The Struggle

It’s impossible to tune out your inner critic 24/7, but that doesn’t doom you to self hate. An active inner critic can occasionally present helpful messages in unpleasant packages. 

By its very nature, people-pleasing means protecting someone else, rather than yourself. Trauma often creates people-pleasing habits, because it teaches you that others will hurt you (emotionally or physically) in order to achieve their goals. It can feel safer to avoid this hurt by just giving people what they want in the first place. Trauma can also teach you that your own needs and opinions cause others discomfort, leading to a habit of self-abandonment and agreeability. While chronic people pleasing

When you need a hug but nobody’s around, use these exercises from Somatic Experiencing (available in a printable reference sheet for convenience). Somatic Experiencing is a form of therapy developed by Peter Levine, PhD for coping with difficult feelings–especially those caused by sensations stuck in our bodies due to various life stressors or traumas. 

Don’t let a daunting task get you stuck. Get a realistic idea of what exactly has to be done, then spark action by taking the pressure off.

In the face of stress, most of us display a unique blend of the four F’s: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn reactions. While we all experience each of the four F’s in one way or another, most of us default to one or two main types of stress response. Unfortunately, these automatic responses often work against our wellbeing. Who can this Four F stress response worksheet help, and how? This worksheet is good for people who have experienced: Depression Anxiety

Contrary to popular belief, the stages of grief don’t come one-at-a-time, in a predictable order. Part of why grief feels so messy, is that we may experience its conflicting stages at once.  Feel less overwhelmed by the flood of emotions, by acknowledging each feeling on its own: anger, resentment, regret, acceptance, appreciation, and hope. Who can this grief worksheet help, and how? This worksheet is good for people who have experienced: Loss Trauma Dissociation Rejection Abandonment Heartbreak Feeling broken The

When you feel others’ expectations–whether they have voiced them or not–it’s easy to prioritize meeting those expectations, even at your own expense. Especially if you’ve ever had people-pleasing tendencies.

Run through this list of questions to make the most of your anger: assess it, understand it, communicate it, and use it to feel better.

It’s hard to know how to take a compliment. To receive a compliment with grace, you have to accept positive feelings about yourself–and that can feel uncomfortable when you haven’t done it much!  Take as little as 10 minutes to complete this worksheet by:  Printing it, or Writing your answers on a separate piece of paper, or Typing your answers into Notes or a word document. Who can this compliments worksheet help, and how? This worksheet is good for people

People who have been mistreated by others may have a very hard time healing, because they may feel triggered by the main thing that can help their trauma: social relationships. Luckily, relational healing can help you out of this painful position. What is relational healing? Relational healing involves consciously using your bond with a chosen, healthy person, to build both a safe space and a healthier template for future relationships.  Relational healing allows you to reclaim the feel-good power of