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Most of us in recovery have engaged in denial from time to time. Some of us relied on this tool.
We may have denied events or feelings from our past. We may have denied other people’s problems; we may have denied our own problems, feelings, thoughts, wants, or needs.
We denied the truth.
Denial means we didn’t let ourselves face reality, usually because facing that particular reality would hurt. It would be a loss of something: trust, love, family, perhaps a marriage, a friendship, or a dream. And it hurts to lose something, or someone.
Denial is a protective device, a shock absorber for the soul. It prevents us from acknowledging reality until we feel prepared to cope with that particular reality. People can shout and scream the truth at us, but we will not see or hear it until we are ready.
We are sturdy yet fragile beings. Sometimes, we need time to get prepared, time to ready ourselves to cope. We do not let go of our need to deny by beating ourselves into acceptance; we let go of our need to deny by allowing ourselves to become safe and strong enough to cope with the truth.
We will do this, when the time is right.

http://melodybeattie.com/letting-go-denial/

Source: http://melodybeattie.com/live-your-life/
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Even if it just sits there and does nothing, this little Husky pup is too cute to handle. But when it tries to howl? Forget it, cuteness overload.

Source: Cute Husky puppy tries its first howl – Holy Kaw!

We evolve our consciousness by bringing a clear and kind attention to the tangles of suffering. This talk explores how the “second arrow” of self-judgment imprisons us in emotional reactivity, and the pathways of awakening awareness that reconnect us with our full human potential. (This talk was given at the 2016 IMCW fall retreat.)

Source: Tara Brach: Tara Brach – The Wings of Awakening – Self-Honesty and Love (retreat talk)

Many of us procrastinate to the point that it takes a lot of energy to keep it going. Energy that could be used more productively. Many of us fail to take responsibility for things we have done, finding it easy to avoid issues by blaming others or circumstances “beyond our control”. Many of us do not take the time to analyse an issue, preferring to avoid the pain that is associated with it. Many of us are looking for instant gratification, hoping that things will change or something will come along and take the pain away. It happens to everybody at some stage in their lives purely because it makes us feel “good” in the moment. It happens in all aspects of our lives….relationships…where we avoid painful decisions hoping things might improve….work….where we procrastinate that difficult task….avoid talking with our boss….or raising an issue with a colleague or client. We also do it as individuals. Not taking responsibility for what we can influence and not making definite choices about ourselves. We would rather moan and complain and put our destiny in the hands of others. When we avoid our own responsibility, we are really saying to others…”you need to tell me what to do…to look after me” Erich Fromm stated quite rightly in his book on Nazism that we spend our lives “escaping from freedom”. The freedom that personal responsibility brings.

Source: All We Really Need is Self-Discipline. – Dr Nicholas Jenner PsyD MA

Source: When Love is Not Enough. {poem} | elephant journal

Source: The 21 Most Inspiring Health and Fitness Mantras | What I see, what I feel, what I’d like to see… | #brightshinyobjects | Pinterest

She Goes Hiking Now…

If you think you’re seeing things as they really are, think again. Unless you’ve had the deep experience of letting go, there is only a myriad of illusions.

Source: Degrees of Seeing – Lion’s Roar

OMFG!

In relationships, it’s natural to join with others, but it’s also fundamentally important to have a strong sense of your own autonomy. In this clip from my Foundations of Well-Being program I explain how you can create a secure base of “me” inside yourself to be more able to explore “we” out in the world.

Source: Intimacy: Me and We Video Clip – Dr. Rick Hanson