Ugh BURNOUT is Here
I had to take a sick day on Tuesday. I way, WAY overdid it with the errands and tasks the day before. And I burned myself out. Here’s what I had done on Monday: I called my elderly cousin.I made and ate breakfast.I had a meeting with a colleague.I walked the dog. I had a […]
People-pleasing is Controlling
People-pleasing is so controlling,I realized recently. I say this as a veteran people-pleaser. Many people-pleasers developed their people-pleasing habits in childhood, when they needed to appease an abusive or authoritarian parent. Their child minds recognized what needed to be done to preserve their safety, their sense of belonging, and did it. Bless those early selves […]
Don’t Let Her Drive
I spent a day with a friend who is having a very hard time right now. During that day, I said and did a couple of things that were insensitive. So this morning, I woke up thinking about it. In came the berating voice. “Why did you say that? Why did you DO that? What’s […]
What to Do in the Meantime
Here’s what to work on, if you know you want to hire a Life Coach, but you’re not quite ready yet. There are five things. I’ve made them an acronym, so it’s easy to remember: SMIRF. StressMovementIntimacyRestFood (Yes, I know I could have made the acronym “FIRMS”. But SMIRF is funner!) Let’s take them one […]
A Story About Shame
This is a story about shame. When I was around 9 or 10 years old, I stole a classmate’s assignment notebook and passed it off as my own. My classmate—let’s call her Jennifer—was like me, in that she was a very bright girl who always had the answer and did well on tests. She was […]