Breaking the barrier of perfectionism

I’m a double winner of sorts…recovering co-dependent and a recovering perfectionist.
Codependents often are other-focused. We often care too much about what others think about us. We believe the lie that our value comes from outside ourselves so it’s important to us that we appear perfect.

The Nature of Our Wrongs

Step 5 states… “Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” So taking from CoDA’s Twelve Steps Handbook and recapping where we’ve been: Let’s clarify a couple of words in that last one.1. Nature: The dictionary defines Nature as… “The forces and processes that produce and controlContinue reading “The Nature of Our Wrongs”

Step in 2023 with intention

As we step into 2023, we are likely to focus on the ways our lives have fallen short of our expectations.  We may dream of everything we want to accomplish or changes we would like to make so that the year is happier and more fulfilling than the last one. Feelings of satisfaction often stemContinue reading “Step in 2023 with intention”

Self-compassion toward our bodies by Dr Kristin Neff

It’s common for us to feel uncomfortable about our bodies, especially after the holiday season. We may judge them as not thin enough or attractive enough or strong enough or young enough or healthy enough. An important part of self-compassion is extending kindness and care to the physical form we inhabit, appreciating its gifts ratherContinue reading “Self-compassion toward our bodies by Dr Kristin Neff”

The codependent parent trap

Parenting is hard. Being a codependent is challenging. Being a codependent parent is, well… something else. And even better, I find myself faced with the colliding specters of my own menopause and my daughter’s adolescence. The compulsive nature of my behaviors can be frustrating. For many years, I kept falling into a codependent parent trap.Continue reading “The codependent parent trap”

The Winding Road

– by Beth I don’t know about you, but my life journey feels like it has had so many twists and turns within that I lost sight of what was right or wrong and how to make a decision without feeling any fear that the decision would be the wrong one. Just when I thoughtContinue reading “The Winding Road”

Love is an ability

I was listening to an interview of meditation teacher and author, Sharon Salzberg this morning. She quoted a line from a movie which said, ‘love is not a feeling, love is an ability”. She went on to ask what if we thought about love primarily as an ability? Sharon explained…That means it’s not in theContinue reading “Love is an ability”

Accepting all parts of ourselves

The Self is who I truly am. I know I’m in Self when I am compassionate, curious and connected. I know I am in Self when I accept, without judgment, all my parts…even those that may create problems in my life. I know ALL my parts are trying to help and protect me in theirContinue reading “Accepting all parts of ourselves”

The Chameleon

Chameleoning.  My spell checker doesn’t recognize it.  I just hate when we take a noun and use it like a verb…adulting, Googling… It’s just that I have a hard time finding a better word to describe what I do when I change who I am to please someone else, to fit in, to avoid conflict,Continue reading “The Chameleon”