by Sheryl Paul | Apr 18, 2021 | Anxiety, Break Free From Relationship Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts |
If I could reach out across time and sit beside you… If I could cross the vast spaces that separate us and place a note into your pocket… If I could gather us together – all of the sweet, sensitive, highly moral, responsible and conscientious souls... by Sheryl Paul | Apr 11, 2021 | Anxiety, Dying/Death, Health anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person, Parenthood transitions |
It’s Saturday night. I feel something tighten around my throat, around my soul. I don’t name it right away, slipping into the amnesia of “everything’s fine” and forgetting to slow down enough to notice the wisdom of my body, the... by Sheryl Paul | Mar 28, 2021 | Anxiety, Open Your Heart, Relationships |
There are hardly words to describe what we’ve endured this year as a species. We’re exhausted. We’re tired of being on high alert. We’re at our wits’ end trying to take care of our children without enough help. We’re tired of... by Sheryl Paul | Mar 21, 2021 | Anxiety, Open Your Heart, Relationships |
If we were raised in a healthy relationship culture – one that held what Jungian analyst Robert Johnson calls “oatmeal love” as the ideal for romantic relationships – if we had grown up ingesting healthy models of romance that held friendship and safety at... by Sheryl Paul | Mar 14, 2021 | Anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person |
This story is for all of my highly sensitive readers who were teased or bullied growing up, which is possibly all of you. It’s a story of neighbors, of friendship, and how just one small daily act of kindness can heal old wounds. Years ago, on a warm summer evening, I... by Sheryl Paul | Mar 7, 2021 | Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts, Relationships |
Preface: I wrote this in 2012 and shared it as a pinned post on the Break Free From Relationship Anxiety forum, where it has lived for the past eight years. The main message is the most important piece to breaking free from not only relationship anxiety but from... by Sheryl Paul | Feb 28, 2021 | Anxiety |
The anxious mind fundamentally asks one question: “Is it enough?” Are my hands clean enough? asks the hand washer. Do I love my partner enough? asks the person who is struggling with relationship anxiety. Did they do enough testing? asks the health anxiety... by Sheryl Paul | Feb 21, 2021 | Anxiety, Highly Sensitive Person, Parenthood transitions, Transitions - General |
Parenting news bulletin: Our children are not here to meet our emotional needs and fulfill our dreams. We’re here to support theirs. (**see note at the end of the post) This is a sharp left from the parenting path our world has been on for thousands of years,... by Sheryl Paul | Feb 14, 2021 | Anxiety, Trust Yourself |
We live in a world where we are bombarded by other people’s stories, paths, and opinions. Every other day, for example, we hear about another celebrity who comes out of the closet, leaves their long-term spouse, and finally feels free to live their best life. If you... by Sheryl Paul | Feb 7, 2021 | Anxiety, Intrusive Thoughts, Trust Yourself |
Let’s start here, which is one of the premises of Jungian psychology: Your greatest strength lives within your greatest pain. When you eradicate your symptoms without approaching them with curiosity and compassion, you eradicate a pathway that leads to your true...
