Last week we defined shame and made the important distinction between shame and guilt. The next step is identifying shame and its origin. Unhealthy, prolonged feelings of shame, cause us to deny and therefore hide. Unwilling to accept the feeling of shame, we repress the message for corrective action. Prolonged denial evolves into secret avoidance.
If shame were somehow magically banished from this world, I might not have a counseling practice. For most of my clients, at some point during the process of therapy, we eventually circle back to shame and its lifelong effects. Dealing with shame is vital to one’s emotional health. A soundbite I repeat often in an
Back to balance. We have discussed the five dimensions of living a balanced life. A discussion which could not be complete without visiting the notion of defense mechanisms, the coping strategies that aid us in our quest for balance. Properly applied, our defense mechanisms help us live in harmony and like our emotions, they are
This week we add the emotional piece to the physical and mental aspects of a balanced life. Understanding our emotional selves is imperative in achieving balance. Emotions supply our innate, powerful, internal guidance system with the information that is necessary to keep us safe and secure, balanced. Feelings. They alert us to what is happening