Happy Thanksgiving!  This mid-week quickie (Q) is the story in my head about giving thanks. 

gratitude, self care, transition, holidays, self esteem, change, acceptance, joy 

One may say you can't have courage without first having fear.  I'm learning to navigate having both at the same time and it's hard to do!  At times, fear wins. Other times I seem to have more courage. Either way, as I am moving between the two; I am loosening my grip and learning to let go.  Here's the latest story in my head.

anxiety, fear, courage, change, transition, moving forward, progress, letting go

It's hard for most of us to accept situations we don't like.  However, it is a critical aspect of change.  Not liking where we are motivates us to get moving! If you don't like where you are, work on getting ready for where you want to be.  Don't waste energy on criticizing how you got here, use your energy to prepare for where you are going! 

awareness, acceptance, action, change, self care, relationships, feeling stuck, motivation 

Have you been told you overreact? Do you react rather than respond? You are like me.  The stories in our heads are never an exact match to the reality of a situation. How accurate is your story? For it is the story we mostly react to! 

Today's quickie is a dare.  I DARE YOU to explore and gather more pieces to your puzzle!!!!    

overreaction, relationships, communication, change, anxiety, depression, fear, self awareness, addiction, marriage 

I woke up with an attitude problem.  I had a poor attitude about myself and the way I was talking to myself was the problem.  My self esteem needed some adjustments.  For me, that means the Story in My Head needs adjusting!  Here's a mid-week quickie about raising my self esteem one step at a time. 

self esteem, self worth, self love, self like, self care, change, trust, respect, acceptance  

It sucks when we are faced with a decision to make or a problem to solve and we don't know what to do.  At times we have too many options, at times there seems to be too few.  The worst times are when can't perceive of options we like!  Regardless, we all know feeling stuck or trapped SUCKS!  Here's a mid-week quickie on decision making.  This time, use your change (yep, coins!) to help you make a change.  Just an experiment.  Try it! Ya just may change the way you see things.  And when we change the way we see the world, the world we see will change! 

Decision making, problem solving, change, transition, feeling stuck, trapped, choices, options, solutions

The Story in My Head often leads to expectations.... unrealistic ones!  And to be honest I've had expectations of how people around me 'should communicate, should behave, and should provide' whenever I am experiencing angst or am in a crisis.  Well, needless to say, my unrealistic expectations were not met and I was angry about it!!!  I was hurt and I felt more alone.  Today's quickie is about knowing we are not alone, even when we feel as though we are.  Cause most of the time when we are in crisis, those around us are in crisis too!  Let's give ourselves and our tribe some grace.

crisis, stress, loneliness, anger, fear, coping, family, expectations, communication, grace  

This mid-week quickie starts fun and ends serious.  This Story in My Head begins dark and smelly, and now offers me permission to feel proud of myself.  Celebrate your skills, successes, accomplishments and talents.

Success, humility, arrogance, conceit, self care, pride, self love, change, self esteem

Kudos to Kate!

Today I am practicing new coping skills to help reduce stress and anxiety.  I've learned I need to practice when I am NOT feeling stressed or overwhelmed.  I'm committed to setting myself up for success; and I invite you to join me in my latest experiment.  Today we are going to practice Being Present. 

anxiety, grief, depression, addiction, stress, coping, change, transformation, present, awareness

Over the last week I have used visualization to help me inventory the tools I have to reduce anxiety, and then to begin creating an Anxiety Toolbelt.  The process has been more difficult than I had expected.  The process has proven quite effective in increasing my self awareness about the coping mechanisms I currently use, as well as the ones I want to practice.    

anxiety, depression, grief, self awareness, honesty, change, transformation, coping