It’s a bit of a strange question. Try to take a step back from your closest relationship and view it as an outsider granted insider information. What would that outsider say in regard to how much that relationship costs you in time, money, effort, emotions, words, stress, or heartache? If this is your closest relationship, […]
Uncategorized
The Most Important Thing in Life?
If relationships are often the key ingredient to anxiety in our lives, why should we even bother with pursuing them? Why should we worry ourselves about seeking to heal broken relationships? Wouldn’t it make more emotional sense to just distance ourselves from the other person? Wouldn’t that save everyone involved from more heartache and pain? […]
When You’re the Focus of Someone Else’s Story
Much of The Stories We Tell Ourselves focuses on you as an individual. I outline multiple ways for readers to stop telling themselves made-up stories based on inaccurate, faulty, hoped-for versions of reality. As I often remind my clients, the only thing you really have control over is yourself, so learning how to change yourself […]
When You’re Right
In my last post, I asked the question, “What if you’re right?” What if the stories you’ve been telling yourself about a situation or person turn out to be true? Now, I’m of the opinion that this is seldom the case (else, I wouldn’t have written a book that aims to edit or eradicate The […]
What If You’re Right?
Few more smugly satisfying experiences in life exist than when you’re able to tell someone else, “I told you so.” If you’re humble enough to not say the words out loud, I’m sure you’ve likely thought them. Maybe you gave a knowing nod to the person about whom you were right. Maybe the other person […]
Outside In
In my last post, I discussed Disney Pixar’s movie Inside Out. I wrote about how that movie captures much of the essence of my book, The Stories We Tell Ourselves, in that it literally depicts those voices in our heads that tend to hold too much sway in how we interact with others. At the […]
Inside Out
If you haven’t seen Inside Out, check it out. In typical Disney Pixar fashion, it’s a smart, engaging tearjerker for kids and adults alike. Inside Out may also be one of the best movies depicting the actual Stories We Tell Ourselves. With characters portraying Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust living within the mind of […]
The Key to Better Relationships
In Chapter 12 of The Stories We Tell Ourselves, I wrote that it’s “absolutely possible to have a better marriage, better friendships, and better business relationships,” and not just because the reader had bought my book. Pause for a moment and consider what better business relationships would look like for you. Now consider how your […]
Is Anxiety Your Constant Companion?
When a circumstance in life isn’t working out the way you expected it to, or a relationship turns sour that you never thought would go bad, what do you feel before encountering that circumstance or relationship again? In The Stories We Tell Ourselves, I defined anxiety, in most cases, as “a refusal to accept life […]
7 Steps to Control Your Anxiety
In Chapter 11 of The Stories We Tell Ourselves, I share these seven steps to control your anxiety: 1. Notice your body and emotions (a.k.a. self-awareness). 2. Breathe deeply. 3. Control what you can control. 4. Surrender to what you can’t control. 5. Talk to yourself in a positive manner. 6. Do something life-giving in […]
