Tara Brach is a mindfulness teacher and psychologist who says when you should on yourself, you argue with reality. The word ‘should’ shows a lack of acceptance and a disconnection with yourself.

Have you been told you’re responsible for healing after trauma? For example, someone says it’s not your fault what happened to you, but it’s your responsibility to heal from it.

Catastrophizing means expecting the worst when something bad happens. It could be a coping mechanism learned in childhood to help you regulate your emotions.

Oprah Winfrey says forgiveness means “giving up the hope that the past could be any different.” We hold ourselves back when we keep wishing things were different, either now or in the past.

If you grew up in a family like mine, you probably never learned the art of standing up for yourself. In fact, you learned the opposite: how to suppress your needs in favor of others.

Mindfulness has played a pivotal role in helping me overcome the symptoms of my unmet childhood needs. Many think of silent meditation when they hear the word. But it is far more accessible than that.

Self compassion invites us to sink into our feelings rather than pushing them away or shaming ourselves. Through mindful self compassion practice, I’ve recently come to terms with the role of disappointment in my life.

It’s often said that comparison is the thief of joy, and expectation is the close cousin to that robber. Rather than comparing yourself to others, you compare reality to what could have been and feel you come up short.

You may be surprised to learn your inner critic is often the internalized voice of your parents and caregivers.

Much of the self-help advice out there seems to advocate suppressed anger. They bypass this important emotion and go straight to forgiveness instead.

I know from experience that the best things in my life never came from hard work. And when I started a morning meditation practice (literally sitting there doing nothing), money began to appear.