Tag: harmonioushealth4life

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Politics and Emotional Regulation…Or Lack Thereof – Love, Wendy

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It is physically painful and emotionally jarring to observe so many in society devoid of empathy, lacking the emotional intelligence and grace to hear and respect others’ perspectives, and choosing instead to purposefully berate and judge others by becoming combative without provocation.

I also read the most evil and hateful comments on social media,…And for this person in particular, I am reminded of what a small-minded, angry little man I was once tied to, and I thank God every day for removing such evil from my heart and space.

People can have radically different political beliefs, values, and perspectives and still treat one another with basic human dignity.

Some people seem to take pleasure from their high horse, in dehumanizing, humiliating, or attacking someone simply because they disagree with them…whether in person or the cowardly and manipulative setting of social media abuse.

Whatever someone’s political opinion… I am NOT witnessing substantive political discourse…Pure dysregulated contempt.

You don’t have to become numb to cruelty in order to protect your peace. You can see it, feel the sadness of it, recognize it for what it is…and then choose, “I don’t want this in my heart, my relationships, my home, or my space anymore.”

And perhaps that’s the most powerful contrast of all…we don’t have to become less discerning. We can become less willing to let anger and contempt become our way of being.

Remember…we are all sharing a common space while we are here…and when we put such evil out into the world, we have to be very careful because it can boomerang right back at us…

And when we try to run…there’s nowhere to hide.

Remember that.

For goodness sake…learn to emotionally regulate.

Hold your tongue. Close your laptop. Scroll on by. And don’t let everything that lives in your head find its way out of your mouth. Because that is where the “truth” about who we are is revealed.

Love and blessings,


Wendy

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BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Spiritual Wellness:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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Spiritual well-being is not necessarily about religion, in fact…it is not the only pathway to spiritual wellness…

It is about exploring what it is in our bodies that connects to nature where we honor our own human understanding of connection, consciousness and curiosity with intention, passion and commitment.

I hold a certification in Spiritual Wellness…AND… I experience daily a profound sense of connection to what I am certain is a loving, guiding “force” that is “supernatural” in nature.

There is a difference between believing something because you have been taught, and experiencing something and making meaning from that experience where you strengthen your spiritual roots.

My certification gives me a professional framework for understanding spiritual wellness, while my personal spiritual experiences give that framework a very intimate dimension.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

STRUT…DON’T WALK:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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For years I walked around with gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe…slowing my pace and keeping me from moving forward.

Yesterday, I finally yanked off that stubborn, sticky piece of gum and threw it in the trash…

A twelve-year marathon that “trained” me to walk with discernment, and to never again dance with the devil.

No longer dragging my feet…

Strutting into my autonomy for the distance and finally standing in my power.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Restoration:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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Serenity and peace are an early Sunday morning walk, taken slowly and purposefully…listening to my favorite music and watching the pond water ripple as the wind gently blows across its surface.

Nowhere to rush to, but excited to get home to bake fresh gluten-free Chinese almond cookies…then enjoy a beautiful cup of coffee while looking around at the haven I’ve created and thinking about how far I’ve come in these past 14 years of recovery. My heart is filled with gratitude.

Serenity and peace are cultivated intentionally, in whatever ways we choose to create them.

Simple. Strategic. Single-handed.

Restoration isn’t complicated. It’s intentional.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

L-O-V-E:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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I observe three languages in today’s culture: love, hate, and indifference.

Indifference is often overlooked. Most people think the opposite of love is hate, but in many relationships, indifference can feel even more painful.

Hate still implies emotional investment…indifference communicates, “You no longer matter to me.”

Love often seems conditional. It is freely offered when there is agreement, admiration, or usefulness…yet quickly withdrawn when conflict, disappointment, or differing opinions arise.

Love seeks to understand.
Hate seeks to conquer.
Indifference simply walks away.

Our challenge is not merely to speak the language of love when it is easy, but to remain fluent in it when relationships become complicated, opinions differ, and disappointment enters the room. That is where the deepest measure of our humanity is found.

Increasingly, I notice how difficult it has become for many people to tolerate discomfort. A differing opinion often triggers a knee-jerk reaction rather than thoughtful reflection. One’s “version” of the “truth” can hold them hostage, leaving little room for integrity, transparency, or love. Instead, they “perform” indifference, living alone in fear with their “truth” rather than choosing honesty, vulnerability, and connection.

Love requires emotional maturity. It asks us to self-regulate, remain curious, and stay present even when we disagree.

Hate reacts.
Indifference withdraws.
Love chooses connection.

Too often, I see people unable—or perhaps unwilling—to pause long enough to choose love over reaction.

I invite you to develop the emotional capacity to disagree without dehumanizing one another. In a world increasingly divided by reaction, choosing love is one of the most courageous acts of our humanity.

We hold peace in our hands…

It is spelled L-O-V-E.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Write Pray Recover

Call To Action – Love, Wendy

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Today, I sat with a dear friend whose wife died by suicide. The details are so disturbing, and my heart is broken for this beautiful woman who felt she had no way out other than to take her own life, leaving my dear friend on a long and winding road of grief, unanswered questions, and profound sorrow.

My heart is heavy and broken for my friend in his “new normal” of daily survival, quiet resilience, and painful healing.

We need to humanize mental health, not only normalize it.

Normalization can sometimes sound clinical. Humanizing means seeing the person before the diagnosis, the family before the statistics, and the survivor before the stigma.

It means understanding that someone can do everything “right”—as is the case with Ian and his beloved wife—seek treatment, have people who love them, and still struggle profoundly.

AND…we have to take a closer look at the “system” that is supposed to protect those living with a severe and persistent mental illness. Who are they? What is their training? Is there follow-through? Are there outside supports in place once a patient leaves a facility?

And…it also means recognizing that those left behind need community, not avoidance.

When I worked as a Mental Health/Substance Abuse Recovery Specialist and advocate with patients and their families, I heard too many times of loved ones being purposely ignored by friends, family, and neighbors who once sought them out for connection after a diagnosis or mental health/suicide event.

I myself have experienced this avoidance when I was in active addiction and living with a co-occuring mental health disorders, and when a loved one, living with a severe and persistent mental illness and substance use disorder, was near death.

The answer is not retreating from those we love, but pulling them closer. Advocacy is about building a strong community and making sure one less person feels alone.

You cannot “catch” these chronic and complex conditions. You can, however, offer compassion, understanding, and support to someone experiencing profound sorrow and enduring heartbreak whether their loved one is living with a severe and persistent mental illness, or if they have passed.

Mental illness does not define a person, and suicide should never define a life.

Stigma can lead misinformed/uneducated people to label, stereotype and alienate one with a mental health disorder or addiction. 

This can contribute to feelings of shame and embarrassment for individuals and prevent them from treatment seeking behavior.

We change the conversation and understanding about mental health one person at a time.

Show up.

Reach out.

Stay present.

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer someone living with profound loss is the reminder that they are not alone.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Footprints:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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The rarest kind of closeness is feeling safe in someone’s presence… a touch, a look, or a quiet moment speaks louder than words…

The kind of connection where silence itself becomes unspoken communication that is soul-deep and intuitive.

It is someone walking beside you, or perhaps the memory of someone whose presence you still recognize. It is the quiet rhythm of two lives moving in harmony… trust built over time, one step at a time, and the footprints people leave on our hearts long after they’re gone…

For me, a once in a lifetime experience.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

A Rich Inheritance:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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There’s something so heartwarming about watching your adult children in their own homes, re-creating the ordinary moments they once observed growing up—hosting a gathering, preparing a meal, or parenting with so much love and affection.

I notice the way they interact with others. Their words and actions reflect respect, empathy, and a genuine sense of human connection…

I notice the way they care for me, and about me on their visits home where they are genuinely excited to spend quality time together…demonstrating a deep love that is unconditional.

And…I learn new things from them as I quietly observe their actions and interactions.

I smile. I reflect. I see myself in my children…I see the future…and in the blink of an eye, their children will see themselves in theirs.

And yes, of course I made mistakes—many of them. That’s part of being human.

But I believe that when we make mistakes with young eyes watching, and then do the work to repair them…aligning our words with our behavior—we are also modeling problem-solving, humility, accountability, and character.

I am proud of the woman I became—one who chose self-love, curiosity, compassion, resilience, and forgiveness.

Perhaps that’s the greatest legacy we leave behind…not perfection, but the courage to rise each day within the vortex and choose to keep becoming.

Our children inherit all of it. Then they choose what to carry forward and what to leave behind.

Growth became part of my family’s inheritance.

And that may be the richest legacy of all.

You can take that to the bank.

Love and blessings,

Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Listen to your Gut:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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Listening has become a lost art. Nothing reveals character faster than a conversation.

People often mistake talking for connecting. They aren’t the same. Real connection is built in the pauses…in the questions…in the genuine curiosity to understand another person’s inner world without rushing to tell your own story…to exercise empathy, and to cultivate true meaning between two people who are exploring each other…

The fastest way to make someone feel invisible is to interrupt the story they’re trying to tell…Be mindful that being heard is one of the purest forms of connecting…and eventually…being loved…

The questions we ask reveal far more about our character than the stories we tell…

As in the “eye of the tiger,” I am observing it all…

I’ve learned to observe less what a man says about himself and more how genuinely curious he is about my inner world. 

Your intuition often speaks loudest while someone else is talking.

Curiosity is one of love’s earliest expressions.

Shhhhh…Ask. Listen. Respond.

Love and blessings,


Wendy

BOOK, Harmonious Health 4 Life, Soul Notes, Write Pray Recover

Coffee and Me:Soul Notes – Love, Wendy

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Every morning, my first sip of coffee tastes like the first time—stimulating, deeply relaxing, and completely fulfilling. I always look forward to the next morning, knowing I’ll experience that same simple pleasure again.

I wish relationships were as simple as this. I wish each new day began with that same eager anticipation as the first sip of coffee—and the quiet satisfaction that follows.

Love and blessings,

Wendy