No matter how much I tried to go back and fix the past by recreating similar relationships in the present, nothing could heal the pain that I had lived through.

When we are willing to let go of who we were, and to embark on a new path, that’s when we begin to change.

Don’t rock the boat, do what was asked of you, and then I could go on my merry way.

Being grateful for who you are is the foundation of building up strong self-confidence and helps us see that we do not need another to feel completed.

I forgive myself. I release the guilt, the shame, and the incessant fretting and worry that I spent in the past, trying so desperately to fill the sick abandonment needs that felt like a hole in my heart.

No matter how much I tried to go back and fix the past by recreating similar relationships in the present, nothing could heal the pain that I had lived through.

When thrown in a problem or situation, we can use the Serenity Prayer and line that up with this question: Is this healthy for me? Along with: Is it true? These touchstone questions can help guide us as we learn how and when to strengthen our boundaries.

What’s a “defect of character?” Here are a few to get you thinking: Using denial to not address a problem, fear of being on your own due to abandonment issues, expressing anger to stunt yourself emotionally, lying to yourself that “everything is fine,” stuffing your emotions down and replacing openness with emotional eating, or trying to save

“I am worthy. I am loved. I am me. There is no one else on the entire planet who is like me. I am unique, with all my flaws and quirks. I know from the deepest part of my inner self that I am grateful for this moment.”