Honoring Your Feelings Free of Judgment

Do you have a knack for neglecting to honor your feelings? Do you find yourself feeling shame for your emotions, wishing you wouldn’t feel anything at all? Do you notice that you suppress your feelings in an effort not to make others uncomfortable, only to have those emotions rise to the surface in an overwhelming way later? This is categorized as self-abandonment, which is a learned behavior that begins in childhood. When physical and emotional needs [...]

By Cristina Smugala|2020-11-28T15:55:08+00:00December 8th, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off

5 Ways to Cope With Negative Family Dynamics This Holiday Season

It probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the holidays tend to bring up conflict among families. In addition to compromised family dynamics that might already exist from past wounds, tensions could be especially high this year: Discussions might gravitate towards politics; arguments may ensue about the current global health crisis (please visit the CDC website for how to safely gather this year); and anxiety tends to be triggered about unrealistic expectations surrounding the [...]

By Cristina Smugala|2020-11-28T15:14:33+00:00December 1st, 2020|Anxiety|Comments Off

The (Long Lost) Art of Trusting Yourself

It just takes one. One person might break your trust, and next thing you know, you no longer trust yourself either. Instead of developing mistrust for that one individual in that one situation, you might instead become skeptical of everyone who crosses your path… And you cross your own path quite frequently, don’t you? Although you might have ultimately developed this self-doubt as a way to protect yourself from getting hurt again, this projection of mistrust [...]

By Cristina Smugala|2020-09-21T17:30:10+00:00October 27th, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off

Key Ways Towards More Assertiveness

Assertiveness often gets a bad rap. People tend to equate it with pushiness or arrogance. Truth be told, there can be a fine line between being assertive and being aggressive. But make no mistake, assertiveness is not an intrinsically negative quality. When you are assertive, you are respectfully expressing your personal power. You’re not being selfish but you’re also not being passive. This is possible because it is possible to be forthcoming about your needs. At [...]

By Cristina Smugala|2020-08-31T20:19:18+00:00September 15th, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off

Meditation & Imagination as Tools

We live in a time when, in our pocket, we carry a mini-computer that defies imagination. Everything we think we could possibly need or want is available with just a few clicks — or so we’re led to believe. But what happens when that magical distraction machine obscures our instinctual ingenuity and vision? Too often, we lose focus, sacrifice inspiration, and delegate creativity. Sure, our devices have many useful applications but they should never, ever [...]

By Cristina Smugala|2020-08-31T20:03:01+00:00July 28th, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off

Embracing Self-Love and Acceptance

Plenty of things break. You could break one of your belongings. Or one of your bones. But your self-love should not break. Emotionally speaking, you may also feel broken at times. Someone may hurt your feelings or worse, they might neglect or abuse you. You may grieve a lost love or career or your health and feel shattered. Sometimes a sense of brokenness is the result of sudden, life-altering events far beyond your control…global pandemic, anyone? [...]

By Cristina Smugala|2020-08-31T19:56:22+00:00July 21st, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off

Six Ways to Cope Well with Bipolar Disorder

Living with bipolar disorder can be a serious challenge. The swings from depression to mania and back again can become exhausting. Part of you struggles to maintain a positive attitude but another part implores you to withdraw and wallow. Bipolar disorder requires help from a trained professional. Hand in hand with that help goes your personal self-care and self-love regimen. The coping mechanisms you develop can be a major component of your recovery plan. Bipolar [...]

By Cristina Smugala|2020-08-31T19:37:49+00:00July 21st, 2020|Uncategorized|Comments Off