Were You Raised to Take Initiative or to Feel Guilt?

By |2020-07-10T09:18:26-05:00July 10th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety and Depression, Emotions and Energy, Introverts and Highly Sensitive People, Parenting, Personal Evolution, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , , |

Erik Erikson German American psychologist, Erik Erikson, said that between the ages of two and five children go through a developmental crisis that he called initiative versus guilt. If parents consistently encourage a little boy or girl to explore new areas, talk with strangers and solve problems, the children are likely to develop initiative. Parents [...]

If You Want Joy, Be Joyful. If You Want Love, Love.

By |2020-07-04T12:32:49-05:00July 3rd, 2020|Categories: Anxiety and Depression, Emotions and Energy, Introverts and Highly Sensitive People, Parenting, Personal Evolution, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , , |

If you want to be joyful, embody joy. If you want to be loved, love. These are two messages I see again and again on my meditation app, Insight Timer. It is almost as if, the app is speaking to me. I do want joy and I definitely want to feel loved. In the last few [...]

The Many Faces of Loneliness

By |2020-06-25T14:27:03-05:00June 26th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety and Depression, Emotions and Energy, Introverts and Highly Sensitive People, Parenting, Personal Evolution, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , |

I listened to an interview with Dr. Vivek Murthy (the Surgeon General under President Barack Obama). He recently published a book titled, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World.  He said loneliness is at the root of many mental and physical illnesses in the world. Loneliness is not the same as isolation [...]

Did Your Family Teach You How to Stay Busy and Struggle?

By |2020-06-19T11:11:46-05:00June 19th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety and Depression, Emotions and Energy, Parenting, Personal Evolution, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

  We grow up in households that are busy or struggling, and somehow not quite nurturing enough. From this we learn everything about how to stay busy and struggle, but little about how to nurture ourselves.    — Dr. Jonice Webb, 4 Ways You May be Keeping Yourself Running on Empty Dr. Webb's quote resonated with [...]

Follow Logic or the Heart?

By |2020-06-05T14:06:24-05:00June 5th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety and Depression, Emotions and Energy, Introverts and Highly Sensitive People, Intuitive Living, Parenting, Personal Coaching, Personal Evolution, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

Peter Singer Top of mind is a podcast on NPR's Hidden Brain. It was an interview with modern philosopher and bioethics professor, Peter Singer. Mr. Singer says that there are no moral absolutes and that logic is a better guide than feelings and intuition when it comes to moral decisions. This caught my attention [...]

In Minneapolis: Riots the Language of the Unheard

By |2020-12-31T10:03:30-06:00May 29th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety and Depression, Emotions and Energy, Introverts and Highly Sensitive People, Parenting, Personal Coaching, Personal Evolution, Relationships|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It's been a helluva year so far. This last week brought all of the seething emotions to the surface. My fair city of Minneapolis' golden shiny halo fell further from its lofty perch down into the greatest depths of tarnish and disgrace. Minneapolis made national news for the unconscionable death of George Floyd at the hands [...]

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I have been dating an introverted man who I am very in love with for almost 2 years.  Reading your posts have helped me to be more supportive and understanding to him especially during the times when he needs space.  I just wanted to thank you for your weekly posts and let you know how helpful they are for someone who is in a relationship with an introvert. C.M. on space2live
C.M.
Thank you for all the words. You’ve created the magic drug I’ve been looking for all my life. Your blog has transformed my life, and I feel like I am on the brink of a most satisfying fulfilling journey…You’ve made me see everything in a new light. I now feel calmer, able to care better for my toddler, less hateful of people around, and hopeful for my future. I am not so afraid for our marriage anymore. — Shilpa CB
Shilpa CB
This is me. This is me from the day I was born. For so long I felt misunderstood and rejected, even by the people closest to me, because they could never understand my need for solitude, and I had no idea how to explain it to them. Even now that I know more about Introversion and have a more informed understanding of my hard-wired need for solitude, it’s still very difficult sometimes to help my loved ones understand this profound craving for time and space all to myself. This is one of the best… Read more
Sharon
During one of the harder times in my life I found Brenda’s website
and reached out to her. To say the least it has been one of the best
decisions I have made. Being an extrovert I never quite understood
what it meant to romantically involved with an introvert. Brenda does
an incredible job listening, giving in the moment feedback, and helped
me understand the how an introvert functions. She helped explain to me
that I am introspective extrovert, and this gave something to identify
with and allowed me t… Read more
Evan H.
BRENDA: thank you SO much! Your advice is exactly what I need to do. I am amazed how much you “get” me after only exchanging a few messages!… Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You’ve helped me more than a year of therapy sessions! – Megan on space2live
Megan
Your words are my lifeline.  I sit down to your posts and as I read I can feel my acceptance of myself and my needs grow.  Your words validate my feelings about my life, motherhood, relationships and it is something I hold onto.  And during the times when I feel like I am not able to be a mother or a wife or a sister or a friend or whatever someone needs me to be, I go back to your words and find some peace…I send your posts to my husband when I need him to understand that I love him but I need … Read more
D.R.
That courage and dedication you so generously share with the world, has inspired me to push myself a little harder, persevere at each task a little longer, dig a little bit deeper to where the answers just “feel” right to both my humanity AND my spirit. Your insights have reinforced my direction and given me additional tools that help me clear my path. I’m wired into my creativity as never before and the new music is pouring out of me faster than I can record and produce it; this is the Un… Read more
Gary
I think I want to print out your articles and hand them out as a sort of relationship waiver form. “You want to be my friend?….You are interesting in going out? Here read this first. Sign here to acknowledge that you have read and understand the enclosed material. Thank you.” Seriously. I think it would work. — Guerin Moorman
Guerin Moorman
Your site has saved my sanity and my life. Maybe even my marriage. I work part time and have two young boys at home, my husband is supportive of me but until recently I thought I was going crazy. … Reading your writing not only inspires me to pick up the pen again, but gives me nourishment in the deepest places. I will fight for balance. Everything you write is spot on… And wellness is so incredibly multifaceted.  I was ready to give up hope, but understanding myself through your words is bring… Read more
J.K.
THANK YOU….. you just summed up my swirling thoughts into something i can read with out everything else in my head meshing with it. I finally feel like i can explain what happens within without getting distracted. I’m an Introvert with ADD and it makes it so hard to explain quite what im feeling sometimes. — M.G. on space2live
M.G.

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