MSI Press Blog

  from Julia Aziz -- If you're having a hard time right now, you are most definitely not alone (though in observing all the hoopla, you certainly may feel that way!). December can be lovely when it involves slow time, good food, and heartfelt connection with people you love. It can also be stressful and heavy with illness, loneliness, and grief. In lightness and dark, this time of year brings up all the feels. I'm going to keep this one short, as I know your inbox is probably overfull. But here are some resources to use, again or for the first time, when you need a little extra support: When you're not sure how you or other people are changing   When you're misunderstood   When you're over-giving and doing too much Releasing negative emotions and what it means to surrender  (audio) On grief and loss  (audio- you can skip the first 10-15 minute intro to my counseling practice--after that, we dive into the topic) The challenge of being a helping professional and also

  Whew, it is HEAVY out there! It feels like a hot, thick, dense fog of negative emotions in the collective right now, at least locally where I live in Texas. If you're going with the societal flow, you're probably being fired up and/or pulled down again and again. It takes a warrior's intent to stay centered in this dark time of human history. Even the phrase "stay" centered doesn't make much sense. "Return to center as often as you need to," is my more favored refrain. To be honest with you, I'm personally feeling strong in spirit lately, as I've recommitted to self-discipline around what nourishes me, like taking a sleep retreat last weekend and setting aside consistent solo time to deeply feel and express my own feelings. Being a person in the world and experiencing my own rough times, as well as listening to so many different experiences other people are having, keeps reminding me of that old Indigo Girls song line, "Darkness has a

  Dr. Wendy Bruton recently interviewed Julia Aziz, author of Lessons of Labor , on her I Used To Be a Therapist podcast. The topic? " Surrender and Releasing Negative Emotions ." For more posts on Julia and her writings, click HERE .