communication, conflict, faith, family, forgiveness, goals, marriage, meditation, mental health, millennials, mindfulness, parenting, positive thinking, recovery, shame, therapy, thoughts, women, young adults communication, conflict, faith, family, forgiveness, goals, marriage, meditation, mental health, millennials, mindfulness, parenting, positive thinking, recovery, shame, therapy, thoughts, women, young adults

Sh*tty First Draft

I recently had a scuffle with a friend that left me spinning. I felt consumed by it, it seemed every waking moment I was rehashing and replaying our conversation, trying to make sense of our argument. The more I tried to shake it, the more I found myself thinking about it. I became more and more anxious, unsure, and critical of myself.  I felt a pull to smooth it over. Unconsciously, I went to an old, familiar story that my worth is dependent on whether people are pleased with me. My anxiety was oozing out of my shame exposed behind my likable, charming armor. In her research on vulnerability & shame, Brene Brown calls this reaction “The Shitty First Draft”. We all have a shitty first draft. It’s our knee-jerk, go-to story we tell ourselves when we feel vulnerable, shame, or fear.  So how do we break the cycle?

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communication, conflict, depression, faith, family, goals, gratitude, marriage, mental health, millennials, mindfulness, parenting, positive thinking, recovery, thoughts, women, young adults communication, conflict, depression, faith, family, goals, gratitude, marriage, mental health, millennials, mindfulness, parenting, positive thinking, recovery, thoughts, women, young adults

Celebrating Mini-Milestones

Life traverses various seasons, some joyous and light, others dark and difficult. Regardless of the season you’re in now, it’s human nature to zoom in on the difficulties of a day or week and filter out the positive. It can feel natural to celebrate the big milestones in joyous season, but it takes more discipline to celebrate the little, everyday milestones that go easily unnoticed.

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communication, conflict, family, kids, marriage, mental health, mindfulness, parenting, reconciliation, teens, women, young adults communication, conflict, family, kids, marriage, mental health, mindfulness, parenting, reconciliation, teens, women, young adults

Communicating to Connect

Communicating to connect takes some intentional relearning of our speaking & listening skills. Rather than communicating to defend or prove your point as the end goal, imagine how powerful conversations could be if you listened with connection as the ultimate success? Connecting communication fosters healthy attachment, intimacy, trust, and builds stronger relationships. Here are a few guidelines that can move you toward connecting communication:

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