Grateful For You
Photo by Anthony Lee on Unsplash
“Don’t go through life, grow through life.”
~ Eric Butterworth
Time flies!
How did we get to Thanksgiving week already?
And would you believe that this month we’re celebrating the 5th anniversary of The Authentic Lane?
When I started this project, I had no idea where it would take me. I only knew I felt called to share some of what I’ve learned about psychology and the importance of taking care of ourselves emotionally.
The more we’re able to be authentic and address our own needs in a healthy way, the more we are able to be kind and compassionate to others.
By healing ourselves, we are also healing the world.
We’ve endured much over these past five years, especially with the pandemic. The despair during that time was heartbreaking, but the love and care shown by so many lifted our spirits. I’m grateful to be on the other side of it. Remember how we promised ourselves we’d never take things like connecting in person, and especially getting hugs, for granted again? This seems like a good time to pause and remember those promises.
Much as we had hoped that life would get simpler on the other side, it seems to have gotten even more complex and stressful, especially during this divisive election cycle. The need for self-care has only grown. And yet I continue to be optimistic. Everywhere I go, I see evidence that people are inherently good. So many of us are trying, day after day, to do the right thing, to be the bigger person, to help others with no thought of reward.
We can’t control world events, but we can improve relationships within our own spheres of influence.
We’re on the path, and we’re continuing to do significant spiritual and psychological work. Personal growth is central to every stage of our lives. As much as we’ve learned, we know that we have more to do in terms of our self-awareness. I’m looking forward to the ways in which we expand our thinking in the next five years.
Energized by the prospects, I’ve been working on updates to my website and adding some new features. One is this Mental Health Resources page which lists organizations and websites that provide services to help people on their mental health journeys. Check it out! We keep hearing about the high rates of depression and anxiety these days, across all ages, and yet there are more avenues for recovery than ever before, especially with the expansion of online therapy. As winter approaches, and we begin to set goals for 2025, let’s keep our mental health goals in mind, too.
Another update to my website, which I’m excited about, is an online store where you will be able to shop for products like mugs, candles, journals, notebooks, and canvas prints with The Authentic Lane logo on them. Many will also have quotes from my blog posts on them. I’m working on the merchandise designs now and hope to have my shop up and running very soon. I said at the outset of the creation of my blog that much of what I will be teaching will not be new, but will be reminders of the ways we can achieve more balance in our lives. I’m hoping these products with quotes on them will remind us of our goals in a more visible, tangible way. Eventually, I’ll be adding small gift books that are compilations of my posts on various topics, such as resilience. Some of you have been asking for these little “bedside read” books for a while, and I appreciate the nudge (and your patience).
Finally, I’m feeling enormously grateful to all of you for supporting me in my mission to teach others about positive psychology and mental health awareness. Your comments, texts, and emails have let me know that my words are resonating with you. I hope you’ll continue to share my posts with friends, relatives, and colleagues so that together we can spread the word about the importance of being authentic.
Remember, the world has need of us, just as we are, in all our uniqueness.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Affectionately,
Elaine