The Blogging Platypus

I Am Deeply Loved by the Gods and Goddesses Today’s affirmation highlights the role feeling loved and supported plays in our lives and how the absence of such can prevent us from achieving our goals. While there are certainly people who have achieved great successes in life without support from a loving family and circle of friends, the presence of love and support might make these goals easier to achieve. Love and kindness to ourselves and others can be looked at as rare superpowers in a way, as our society places more weight on achievement and “success,” often overlooking the supports that serve as the foundation of change. Although today’s affirmation mentions gods and goddesses, it also applies to ourselves and those who we consider to be our tribe, our family, our gaggle of misfits. Likewise, if you call upon the support of a higher power of whichever belief system you may have, it is that sense of nurturing love that you experience. If we are able to venture outside of our c...

“I release all false projections of myself and embrace my true spirit” Image via Pexels This morning’s affirmation that has shaped today’s post was a great reminder to live my life authentically. It seems as if I have lived so many different lives, often for the service of someone other than myself. Being in the military for over a decade will do that to you, I guess. Having to conform to a life that feels a bit off can feel like you are wearing someone else’s shoes that are two sizes too small. Sure, the shoes can do the job, but think about how much you will be missing out by being preoccupied with how much pain and discomfort the shoes are causing you to endure. Living your life in a way that prevents you from living authentically can zap the drive, determination, and passion from your life. Then you are left with an empty shell that you eventually convince yourself that you were born with this void in an attempt at soothing a cognitive dissonance that grows like the hun...

Image via Pexels I finally got around to printing and cutting out the 60+ affirmations that I compiled earlier this year. Sure, some may consider affirmations to be hokey, along with witchcraft, but that’s not my view. As I have been on my journey of rebirth, new things are appealing and call out to me. While I am fortunate to have lived so many different lives, the one that is currently in my path is not one that I would have expected or chosen for myself. However, there are times and circumstances that are out of your control. I had my life lined up and was working towards my well-established goal. I did all of the coursework, attended my residencies, changed my degree, then graduated with my MS degree in clinical psychology with a specialization in applied research. Research was what made my brain light up and become flooded with all of those feel good chemicals. I was working towards my goal of becoming a principal investigator (PI) and lead my own research studies in an atte...

Image via Brent Jones It can be a challenge to find your voice. Even after you find it, you will soon realize that holding onto your voice can be even trickier than finding it in the first place. We are inundated by images about what we are supposed to be, do, and how we’re expected to act. In an attempt to refrain from rocking the boat, we’ll go along with the crowd, putting forth a united voice. Don’t get me wrong, a choir of strong voices can help to further causes and can be helpful when it comes to advocating, as it’s more difficult to ignore the masses when compared to ignoring the single voice. However, if we go along with the rest of the crowd, our individual voice may be lost in the noise. Finding and using our voice can be scary, especially if we are used to going along with what is viewed as “right” or “correct” in society. We enter several different groups within society, such as work, school, neighborhood, city, state, and country. If you dare to act against the soci...

Illustration by Veronica Grech/For The Times) The relief that washes over you when you sink into a warm tub can be even more therapeutic! From beauty stores to big box superstores, there seems to be a plethora of bath accessories, including bath salts. No, not the kind that will make you want to eat the face off of your favorite person, but rather the kind that can help to relieve stress and feel your pain begin to become more manageable. There are just about as many bath products out there as there are cute doggos, and that’s a lot! Some of the things I look for in a bath soak is that it is cruelty-free, smells good, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. But if it did cost an arm and a leg, that would be fewer body parts that require a soaking! I jest, but it’s true. Sometimes I am limited by the products from which I get to select, as I can be a little picky at times. I know what I like. One of my favorite fragrances is the combination of spearmint and lemongrass. Everything in ...

Have you ever felt like you caught a vibe, feeling, or energy from someone as easy as some people catch colds? If you enter a room where there was an argument between two people, can you pick up on that emotion? It has been suggested that these sensations could indicate that you are a highly sensitive person, or HSP. It can be really easy for highly sensitive people to become overwhelmed with not only what’s going on in their lives due to a deeper processing of information, but also the emotions and energy of others. The differences in processing information also means that those who identify as HSP are often more creative and empathetic. You can’t have a blessing without a curse, right? Self-care is an integral part of our overall health. However, due to the high levels of stress that HSPs experience, self-care is an essential step. Fortunately, there are some self-care steps HSPs can take to combat the emotional and physical effects of living with the stress and energy of othe...