Happy And Healthy Lifestyle

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” ~Mary Oliver Lately, I’ve been taking time to think about what I actually want. Not what I “should” want or what other people want for me. One thing I have learned is that mistakes happen when you choose not to follow your inner guidance system. The problem is that, for many years, I chose not to listen to mine. Whenever it screamed and pulled at me, desperate to get my attention (“Don’t purchase a car from that shady car dealership! Don’t go out with that person who makes you feel very uneasy! Don’t spend thousands of dollars on a degree that doesn’t make you happy !”), I would simply override it. I would tune out everything my gut was telling me, and instead, justify in my head why doing xyz would be a perfectly fine idea. After enough of these experiences piled up, rather than arriving at the realization that I willfully chose to ignore my intuition and that’s what got me into trouble… I arrived at a ...

“Love is the greatest miracle cure. Loving ourselves creates miracles in our lives.” ~Louise Hay When you are unlucky in love, you tend to blame yourself for not being enough and maybe blame fate for not giving you a break already! Everyone else around you is in happy, long-term relationships, but you just can’t get there. You might come to the conclusion that there is something wrong with you—you’re too old or too fat—and all the good ones are already married, and you will just die alone! You never think for one moment that your relationship history is playing out a dynamic from childhood. I felt like this for thirty-seven years of my life. It was like I kept dating the same man but in different bodies. The way I felt was always the same. Always chasing after someone who was unavailable in some way. Some had addictions , some were in relationships, some prioritized other people, but the underlying feeling was the same. I am not good enough to be loved. Other times I avoided relat...

“You can never be happy if you’re trapped in the past and fearful of the future. Living in the present is the only way to be happy.” ~Unknown Have you found that the local and world events of the last couple of years have taken their toll on you and your family and friends? With fires, floods, shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, illnesses, job losses, and more, all occurring in a short space of time, it can be hard to find anyone who has not been affected in some way. Many people are experiencing feelings of hopelessness and living in constant fear about the future. And unfortunately, if not managed, over time these feelings can lead to depression, anxiety, and numerous other health conditions. We’ve all heard that a build-up of stress hormones in our body contributes to illness, but how can we possibly improve our health when we are living in survival mode and feel like the situation is hopeless? I lived this way for most of my life, wishing I could clone myself a million tim...

“Our journey is not about changing into the person we want to become. It’s about letting go of all we are not.” ~Nikki van Schyndel, Becoming Wild I recently went on personal retreat to once again try to heal my wounds, see my patterns, and find my purpose. I loaded my car with journals from the last two decades and a book of poetry dating back to 1980. I packed my cooler full of nourishing food, but then added a six pack of beer and an expensive bottle of wine—completely unaware that I was about to sabotage my personal growth by continuing to numb my pain. I had decided to use my retreat time to review my journal writings, pull out any wisdom I wanted to keep, and release the rest in a burning ceremony. On my first day, I labeled each journal with the year it was written and organized them all chronologically. This task felt arduous yet satisfying when I sat back and looked at the twenty-five volumes all laid out neatly in order. I spent the next three days re-reading each and eve...

“Being cut off from our own natural self-compassion is one of the greatest impairments we can suffer .” ~Gabor Mate Most of us avoid experiences not necessarily because we don’t like them or want them, but because we don’t want to feel how we will feel when we go through that experience. Our lives become altered by the emotions we don’t want to feel because we don’t want to move toward the thing that could bring strong emotions like fear, shame, sadness, or disappointment. We don’t want to go to that party because we’ll probably feel awkward and embarrassed. We don’t want to chase that work opportunity in case we feel disappointed if it doesn’t work out. We don’t want to take that trip because it might feel scary. We don’t want to slow down our busy lives because it feels too terrifying to contemplate emptiness and quiet. And then we get this idea about ourselves that this is just who we are. We are just: People who don’t like parties People who don’t travel People who are...

Criticism can be especially hard for highly sensitive people because we try so hard and we care so much. It’s really fascinating how much it can affect HSPs in particular. I want to share that because it normalizes our experience, to know we’re not alone in how we experience things. I certainly have developed some tools to help with criticism but can still be impacted at times. On an anonymous survey I posted, someone wrote that they find my voice so shrill that they could not stand listening to me. I felt the sting. But it’s important to realize criticisms are opinions that vary from person to person, and therefore, we have to be careful about what we take in and what we believe . To provide an example of that, many others have shared my voice is soothing, calm, and nurturing. Notice how opposite those opinions are? So the next time you receive criticism, I want you to remember this example and know that criticism has nothing to do with us personally and usually comes from a pain...

Hi friends. I hope your year is off to a great start! I know last year was challenging for many, and a new calendar on the wall doesn’t magically change anything. But there’s something about a new year that inspires many of us to reflect on what we can do differently to be more of the people we want to be, make a positive difference in the world, and maximize the limited time we have on this earth. Whatever you’re looking to change or accomplish, Tiny Buddha’s Best You, Best Life Bundle can help, and I’m excited to share that it’s now available for purchase! For one week only, you can get 18 life-changing eCourses and online tools—including my course, Recreate Your Life Story—for 95% off. The bundle’s offerings (valued at over $2,200) cover a wide range of topics, including how to: Boost your self-esteem and learn to fully accept yourself Handle life’s stressors and challenges with greater confidence and ease Make peace with food, yourself, and your body Find freedom from ov...