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“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” ~Marcus Aurelius Gratitude. It used to be a very triggering concept for me, and sometimes it still is. It’s been a process to unravel what it means to me and to…

“True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.” ~Brené Brown This past year, during a season of transition in my life, I started working part-time as a bridal stylist at a wedding dress store. It was something I had quietly dreamed about for years. I’ve…

“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” ~African Proverb It is just past ten in the morning on a Tuesday. My wet boardshorts and blue tank top are drying at lightning speed in the sweltering South Indian sun. I am feeling alive and exhilarated after my surf session in the…

“You are not stuck with the brain you have. You can make it better.” ~Dr. Daniel Amen  At the beginning of the year, I had this whole list in my head about the benefits of dry January: drop a few pounds, sleep better, get those bright white eyes everyone raves about. The standard results you think you would get…

“I used to tolerate a lot because I didn’t want to lose people. Now I set boundaries because I don’t want to lose myself.” ~Anonymous I used to feel stretched and depleted in my own life, drained by obligations, and confused about why I felt overwhelmed even when everything looked ‘fine.’ At the time, I…

“Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” ~Louise L. Hay There it was—glaringly obvious on the page. An embarrassing typo stared back at me from the backside of a brochure I’d received from the printer. A brochure I wrote, laid out, and…

“Sometimes growth doesn’t look like becoming more—it looks like leaving behind what no longer fits.” For a long time, I believed that outgrowing a friendship meant I had failed at it. That belief took root early, at boarding school, where friendships weren’t just social—they were survival. We didn’t see each other for a few hours…

“Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.” ~Dr. Gabor Maté Most people think trauma comes from what frightened us. But not all trauma is rooted in fear. Some wounds come from betrayal—when something violates our sense of right and wrong, and we’re…

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” ~Viktor Frankl  For a long time, my first response to difficulty was a single, aching question: “Why me?” It surfaced whenever life took an unexpected turn—when plans collapsed, when effort didn’t materialize, when circumstances felt unfair and…

“Meditation is a way of being, not a technique.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn I didn’t think I was someone who “couldn’t meditate.” I had read the books. I understood the benefits. I knew, intellectually, that sitting with my breath was supposed to help me feel calmer, more present, more myself. And yet every time I tried, something…