Open to Hope

Solace in a Birdsong

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

There are days when I feel the weight of old memories, heart losses, and traumas suffered along the path of life. What triggers this can vary. So, what I choose to focus on is not so much what landed me in the low energy or anxious thoughts but, instead, what can help me shift out of it. Today was one of those days where I awoke with a feeling of heaviness and worry. Logically, there is no reason for this. But emotions don’t come from logic. According to experts in neurology, emotions are a reaction to a physical change in […]

Death of a Child, Death of a Parent, Your Grief

Finding Your ‘Essential Self’ after a Loss or Life-Changing Event

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Yesterday, I finished reading “Finding Your Own North Star” by therapist Martha Beck, PhD. I bought the book because it looked empowering and this proved to be true. In fact, the entire book is about personal empowerment and building a new life after a “cataclysmic event.” During this time we are stressed and have to let go. If you identified yourself with your job and lose it, Beck explains, your identity shifts. According to Beck, each person’s essential self is determined before birth. As she writes, “You are designed with the ability to find the life you were meant to […]