-
How I helped improve my gut health after it shut down
In a previous post, I wrote about how my gut shut down because of stress. This was one of the top three most horrific periods in my life (number one was in 2019/2020 after my job and marriage and family all fell apart at once, amidst covid; second was in 2006 when my oldest son […]
-
How to ensure that external praise grounds you instead of inflates your ego
I’ve already mentioned on several occasions in this blog that one focus of mine these days is to find strength and love and worthiness inside myself, and not look to others for external validation anymore. For years, I was so fixated on garnering praise from others. I was addicted to it. This is not an […]
-
When my digestive system shut down due to repressed stress
In my last blog post, I wrote about a book (The Body Keeps the Score) that comprehensively explained how trauma and stress get stored in the body. One of the reasons that this book resonated so much with me is that my digestive system shut down for a few months in 2017, in response to […]
-
The Body Keeps the Score
Last summer, I finally read the book, The Body Keeps the Score – Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, written by Bessel Van Der Kolk. People in my life had been telling me to read this book for over a year, by the time I finally read it. It’s a rather dense […]
-
The pleasures of watercolor painting
I love painting. It’s like a form of meditation for me. I first took a watercolor class when I was in graduate school, almost 20 years ago. I did it as a stress relief activity, once a week for a semester at the arts center at my university. I remember finding it so soothing, the […]
-
Sharing your truth with the world can be risky – lesson from “the eggplant incident”
I have found it cathartic to share my stories in this blog. As I have noted, I have been writing for years, writing is one of my forms of therapy, and it feels good to finally put these words out into the universe, in case they resonate with other people. And I have always valued […]
-
My reaction to finding out that my father was not actually my biological father
Today, I am going to write one more post about my father (for now). I will note that I have always felt overly protective of my father, and that has made an impact on who I am and how I interact with others in my life, especially men. Even now, as I write about my […]
-
The story I told at the Moth about my father and family trauma
I introduced this story in yesterday’s post, so if you haven’t read it yet, I suggest you do so first. Below is the story that I told at the Moth in October 2017. —– I’ve always thought that I have such an amazing father. He’s so patient, so loving, so supportive, so kind. Truly, I […]
-
Introduction to one of the books that I am writing (about family trauma and identity)
I have been planning to write a book for several years now. My former students and attendees at the motivational talks that I used to give had asked me to write a book on multiple occasions. But it never really felt like the right time. There was always something more important that I thought I […]
-
Revising and recording my current life values
I was watching a show recently about living your life as your best self, and the narrator recommended to reflect upon and write down your values. I’m obviously big into writing – in addition to this blog, I journal every day, and I also am working on a few books. And so I thought it […]