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4 Things That Create False Guilt

4 Things That Create False Guilt

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Over-Functioning And Personal Development Burnout

Over-Functioning And Personal Development Burnout

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3 Yoga Poses to Support Mental Health

3 Yoga Poses to Support Mental Health

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How to Thrive in Your First Year Out of College

How to Thrive in Your First Year Out of College

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Empathy Vs Sympathy

Empathy Vs Sympathy

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4 Positive Affirmations for Perfectionists

4 Positive Affirmations for Perfectionists

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the odyssey of emily

the odyssey of emily

Founded by Emily Costello, this blog is a safe space to go deep into the world of Highly Sensitive People, Introverts, Mental Wellness, and Spirituality. Where religious deconstruction and humor meet at the intersection of being extra, loving sci-fi, and nurturing our minds and bodies.

Three cheers for five years. 🥂 Three cheers for five years. 🥂
Is your brain convinced that if you prepare and wa Is your brain convinced that if you prepare and walk through every possible scenario, it will keep it from happening? 🤷🏼‍♀️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ That if you just make sure you’ve thought of everything, done everything right, always on guard, it will keep mistakes or accidents from happening. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But all it’s done is rob you of your peace while the worst-case scenarios either NEVER HAPPEN or they DO but we convince ourselves that we could have prevented it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve been meditating on the idea that I’d rather be utterly present, at peace, and happy and make mistakes because I was too busy enjoying life... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ...than always be on edge because I’m convinced that my WORTH is in how well I can prevent bad things from happening. That my worth is in being convenient, mistake-free, and always prepared. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, whether it’s because you fear being perceived by your peers as irresponsible, unprepared, or naive. Or maybe because you have real trauma that causes you to fear it happening again. Whatever the case... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I see you. I know it’s hard. But there is a life beyond imagining your worst fears. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⭐️And maybe for 20 seconds today you can imagine something going RIGHT. ⭐️
You can love shopping, selfies, makeup, luxury, be You can love shopping, selfies, makeup, luxury, being extra AND spirituality, awakening, activism, kindness. 💁🏼 You don’t gotta put yourself in a box, boo boo. Be a free spirit cottagecore 🧚‍♀️goddess one day and a goth grunge 💀princess the next. We are fluid creatures! 🖤 Wake up, reinvent, repeat. 🔁
If you need me, I’ll be on a rooftop or working If you need me, I’ll be on a rooftop or working out at the waterfront.... because it’s outdoor workout season!!! ☀️💪🌳 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I discovered some incredible outdoor fitness classes last year so I’ve created a list of my favorites so you can enjoy them too! 💫 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Check them out with the link in bio!
Some people have fidget cubes. I have a camera. 📸 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It allows me to be more present and focus my thoughts, emotions, and body towards a task that ultimately allows me to express myself beyond words. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But I didn’t allow myself to photograph, paint, or CREATE for a long time. Because when I was living through a trauma cycle of anxiety + reactionary behavior, doing something without hard rules felt terrifying. 😩 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Doing something that could easily “fail” felt terrifying. Even just drawing.✍️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But slowly I’ve returned. Slowly I’m using art to remind me that things are rarely so serious that you can’t just start again. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m learning to be curious. To create my own world and question the rules that kept me in a cycle for so long in the first place. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Keep creating, friends! We can do scary things. ✌🏻 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You’re not broken because you’re sensitive. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You’re not weak because you feel hurt by hurtful things. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You’re not doing something wrong because you’re broken hearted over heart breaking things. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You’re not inadequate because you need more downtime than your peers. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You’re not a weak or incapable person. You’re a competent person who is learning how to overcome an over-active fear response. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You are doing the incredibly human thing of feeling. Even while others treat feelings as an inconvenience. You are a world-changer, healer, comforter, activist, and creator. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Your feelings are your drive to create change. To act. To lean into a deeper life in a way that others struggle to grasp. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You, my darling #HighlySensitivePerson, are not weak. You are carrying the weight of the world and still manage to get out of bed every morning. You are a gift to yourself and the earth.
I’m usually hesitant to share things centered ar I’m usually hesitant to share things centered around growth, learning, bettering yourself, etc.. 👀 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Because I think a lot of us have no problem finding things about ourselves that we’d like to change. 😔 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And for some of us, we’re always onboard for choosing suffering for the sake of learning...to the point of self-destruction! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Because It’s learning to accept ourselves and our shadows that can be incredibly difficult. And ultimately LEADS to change. 💫 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ BUT when I encountered this quote through @gofastmommy, it really struck a chord with me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sitting with discomfort is so foreign sometimes. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Choosing to workout. Choosing to control the words we say. Choosing to set a boundary. Choosing to feel our most painful feelings. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ All incredibly uncomfortable experiences. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s in the FEELING of discomfort that we GET PAST the discomfort. That we trade it for growth. Just like it’s in the accepting, not judging, different parts of yourself that you experience freedom. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So my challenge to myself and you is: Let’s choose just 1 area today that we will sit with our discomfort. That we will trade it for growth. 🌱And watch as new responses, reactions, and habits are formed. Watch as we grow. 🖤 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This place made my heart so happy. 💚 Some days This place made my heart so happy. 💚 Some days I get caught up in feeling bad about not working a full time, 9-5 job. 👩🏼‍💼 Like living the “American Dream” with a picket fence and working Monday-Friday is what we should all be doing and if you don’t do it, then you aren’t as capable or good enough.🤦🏼‍♀️ And then I remember that expecting everyone on the planet to live the exact same life and need the exact same things is utterly ridiculous. That those who are working outside of the corporate world aren’t weaker, they’re just different. 👩‍🎨👩🏼‍🍳🧑🏼‍🎤 And in the words of Miranda Lambert, “It takes all kinds of kinds.” 🎶 So instead of listening to the unhelpful thoughts, I take a moment to be thankful for my schedule flexibility, ability to work anywhere, and low-stress environment that helps me as a #HighlySensitivePerson. I really do LOVE freelancing and I LOVE my clients!!
So thankful to get my camera out and start taking So thankful to get my camera out and start taking shots again. 📸 I mean, I’ve been taking shots this whole time. They were just cheap or tequila. 😏
active wear with a purpose
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