Encouragement for the Codependent
Releasing the Need for Approval: Reflect on moments where you’ve let go of external validation. My Ongoing Battle with People-Pleasing Rehab There was a time when a side-eye from a stranger could send me into an existential crisis. Did I say something wrong? Did I wear the wrong shoes? Am I radiating "bad person" energy?... Continue Reading →
Something sparked a thought in my mind today while I was driving, though I couldn’t tell you exactly what it was. I just found myself thinking about people not liking me. In the past, that used to really bother me. I couldn’t understand why—especially if they didn’t even know me. It felt like a little... Continue Reading →
February 2025: How I Maintain Healthy Boundaries: Share advanced strategies for setting and keeping boundaries. How I Keep My Sanity and Maintain My PEACE Boundaries are like fences—not walls. They protect my peace without shutting people out. But let’s be real, as a recovering people pleaser, keeping boundaries has been one of my biggest struggles.... Continue Reading →
I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who, I feel, has lost her joy. I say this because I remember when I lost mine. I remember just how I felt, how I acted and where I ended up. Joy vs. Happiness Joy and happiness are wonderful feelings to experience, but are very... Continue Reading →
Updated... I wrestled with myself a little last week... I received an email from Kindle Direct Publishing for my ex's father's account. At one point, a few years ago, I was helping him edit and self-publish his books. I kept telling him I was not a literary agent nor an editor but he wanted my... Continue Reading →
I received a text message from my brother the other night. He let me know that he just got off the phone with my ex-boyfriend, M, and that M wanted my brother to give me his phone number. He explained to my brother that he was dying of cancer. I have friends that are still... Continue Reading →
My best friend Lucy has a son who is an addict. He is 36 (I think) and has been in and out of jail for drugs and drug related crimes since he was a young teen. He even lived with me for about a year when he was getting his life together and attending school... Continue Reading →
It amazes me how fast we can get stuck in an unhealthy cycle of dysfunction. Life's circumstances and daily stresses can become overwhelming and we just want someone to listen as we work through the pain, emotions, challenges, etc, that each day brings. Unfortunately, because we all have these pains, emotions, challenges, etc, we get... Continue Reading →
While I was walking through my room this morning (doing God only knows what because I have already forgotten) I heard something on the TV that caught my attention, but only for a moment. The only things I remember are the two words "life-changes" and "transformation". It got me to thinking about the two and... Continue Reading →
Where did they come from? Why are they so powerful? What gives them power? There are many types of fears and some of them are quite valid but that is for another post. This post has to do with the silly fears developed in my younger years and are completely ridiculous for the woman I... Continue Reading →
Where do you get your affirmation? Most of my life I looked for affirmation from others. I needed to hear their words of praise, encouragement, love... I NEEDED it. I would receive compliments or praise and I would feel an ever so brief fluttering of pride. Then I would start feeling they didn't really mean... Continue Reading →
This is a post that I actually wrote as a guest post for another blog in July 2014. The blog has since been taken down so I decided to post on the Diary of a Recovering Codependent. Enjoy! Have you ever felt you were doing everything right but in the process, you were going absolutely and utterly... Continue Reading →
Journey On Strong 