Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

by Lori Gottlieb

Nothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch. — James Baldwin

Most big transformations come about from the hundreds of tiny, almost imperceptible, steps we take along the way.

People often mistake numbness for nothingness, but numbness isn’t the absence of feelings; it’s a response to being overwhelmed by too many feelings.

“There’s a difference between pain and suffering,” Wendell says. “You’re going to have to feel pain — everyone feels pain at times — but you don’t have to suffer so much. You’re not choosing the pain, but you’re choosing the suffering.”

Don’t judge your feelings; notice them. Use them as your map. Don’t be afraid of the truth.

The things we protest against the most are often the very things we need to look at.

THERE IS NO NOISE, TROUBLE, OR HARD WORK. IT MEANS TO BE IN THE MIDST OF THOSE THINGS AND STILL BE CALM IN YOUR HEART.

The four ultimate concerns are death, isolation, freedom, and meaninglessness.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

“The nature of life is change and the nature of people is to resist change.”