything but simple or easy. And then there are the people IContinue reading “Two Secrets to Hope”
The Truth about Anger
Many of us were taught as children to hold in our anger and to hide it. We didn’t feel safe to embrace our emotions or to express our truths. Many of us believed – and still do – that our anger is bad and hurts people. So, we hold it in, often to protect thoseContinue reading “The Truth about Anger”
What to Do When Life Is Really Hard
There are times when life is really hard, when it feels like everything is falling apart, like things couldn’t possibly get any worse, until they do. How are you supposed to handle that? How are you supposed to even begin to make your way out of a mess like that? Start by asking yourself justContinue reading “What to Do When Life Is Really Hard”
People Who Panic Are Brave. You Should Be, Too.
About a decade ago, while surfing the Internet, I stumbled on a page written by someone who suffers from panic disorder. She was offering a course on how to overcome anxiety. I read her descriptions of not being able to leave her apartment with a complete lack of understanding. What was so hard about goingContinue reading “People Who Panic Are Brave. You Should Be, Too.”
The One Reason You Might Think You Don’t Like Breathwork and Four More to Give It a Try
If you are like me, the very thought of breathwork can leave you gasping for air. No form of mindfulness sounds less relaxing or restoring than being asked to focus on your breath. Your heart starts racing. Your breathing becomes fast and shallow. Or maybe you get a queasy feeling in your stomach. For peopleContinue reading “The One Reason You Might Think You Don’t Like Breathwork and Four More to Give It a Try”
Don’t Be Afraid to Hurt Those You Love
You may think from the title that this post is about being selfish or taking advantage of people. It’s actually about learning to love more. And it’s not written for sadists or manipulators; it is for caretakers and co-dependent types. We each have different styles of loving, and with them, comes different healing work toContinue reading “Don’t Be Afraid to Hurt Those You Love”
Between Terror and Enlightenment
I once read the Tao Te Ching from cover to cover in a single afternoon. Sucked in and mesmerized, I had no words; simply, the truths of the Chinese classic resonated with my soul. This is how it is to flow with the universe. I emerged from my office as if to another world, myContinue reading “Between Terror and Enlightenment”
When Life Comes Crashing Down – A Recipe for Healing
There are those very dark and gloomy days, the ones where everything seems to fall apart. Absolutely everything. You’d go stick your head in a hole and stay there forever – if only you could find a hole, if only you could bear a minute more of the chaos. What do you do? How doContinue reading “When Life Comes Crashing Down – A Recipe for Healing”