Search Results for: lisa firestone/feed/2009/11/fear-of-intimacy

creating a life of meaning

Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion: Part I

…cted. These current circumstances (with the psychological perfect storm of fear, isolation and uncertainty) can diminish optimism and make it more challenging to pursue a meaningful life. With these thoughts in mind, I began to reread Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion written by my husband, Robert Firestone. In the first chapter, he discusses goals and qualities for creating a meaningful life. I found these suggestions to be helpful and he…

Learn More

Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion: Part 2

…inty, it is difficult to be inspired to take an interest in ourselves. The fear and challenges of today throw us into survival mode and leave us defended and disconnected from our feelings. The previous blog opened a discussion about using this period of time creatively and constructively for self-development. It reviewed goals and qualities toward that pursuit that were outlined in Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion written by my husband,…

Learn More

It’s Time for a Hero Story

…t is fair and what is just. We can’t even answer with assuredness the most fearful questions of Will I be OK? Will you die? We have never really been able to guarantee the future. While there have been times of greater predictability, this is not one of them. Instead, the sense of uncertainty is high and its presence is felt by us individuals and in our relationships. As adults we can reach out to others and share our concerns, give and receive su…

Learn More

7 Practices to Keep Calm in the Face of Uncertainty

…erwhelming when we’re attempting to bottle our deeper feelings of sadness, fear, or anger. Take a time out to simply sit with whatever you’re feeling. Allow yourself to cry, shout, or express whatever core emotions may be stirring beneath the surface. When we give ourselves the space to fully feel a primary emotion, the feeling tends to pass through us like a wave and leave us more calm and centered. Finding healthy, safe ways to connect to our fe…

Learn More

Gut Health Linked to Bipolar Disorder?

…myself about how I shouldn’t let myself refrain from enjoyment because of fear of gaining weight, how satisfying my craving will be proving to myself that I am body positive, and how I should prioritize my mental health. I call it “happiness calories.” Activating pleasure centers in the brain is an important part of maintaining well being, and this chocolate cake will do just the trick. However, new research seems to invalidate my logic. Science…

Learn More

A Life Separate

…ty, for getting it wrong sometimes. A low tolerance for decisions based on fear, seemingly reasonable at the time and ludicrous in hindsight. Messy, human attempts at life. When I do remember my blessed separateness, all of a sudden I have options. I am vulnerable. I feel easier in my imperfection. I am tender toward my loved ones’ imperfections. I am gentle toward the bleakness of some realities. Some of the decisions I have made are the polar op…

Learn More

Five Forces That Destroy Relationships

…ay be walking on eggshells or constantly needing to watch what you say for fear your partner will blow up. You may be exhausted from the arguments and live with a growing suspicion that what you are arguing about is not what you are arguing about; that the issues may be greater than the petty topics you chew on. You may realize something is threatening your love, but you can’t quite identify it. You may have a desire to understand what went wrong…

Learn More

Parenting to Grow Self-awareness and Self-management

…ectively. These actions don’t exist in a vacuum devoid of interactions and feedback from how things feel in their bodies. Instead, they are the product of an intricate process informed by many aspects of being. However, once the “basics” are in place, attention to these hidden variables fades as priorities shift. Children’s lives then become carefully curated by their devoted and committed parents with the ideal future they have in mind. Education…

Learn More

Are You Sabotaging Yourself?

…allow ourselves to feel the primary emotions of sadness, shame, anger, or fear in order to feel free in our adult lives. These are all feelings that would have been overwhelming to our infant selves, but that we, as adults, can now tolerate. By breaking a destructive sense of identity, we can start to learn new ways of behaving and relating that are more in sync with who we really are and what we really want. We can halt our self-sabotaging behav…

Learn More

How to Help Yourself if You’re on a Waiting List for Therapy

…iting our activities and contact with others has led to so much talk about fear, loneliness, disconnection, and mental health. These experiences have made people notice their needs and feel more comfortable seeking help. More people now seek therapy For some, actually getting help has been easier, because they could reach out from their living rooms and receive virtual therapy. Yet for others, it has been harder, because they didn’t have the priva…

Learn More