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Category Archives: sex
Betty White, Spirit Day, & Pride
posted by Elena Bennett, LCSW
Mark your calendars and wear purple for Spirit Day, October 17th, 2013! #SpiritDay
February
14
A Valentine’s Day Must-Watch!
posted by Elena Bennett, LCSW
International author, therapist, and speaker Esther Perel always offer a diverse perspective on relationships, sex, and “erotic intelligence” so I was excited to see her featured on the Ted website. Her Ted Talk, entitled “Esther Perel: The secret to desire in a long-term relationship,” offers a short refresher course on the origins of relationships, attraction, […]
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I took a solo nature walk on a beautiful, sunny Austin afternoon. My goal was to be PRESENT. 🌳 ☀️
I encountered my first obstacle when I reached for my headphones. I was really pumped to be in nature and listen to The Joshua Tree album. (I was just really feeling in it in the car!!) But then I realized that I can’t be fully present with my headphones on. Sigh... onward with no music.
I noticed the people around me, the path beneath my feet, the sounds of wind rustling the leaves and the water rushing over the rocks. Then I saw something magnificent - an enormous ancient tree! And I heard my own thought, ‘Is this where I’m going?’ And I reminded myself that this is where I AM.
I hadn’t set out to GO anywhere or to DO anything but be with nature. Nevertheless, my mind wanted to know, ‘Where are we GOING??’ Impatient and demanding mind of mine 😆 And I get it! The mind loves to make meaning, to have a destination and to know what is to come. The mind is a meaning making machine which is helpful when checked and reserved for purposes that serve us. But when the mind is unchecked, it can take us away from the beauty right before our eyes, under our finger tips and within our bodies, hearts, senses, souls/spirits...
I was taken back to those endless hours in the car as a child when I would ask, ‘are we there yet???’ Excited and impatient to get to where we were going. I hadn’t yet grasped that there was pleasure to be had in the process of life, even an interminable car ride to the destination of my little dreams.
I decided that every time I heard my mind ask, ‘Is THIS where I’m going?’ I would first remind myself that I am not “going” anywhere. I’m being here. Existing. Observing and being with what is around me. Feeling the moment.
Every photo is a place in which I heard, ‘is THIS it??’ But there was no “it” or “this.” I was experiencing a moment of beauty, awe and wonder. I was enjoying that very moment in time. A rare experience for which I am so grateful 🙏🏽
#soulwork #nature #therapy #stillness #breath #present #naturewalk #outdoors #mentalhealth #awareness #wisdomwalk #naturetherapy #beherenow #consciousness #gratitude #wander
comparisons are often full of “i’m not enough’s” and “if only i were’s”.... ☹️ how do we turn these feelings into #selflove and avoid self-sabotage?
comparing yourself to another and deciding that you’re not good enough robs you of the chance to be FULLY YOU! it robs you of the important work of deciding and defining who you are and what you stand for! ❤️ the work that i call Soul Work 🧘🏽♀️
next time you hear yourself comparing yourself to someone else in your head, stop and think, ‘what does this person INSPIRE in me?’ do they inspire you to dye your hair purple? do they inspire you to feel comfortable in your own body or in your intellect or ability to {fill in the blank}? do they inspire you to quit your job and do the work you were meant to do? or maybe they inspire you to keep going down the path you’ve chosen...
if you feel jealousy, acknowledge that feeling and ask yourself, ‘what do i want for myself?’ remember: to desire is to be alive!
be courageous when possible by being yourself and see what happens. to be ourselves in a world full of messages to be what “everyone else” wants you to be is a true act of bravery. i encourage you to thank the people who inspire you to be yourself and discover what you want! 🙏🏽
and who knows? maybe in your quest to love and be yourself you will inspire someone else to be more authentically themselves ☺️
#selflove #bodylove #therapy #therapynuggets #authenticity #selfcare #enoughness #inspiration #feelinganddealing #feelingndealing #goodenough #austintexas #austintherapy #soulwork #findingjoy #emotions #feelings
I hope you are all “loving for free” today ❤️ Repost from @beccaborrelliatx - My first position out of college, was an assistant preK position in Cleveland. On Valentines Day that year, we had kids make cards for their loved ones. The teachers hand-wrote little love notes dictated by each kiddo next to a personalized drawing. *
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When it was his turn, one 4 year old named Max sat next to me with his decorated card. “Who is your Valentine for?” I asked. “My mom and dad.” Pen in hand, I asked: “What’s one reason you love your mom and dad?” Max sat pensively, and then answered: “Because I love them.” *
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Thinking he was confused by the question, I repeated it. “What are things your mom and dad do that you love? Do they read you a bedtime story? Or play your favorite game?” Max shifted uncomfortably. Ignoring my suggestions after a pause, he repeated himself: “Because I love them.” We went back and forth a few more times like this: “What’s one thing I can put in your card that you love about your parents?” “I love them,” was the reply. *
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As I stared at this soulful little boy in confusion, it hit me. Max was the one that was confused. He didn’t need a reason to love his parents. He just did. He was hard wired for it. We all are. Like a commodity, I was treating love as a thing to be earned or traded. Max was trying to explain that love is less of a verb and more of an adjective. A bluebird doesn’t decide on what terms it will be blue. It is just blue. *
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Max is 18 now. I hope wherever he is, he’s still loving for free. I think about him on this holiday often. On that note, I love you all so dang much. Tag someone you love “just because.” Happy Valentine’s Day, love birds. #energyoverimage #valentines 📷: @alineforastieri
“Allow yourself to be pulled by your heart instead of pushing yourself through the thick fog of ‘shoulds.’” @jensincero was on point yesterday!
THIS! THIS! THIS! via @alicesparklykat
whatever you’re feeling, it’s normal. there is no wrong way to feel. if you need help, check the resources 📷 posted by @almatherapyaustin #believesurvivors #believewomen #ibelieveher #webelieveyou
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