Encouragement for the Codependent
Or in other words...How I Protect My Peace While Supporting Others There was a time when I thought empathy meant giving everything I had, my time, my energy, my emotional reserves, until there was nothing left for me. I’d walk away from conversations drained, resentful, and sometimes even a little lost in someone else’s pain.... Continue Reading →
Learning to step back so others can step into their own strength I’m just going to be honest here… it wasn’t until I was almost 40 that I even knew what enabling meant. For most of my life, I thought helping someone was one of the many ways you showed love. I was a fixer,... Continue Reading →
There’s something powerful about carving out a life that is fully your own, one that reflects your values, desires, and personal growth. It’s easy to fall into patterns or expectations that come from others or from the world around you, but crafting a life that’s truly yours takes conscious effort, self-awareness, and, above all, courage.... Continue Reading →
How I Learned to Embrace My Own Company The timing of this topic couldn’t be better. Just last night, I came across a social media post that spoke directly to this, and it really hit home. I’ll share it at the end of this post. There was a time when being alone felt like torture.... Continue Reading →
Letting Go of Who I Thought I Had to Be Back in the day, I used to think I was authentic. I really did. I believed I was being real with myself and others because I was so deep in my codependent patterns, I couldn’t see that I was about as fake as they come.... Continue Reading →
Reconnecting the Dots: Mind, Body, and Spirit in My Recovery For most of my life, I lived in my head. My thoughts were constantly spinning, analyzing, anticipating, overthinking, people-pleasing, worrying about how I was being perceived, and running imaginary conversations on loop like a bad sitcom rerun. My body? Ignored. My spirit? I wasn't even... Continue Reading →
Evolving Boundaries Over Time: How My Lines Shifted as I Grew When I first started my recovery from codependency, I thought boundaries were just walls you put up to keep people from hurting you. I imagined them as invisible force fields that kept everyone at a painful distance. Honestly, I wasn’t wrong for where I... Continue Reading →
The Difference Between Walls and Boundaries: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Openness and Protection When I first began to set boundaries, it was confusing and difficult. I used to think I was setting healthy boundaries, but in reality I was building emotional walls, tall and thick ones. I told myself it was self-protection, a way... Continue Reading →
Today I’m Celebrating 20 Years of Recovery from Codependency and People-Pleasing!And yes—I’m throwing confetti (and maybe even dancing a little). Two decades. That’s 240 months, 1,040 weeks, and a whole lot of no’s I had to learn how to say. Today, I’m not just celebrating a milestone—I’m honoring every small, quiet, courageous step it took... Continue Reading →
How I Celebrate Myself (Without Feeling Guilty About It) There was a time when celebrating myself felt...wrong. Like, who did I think I was to throw an internal party just because I said no to something that drained me? Or because I finally kept a boundary without apologizing six times after? That, my friends, is... Continue Reading →
Keeping My Sanity: How I Stay Grounded in Stressful Situations Let’s be real—stressful situations are inevitable. Whether it’s an overflowing inbox (this absolutely stresses me out!), a family gathering that feels like a reality TV drama, or the unexpected horror of realizing you’re out of coffee, life has a way of testing our patience. But... Continue Reading →
I’ll get back to you… when I’m available! Lately, I’ve been pretty stuck on the topic of boundaries. Once again, I find myself facing the challenge of setting them—only this time, I need to work through doing it in a loving and respectful way. I have a situation that needs to be dealt with—and soon.... Continue Reading →
Journey On Strong 