It has occurred to me lately that one of the most important things to do is to fill my “life skills” toolbox with as many tools as possible.
When I was growing us, my default, as a Gen X street kid, was to deal with hard feelings by anesthetizing myself with cigarettes, alcohol and romantic self-destruction.
In the beginning of my self-study journey (which I later learned would fall under the the fourth Niyama of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras called, svadhyaya), I became committed to take the time to get to know myself more and to cultivate self-respect and clarity, and learn some skills.
So today, in addition to some funnies, and a link to an archived post (which I have unlocked for you), I am excited to share a few tools I have learned over the past few years that have been helpful in steering me away from automatic reactions and more towards responsiveness, compassion, and empathy.