The Kind Collections

trauma replaces patterns of connection with patterns of protection - Deb Dana

you are valued worthy, and enough someone's level of disrespect may have nothing to do with you, and everything to do with them. and although we of course experience it, the felt sense that it is happening to us we can also be mindful, that it is coming from them. that your worth is not anchored into another's perception not subject to change, unsteady, or fragile. And letting our external world determine our worth by placing it in the hands of others, can keep us powerless,

you are not defined by your biggest mistakes, your worst moments, or one moment in time. you are a beautiful and complex being, and life is messy, you are whole, a collection of all of your parts, and you are so much more than your darkness. we are not defined by our worst moments, though we do need to take accountability for them, to process, understand, learn, and evolve. release the shame, and allow them to shape, and to choose paths that may feel more aligned with who we

Across Australia, 100,000 tamilies are affected by Perinatal Depression and Anxiety [PNDA] every year. Through pregnancy, and into baby's first year, PNDA can have a wide range of impacts, and can happen to parents of all shapes and forms. Help is available, reach out early and often. PANDA Help Line - 1300 726 306

don't shrink, don't puff up, just stand your sacred ground. - Brené Brown

as we move into this final season, release the urgency that comes with tying up all loose ends and leaving no stone unturned. For there will be another day, and there will be a new year. move softly, and move gently, move with intention, and move with gratitude, that we have made it through another wild year even if all we did was simply make it through. for the end of the year isn't always about endings and the new year holds space to pick up whatever it is that you may hav

"I want you to know how proud I am of you after this year. And maybe the moves you made were a bit quieter. But it doesn't mean you aren't doing big things. Maybe the battles you fought behind closed doors were ones no one knew about. But you still fought like hell and you made it. Whatever it is you might have dealt with, whatever it is you overcame or endured or are still going through, I want you to know that I see you. And I hope this next year brings with it everything y

While your feelings are always valid, it may be that your behaviour is not, Your feelings are intimately yours, and they can't be denied, or taken from you. and still, while it is not up to another to tell you how you should or shouldn't feel, we do still need to take accountability for what we say, and for what we do, in response to our feelings. It is our responsibility to be curious around what our emotions are telling us, to notice, without judgment, to regulate, and to b

grief is everywhere, it is not restricted to the bigger moments or milestones it finds us in the quiet, and in the mundane, the pieces of ordinary within our day to day grief illuminates in the chaos and overwhelm. and echoes in the spaces left behind. grief is everywhere, the guilt within laughter, the words unsaid, and the dreams unshared, grief will not always yell, and though sometimes she may whisper, we feel her weight, her presence, all the same. grief is everywhere, e

uncomfortable truth those who are actively engaging in their healing, are likely to outgrow people who aren't doing their own work. @theempoweredtherapist

Make mistakes, And learn from them. And practice comfortability in the pace that you learn, And the pace that you continue to figure things out. Be in the process. Continue to move forward with curiosity. And release the urgency that comes with a perceived destination of 'healed.' You are in the process. You are in the right now. Sometimes it looks messy, and that is okay. Take a breath, and offer yourself the space, and the grace, to move forward gently as you grow, and as y

no matter how beautifully or gracefully you move through your healing journey, for the progress you have made, and all that you have overcome, we are not immune to life, and we will still experience sadness, and fear, and anger, and joy. we will still experience life in all of its wonderful colours and all of its wonderful forms. and we will remain simply human, for the goal isn't to no longer feel, perhaps it is to expand our capacity to show up fully and authentically into

when you feel yourself moving into shutdown, and when you notice the loud withdrawal, practice moments of quiet connection, with those who feel safe, those who make you feel seen, those where you feel understood. even if just in those micro-moments. practice connection slowly, and gently, and allow it to be soft. honour your solitude, in a way that gives solace, rather than isolates, and be intentional for who you connect with. though, where able, continue to connect with you

sometimes, we hold people to a different standard than they hold themselves, we expect more from them, than they would expect of themselves we expect warmth, and kindness, and curiosity and can't understand why they don't know show the same, because we would. we feel let down, and it hurts. we come from a place of our own values, our own backgrounds, and forget that is our story, and not theirs sometimes, we hold people to standards that they never feigned to own and measure

to understand the life of those who live with complex trauma, is to understand that they have endured multiple traumas, and rather than being protected, shielded, or have others fight to cease their trauma, nor acknowledgement it should never have happened, they have been taught how to adapt, how to endure, and how to survive that pain in a world that neglected their safety, and offered them only survival.

when our pain lies untouched, it won't sit quietly or patiently in the shadows, It can be loud, and strong, and heavy, messy. growing bigger, with hope to be seen. It leads, and sometimes with force. pain shows up in our choices It colours our reactions, and shapes our view of self, and the world. pain settles in, and demands a home, until we invite it in. persisting. until we sit with it, until we hold it, until we allow a voice. and when we finally listen, and honour its pl

you are not too much, though, maybe life has been too much, maybe, you have had too much happen to you and things have felt like too much, maybe you have experienced too much, too much hurt, too much loss, too much pain, too much neglect, and not enough love, that made you feel not enough, though you are not too much. my darling, you are so much more than enough.

when we own our mistakes, when we choose accountability, it softens the fear around failure, and quietens the noise around getting things 'wrong'. it embraces our humanness, it releases our shame, it empowers us to make decisions without fear. it gives us permission to grow and to evolve and allows us to be free, to remain curious, to learn with openness, to lead with authenticity, and to connect more deeply and more honestly with others and with ourselves

you can only meet people as deeply as they have met themselves, as authentically as they have come to know themselves, and for how closely they have allowed themselves to turn inward. the parts they are willing for us to witness, though, for how honestly and how tenderly they hold all parts of self. how they have welcomed growth with open curiosity, the stories they have rewritten, and the shadows they've stayed with long enough to understand, and to meet themselves truly. fr

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and i want you to know, your story is your strength. even when its feels heavy, fractured, and hard to hold. your voice matters, even when it shakes, even if it stays unspoken. even if all you have done is survive, that is enough. your body remembers, your nervous system protects. what happened to you was not your fault, the weight of their harm wasn't yours to carry. you deserved to feel safe, you deserved to be protected. you deserved