Art That Overcomes

Do you have trouble envisioning goals for your life? Or trouble believing that you can actually reach the goals you’ve set? Or, did you think you had gotten it down, only to find that you’re now at a standstill, not really taking purposeful action toward where you want to go?

No matter where you might fall on this spectrum, I want to tell you that it makes sense. Lots of humans struggle with this, but especially Survivors and Overcomers of narcissistic abuse. 

We have trouble moving past survival mode, making choices and decisions for ourselves, and taking action because it feels safer for us to stay small. Once upon a time, staying small is what kept us safe in the abusive relationship. 

But now it’s holding us back.

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse", or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)

Who gets to decide what real art is…and who the real artists are? And if a piece of artwork is good or not? 

Do you have to exhibit artwork for others to see? Do you have to perform on a stage or on video?

Today I’m sharing my two cents on this topic.

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse", or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. I find that this concept encourages us to set huge unrealistic goals that we pretty quickly fail to take action on. 

It encourages an all or nothing mentality. We try to tackle the big goal, don’t reach it quickly, and then stop trying… and then feel guilty or disappointed in ourselves. 

Listen, I think it’s great to set goals. But when we’re talking about one big thing to focus on for an entire calendar year, I prefer to simply name one intention word for the year. 

This approach is definitely not unique to me. I’ve heard lots of others talk about this online the past few years. 

Why? 

Because it’s more effective than New Year’s resolutions. It gives you one broad theme to focus on throughout the year, as you continually recalculate, recalibrate, and set one goal after another as needed.

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse", or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)

Anger. This is stereotypically a difficult emotion for women to allow themselves to feel and to express. We are taught that it’s acceptable for us to be sad, nervous, anxious, scared, disappointed, depressed…. Any of the “negative” emotions that make us small and shrink back, needy of others to comfort or save us.

But anger is an emotion that’s usually expressed more outwardly, in a way that commands the stage, if you will. Anger is powerful, energetic, and demands attention. When we think of how one would show this emotion to others, we usually think of an angry scowl with eyebrows downturned, and a loud voice, slamming doors, or even hitting or throwing things. 

Did your abusive partner show their anger this way? Did they try to disguise their verbal and physical abuse under a mask of justifiable anger? Did their anger (even if just displayed in a facial expression) cause you to feel fear? 

Today I’m answering a question from my online community about how to learn to be okay with our own anger, as well as the anger of others.

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse", or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)

Are you able to be yourself, Overcomer?

Do you truly feel like you can let loose and be YOU, even if just for a little while, or in certain environments, or around certain people?

One of my biggest goals in life is to become more and more comfortable being ME in all places, spaces, and relationships.

I find that some of this increased comfortability with being Me comes naturally with age, but it also takes intentional work...

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse", or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)

I often talk about the concept of “anniversary reactions” with my clients. This term refers to the yearly anniversary of a traumatic event or loss of some kind, and with it, the return of symptoms of grief. 

A quick Google search told me that according to psychological literature, an “anniversary reaction” is defined as an individual’s response to unresolved grief resulting from significant losses. The anniversary reaction can involve several days or even weeks of anxiety, anger, nightmares, flashbacks, depression, or fear. 

I have a few of my own anniversary reactions, and with time I have found that while it’s not helpful to assume that I’ll automatically struggle certain times of year, it is very helpful to be aware that these struggles may come. I make sure that on those days (or those months) I give myself a little extra space to feel whatever emotions may come up. 

Can you relate? Do you experience increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, or anger during the time of year that your abusive relationship ended, when a specific traumatic event happened, or when a friend or family member died?

Today I’m sharing a bit about how I’m processing a current anniversary reaction of my own.

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse", or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)

TODAY IS THE DAY!

Now is the time to order your copy of The Uncommon Guide to Healing from Narcissistic Abuse: How I Used Art to Break the Pattern and Redefine My Identity!

Are you a woman who has survived narcissistic abuse, gone to therapy, attended support groups, tried countless healing modalities — yet you still feel stuck in life?

The Uncommon Guide to Healing from Narcissistic Abuse: How I Used Art to Break the Pattern and Redefine My Identity hones in on the root issue behind your struggle to keep growing now that the initial relief of leaving the abuse has worn off. 

In this book, Jennifer shares personal stories and reflections, mindset shifts, and practical exercises that will help you finally get unstuck, take charge of your life, and redefine your identity on your own terms. The narcissist isn’t in charge anymore! It’s your turn now.

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse", or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)

I am so excited to announce that the Kindle E-book version of ‘The Uncommon Guide to Healing from Narcissistic Abuse: How I Used Art to Break the Pattern and Redefine My Identity’, is now live on Amazon! That means if you pre-ordered the Kindle E-book it should have been magically delivered to your device a few days ago, by the power of technology. 

AND, I’m even more excited that TOMORROW, FRIDAY November 17th, the paperback version of ‘The Uncommon Guide to Healing from Narcissistic Abuse’ will finally be available for purchase!

I can’t wait for you to start reading it, completing the art and writing exercises at the end of each chapter, and experiencing some big aha moments.

Will you order either the e-book or paperback this week? Or better yet, order one for yourself, and one for a friend? I’m working really hard to see if I can get to a number one ranking in one of my chosen categories on Amazon. So far, my lowest ranking has been number 48 in the self help for abuse category. 

Just like pretty much everything we experience online, Amazon has its own algorithm. The more orders I get (especially on the same day or within a few days), the better my ranking, and also the more I’ll gain visibility in the Amazon algorithm when other Overcomers like you log on to search for books about healing from narcissistic abuse. More popular books are going to show up first in someone’s search. 

So, let’s make The Uncommon Guide to Healing from Narcissistic Abuse POPULAR, shall we? It’s all up to you!

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse", or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)

I am so excited to announce that the Kindle E-book version of The Uncommon Guide to Healing from Narcissistic Abuse: How I Used Art to Break the Pattern and Redefine My Identity, is now live on Amazon! That means if you pre-ordered the Kindle E-book it should have been magically delivered to your device today, by the power of technology. I can’t wait for you to start reading it, completing the art and writing exercises at the end of each chapter, and experiencing some big aha moments. 

If you’ve been paying close attention to all my posts and emails the past couple of weeks, you know that I was also planning for the paperback version of the book to be released today. Unfortunately, due to a small error on my part, the paperback will now be available this FRIDAY, November 17th. So…Just a few more days to wait!

Today, I want to read for you the introduction to the book. If you’d like to read this introduction for free, go to the link below to grab both the intro and first chapter. Or of course you can order the e-book and have the whole thing right now. 

I want to read the introduction to you today…. And then later this week I’ll be popping back in to share one of my favorite passages from the book…. But I’ll keep that a secret for now.

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, pre-order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse" (release date 11/13/23!!), or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)

I love the idea of creating a vision board to help envision our goals for the future, but as I shared back in episode 63, I also have some mixed feelings about vision boards. 

In that episode, I declared that I was going to make a more gritty type of vision board to accompany the one I had created sometime last year.

And, I did just that. Today I’m here to report how that went. It wasn’t what I expected, LOL. But I got a lot out of it. 

Here's the link to all the things!

⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/jenniferakramer⁠⁠⁠

Go here to view the Art That Overcomes Instagram page, sign up for weekly emails, pre-order "The Uncommon Guide to Healing From Narcissistic Abuse" (release date 11/13/23!!), or to grab the Intro and Chapter 1 for free :)