I don't like to admit it, but I haven't always spoken as nice to myself as I do now.

The truth is there's a voice within me that thinks she's helpful by being "realistic," "critical" and downright "hurtful" at times.

For most of us it often takes months or years to begin to recognize that voice, or to even hear it.

That's how ingrained our negative self-talk becomes in our lives. It's as if we're in a tunnel trying to guide our way through life and every time we hit the sides a negative alert…

Many of us grew up being reminded that, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me."

Is that true? 🧐

I use my journal to explore old poems, song lyrics, and nursery rhymes.

I start with the words, add a little doodle person, and notice what bubbles up as the two meet.

• What facial expression is my little doodle person asking to have?
• Would they have a verbal response to the song lyric or nursery rhyme?
• What is my body response as I work in my journal?

We may r…

Do you ever find your mind wandering during the day?

If you're like me, you find your mind meanders down many paths each day! 🤪

You may start out with a pleasant storyline and before you know it a familiar sense of dread, panic, or anger infiltrates your mind.

Uh oh... you were having a lovely morning walk, looking around and then out of no-where, there's the conversation you just had with your partner playing out in your mind again or maybe worry sets in about the meeting with your boss next…

Do you ever try to explore your anxious mind and end up feeling confused or more anxious?

Trying to help our anxious mind solve a problem when we're in the throws of anxiety is like trying to repair a car as it's driving down the road.

It's physics really... increased motion leads to more motion. Trying to handle anxiety with an anxious mind, leads to increased anxiety.

The anxious mind forces the body to amplify anxiety with increased physiological functioning (increased heart rate, increase…

I find myself in a season of emotional unfolding.

You may as well. 

This season isn't asking for a deep analysis. It is asking for time, space to just be, and deep compassion for all of who we were in the past... or who we thought we needed to be. 

This season is asking for a turning inward.

Embracing a new way of being can often bring forward years of blocked or repressed emotions, thoughts, and patterns of living so deeply embedded in our neurons that they freely run in the background as …

I remember moments when my children were young, full of emotion, and basically inconsolable.

Oh so many days, right?!

In those moments they didn't need a lecture about their behavior or how they were expressing themselves. 

They needed support. They needed love. A lot of the time they simply needed carried.

I find the same is true for our Inner Child.

As we work towards embodied wholeness, there will be moments when you become aware that a part of you is struggling.

On an adult level, we m…

Doodle to Connect Episode 1: 

Featuring guest artist, Ian Phillips (my son 😊).

I often allow inspiration to guide my doodles. Often, for me, the doodle appears first and sometime later the message follows. Other times I will find a word, poem, quote, or in this case an exercise in a book that sparked my interest. 

My previous two blog posts had me exploring the idea of affirmations and how we can create new neural pathways within our brain by repeating tenderly crafted sayings that fit our so…