Parents often respond to children's self-doubt by offering praise. But what they really need is room to fail. A middle school girl I worked with finally found the courage to tell me her deepest fear. Her body was so tense, it was practically vibrating. “What if I...
Read More↓ When you are a victim of abuse, your mind comes up with all the reasons it's not really happening. It's possible — although the very word "abuse" implies decisiveness, purpose, and will. Maybe this is because its very sound — those two small syllables, when pronounced...
Read More↓ When you have low self-esteem, optimism doesn't come easy. ↓ It doesn't feel that way to everyone. It didn't feel that way to my old college roommate, who saw every rained-out Sunday as a dazzling opportunity to stay inside cleaning closets and watching old movies while eating...
Read More↓ What if your self-hatred is not actually yours? ↓ Self-hatred seems so personal. What could be more about us, what could be more ours, than our opinions of ourselves? ↓ Those things we think and say to and about ourselves as we gaze into mirrors, talk, walk, work, take chances or take tests: those...
Read More↓ Empower yourself to shift the stories you tell. I could tell this tale as if I was a standup comic, social scientist, low-self-esteem support-group speaker and/or seer. And I want you to tell your tales in such ways too. But more about that later. ↓ Something weird has...
Read More↓ We quit things we love because we believe ourselves unworthy. Have you given up things you love? Not things you loved, past tense, then honestly stopped loving—such as keg parties or Angry Birds. I mean things—places, topics, whatever—you still love, but let go. Maybe you told yourself you didn't love them anymore so move...
Read MoreWhen blaming yourself for your own suffering becomes a core belief. When I started having back pain recently, I blamed myself—because surely it could only have been caused by my laziness or weakness or my chronic slouch. But no. I was born without hip sockets. As a...
Read MoreHow to Stop Speaking Harshly to Yourself ↓ Harsh self-talk is a pattern of learned behavior, and the good news is we can unlearn it. Recently, I read an interview with author Danielle LaPorte where she stated that she never speaks meanly to herself. “Not ever.” This blew my mind. Because...
Read MoreYour Self-Esteem is Not the Problem ↓ Like everyone else, I’ve had difficult times in my life. I’ve had bad breakups, I’ve made mistakes, and I’ve been hurt. In these difficult moments, a lot of people have cheerfully diagnosed me with “low self-esteem.” ↓ I never quite agreed. I...
Read MoreYou're Not Fighting That War Alone ↓ One of self-loathing's most devious tactics is to isolate its victims, chasing each of us into dark lonely corners in which we feel singled out and incomparably awful, just as those who stole our self-esteem did, way back when. They drove...
Read More6 Signs of Depression Depression is a silent disorder. It is not a simple “I am sad” feeling but is the feeling of extreme sadness which affects much on what we feel, think, act and handle daily activities. * In a report by the World Health Organization, suicide...
Read MoreMeditation Is Hard When You Hate Yourself * Maybe at some point, you decided to try meditation—thinking it might help you resemble those placid, robe-draped figures chanting in the documentaries. Maybe you marveled at those scientific studies linking meditation with reduced anxiety and better sleep. Maybe you started...
Read More[embed]https://youtu.be/bxi1IGj-rSM[/embed] Tony Robbins on How to Get Unstuck In this episode of Behind the Brand, Bryan Elliott talks to business and life strategist Tony Robbins about what to do when you’re feeling stuck. His method? Uncovering what’s holding you there, what’s stopping you. And he says it’s two...
Read More* How to Bounce Back From Failure * This too shall pass if you grasp for a new beginning. You need to pull yourself up and move back into the world with a plan. * Here is a familiar scenario for all of us: You have an exciting goal in...
Read More* 17 Affirmations For Embracing Imperfection * Use these affirmations to accept that life is not perfect. My daughter was discouraged. She’s just tried laser tag for the first time at a friend’s birthday party, and her Red Team had come in last with points. I pointed out that...
Read More* Sometimes Just Stepping Outside Is a Mark of Courage * On crowded streets, I often wonder who among us found it very hard to leave his or her home that day, yet did it anyway. In other words, I wonder who is brave. Then I send silent greetings: Hello,...
Read More* 4 Daily Practices to Increase Your Mental Health * For more than 25 years I thought I was crazy. I would remind myself, “Some people are born to be crazy, and you’re one of them.” Only I hadn’t been born crazy; I’d survived a trauma at the...
Read More* For a Positive Body Image, Choose Self-Compassion over Self-Esteem * “Beauty is perfect in its imperfections, so you just have to go with the imperfections.” —Diane Von Furstenberg A new study by researchers at the University of Waterloo has touched on a somewhat taboo question: ‘What if women...
Read More* Sometimes Just Stepping Outside Is a Mark of Courage * On crowded streets, I often wonder who among us found it very hard to leave his or her home that day, yet did it anyway. In other words, I wonder who is brave. Then I send silent greetings: Hello,...
Read MoreWhy Some People Look Years Older Than They Really Are * It’s just a fact that some people age faster than others. Many factors go into this fact – weight, where they live, diet, exercise and overall health are just a few. Genes also play a large...
Read More* How to Take Control Of Your Health and Your Weight * Have you ever wondered why despite all the efforts you have put into drugs, nutritional supplements, diet, exercise, your body just seems to have a mind of its own? That despite all your good intentions, the...
Read More13 Ways to Take Care of Yourself Every Day * Don’t get stuck in an unhealthy daily grind. Here’s how to work “me time” into your busy schedule. It’s 7:30 a.m. and your alarm is blaring. Squinty-eyed, you reach for your phone, fumbling to swipe that horrible noise...
Read MoreStop Self Criticizing, Start Meditating * According to the experts, meditation lessens the extremities of negative thoughts, changes patterns of belief and facilitates learning how to forgive yourself. Admit it, you’ve been there: acting as your own worst critic by doubting yourself. As a writer and yoga instructor,...
Read MoreHeal Your Relationship with Your Body * If you’ve ever looked in the mirror at your body with disgust, or punished yourself for eating one too many cookies by spending hours on the treadmill, then you may recognize that your relationship with your body needs some tending...
Read More5 Mindset Traps That Will Derail Your Success * For 12 years, I was a bread delivery driver, and I dreamed of more for my life. But I also listened to my doubt and fear, and I let them keep me from more—from success. Then I finally got...
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