Healthy boundaries are clear limits that protect your emotional, physical, and mental energy. They help you stay connected to others without abandoning yourself. Boundaries are not about control or punishment. They’re about clarity and respect.

While there’s nothing wrong with massages or candles, those things alone don’t create the kind of restoration that prevents burnout or emotional exhaustion. Real self-care is about tending to your relationship with yourself, not just taking a break from stress.

The problem comes when constant comparison turns into self-judgment. Instead of learning or connecting, you start ranking yourself: She’s more successful than me. He’s in better shape. Their family seems happier. Before long, every glance at social media or every interaction with friends becomes another way to measure yourself and come up short.

When people say they have a lack of trust in people, it usually isn’t about being suspicious of everyone. It’s more subtle. You might share surface-level parts of yourself but hold back the real stuff. You might wait for the other shoe to drop, even with someone who seems kind. Or you might second-guess every promise, apology, or commitment.

Being grounded means you’re connected to the present moment instead of being swept away by fear or “what if” thinking produced by your anxious mind. It’s the ability to stay centered in your values and calm enough to make decisions—even when the world around you feels unstable.

Here’s the truth: confidence and self-doubt can exist at the same time. You can be skilled, competent, and qualified—and still feel unsure. Imposter syndrome doesn’t erase your abilities; it just clouds your perception of them.

Yes. Intuition doesn’t always point to the easy path. Sometimes it directs you to set a boundary, leave a relationship, or take a leap you don’t feel ready for. That can feel scary. But notice the difference: intuition will say, “This matters for your well-being.” Fear will say, “If you don’t do this perfectly, everything will fall apart.”

If you grew up in a family where saying No wasn’t allowed or where your worth was tied to pleasing others, boundaries might feel like rejection or selfishness. In reality, boundaries are about honesty and respect. They let people know what you can give and what you can’t. Without them, you risk resentment, burnout, and inauthentic connection.

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting, pretending it didn’t matter, or erasing your history. Healing means learning how to live in today without the past running every decision, reaction, or relationship. Past pain leaves marks on your nervous system, your self-worth, and your sense of safety. Healing is about tending to those marks with compassion and giving yourself now what you didn’t get back then.

Relationship self-sabotage happens when you unconsciously create distance or conflict, even when you want closeness. This can look like picking fights, shutting down emotionally, overanalyzing every text, or convincing yourself the other person doesn’t really care. Chronic anxiety often grows out of two things: past experiences that left your system on high alert, and current stressors that keep pushing your limits. The result is a body that never fully relaxes.

Ellen Langer is a Harvard psychologist who has been studying mindfulness for 50 years and I have been loving her latest book, The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health. Yes, you can be more mindful without a formal practice of meditation or yoga. It simply takes the intention to do so.

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Anxiety is a natural, adaptive response. It’s your brain looking ahead and scanning for danger—trying to keep you safe. 

Saying “I’m not willing to” is an act of inner-connection. You are listening to your own feelings. You are identifying your boundary.

Fasting isn’t just about giving something up—it’s about creating space to notice what’s been there all along...

Lent isn’t just about giving something up—it’s about connecting with what matters most. It’s about getting closer to your Higher Guidance an

You don’t have to overhaul your life to feel fulfilled. You just have to start making small decisions that reflect what you value. Maybe that’s reaching out to a friend instead of scrolling, or taking a walk instead of pushing through one more task. Fulfillment grows from moments of alignment, not from achievement.

You know that feeling of being unsettled or ill at ease without knowing exactly why? It’s like an internal itch you can't quite reach.