shame – The Self-Help Whisperer®

As I drove into the driveway last night after work, I looked up and saw my headlights illuminating a vine-y heart. I pulled out my phone and snapped this shot.…

From My Bookshelf

What Doesn’t Kill You – Blurry Line

6 Apr 20226 Apr 2022

"The dividing line between the land of the well and that of the sick is an often blurry one, and Miller documents life on its uncertain borders with clarity and…

Self-Help Whispering

Bio Moment – Things & Stuff

17 Mar 202218 Mar 2022

Where does the phrase, “Things & Stuff” come from? In *our house* it came from Tess. You’ve heard about her before. She’s the cat that saved my life. No small…

Self-Help Whispering

Bio Moment – “Don’t speak about that”

12 Mar 202213 Mar 2022

TW: Depression, anxiety, and language After almost five years here, I have learned a thing or three. One of the things I have learned ... is a double-edged sword. And…

From My Bookshelf

Remember this one?* – Soul Without Shame

21 Dec 202120 Dec 2021

If you’re looking for a quick-fix for your shame, Soul Without Shame by Byron Brown is NOT it. Not that it’s a difficult read – it isn’t – but that it’s heavy…

Self-Help Whispering

Easy like Sunday – Ubuntu

3 Oct 2021

Just a quick check-in with an important message for you... There's a new (old) word in town and you need to know about it. It's Ubuntu. **Sounds like oo·boon·too** When…

From My Bookshelf

Girl, Wash Your Face – Girl, You’re forcing a positive outlook!

23 Aug 202124 Aug 2021

I've kept this book on the shelf for six months. I kept meaning to write about it. Also, I didn't. Mean to write about it, I mean. Yes, there's a…

From My Bookshelf

Body Positivity – A discussion w/ me, myself & I

20 May 202120 May 2021

Body positivity is guided by the understanding that feeling positive and accepting of appearance can improve mental health, reduce the risk of eating disorders, and allow someone to function at their…

From My Bookshelf

The Body Keeps the Score – Wearing Your Trauma

10 May 202112 Aug 2021

Our bodies are the texts that carry the memories and therefore remembering is no less than reincarnation. - Katie Cannon There is one very important thing to remember when submersing…

From My Bookshelf

Remember this one?*- Rich Dad, Poor Dad

8 Feb 2021

I find so many people struggling, often working harder, simply because they cling to old ideas. They want things to be the way they were; they resist change. I know…

From My Bookshelf

Fiction as Self-Help – The Secret, Book & Scone Society

2 Feb 2021

As soon as the healing takes place, go out and heal somebody else. - Maya Angelou The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams is the first in a…

From My Bookshelf

Remember this one?* – Boundaries (Where You End and I Begin)

20 Jan 202124 Jan 2021

**Trigger Warning: Mention (without details) of childhood sexual abuse** There are many, many books on Boundaries. Most are very good. Just to give you an idea of how many there…

From My Bookshelf

Bradshaw On: The Family – Best of the best!

12 Jan 2021

“We have no alternative. We must break the sacred rule and question these rules because unless we talk about them, there is no way out. We must evaluate them in…

From My Bookshelf

Remember this one?* – 10% Happier

19 Dec 202029 Dec 2020

"But it was in this moment, lying in bed late at night, that I first realized that the voice in my head—the running commentary that had dominated my field of…

From My Bookshelf

Unbearable Lightness – The weight of the world

16 Dec 2020

Shame weighs a lot more than flesh and bone. - Portia De Rossi (pg 234) It will probably surprise you to know that I would say Unbearable Lightness by Portia…

Self-Help Whispering

An online depression test you might appreciate – I do!

10 Nov 202011 Nov 2020

I occasionally share websites I find along my travels... but in this case, it was shared with me... and I am sharing it with you. Brain Center TMS reached out…

Photography…

Picture of the Day – A Haiku- “Hello darkness, my old friend”

1 Nov 20201 Nov 2020

Alone with his thoughts Deep inside his hoodie world The darkness lives there.

Self-Help Whispering

Leaning In – Profile Photo Edition

31 Oct 202031 Oct 2020

Something happened this morning... It is "nothing about me" and "everything about me" ... and "everything about you," too. Let's see what you think! Good Ol' Facebook asked that you…

Self-Help Whispering

Bio Moment – Meet “Blabby”

13 Oct 20202 Jan 2021

You've already met Blabby - in fact, many times - although you probably didn't realize it was she to whom you were speaking. Er, reading. You know what I mean.…

From My Bookshelf

Remember this one?* – This is Me

3 Oct 2020

"Honeybees are meaningful to me because technically they’re not supposed to be able to fly. We know they do, but in the 1930s, French scientists ‘proved’ they couldn’t. Their reasoning…

From My Bookshelf

Remember this one?* – The Secret of the Shadow

4 Sep 2020

“Embracing our dark side gives us a new found freedom to be with the darkness in others. For when I can love all of me, I will love all of…

From My Bookshelf

The Empath’s Survival Guide – How to avoid the bite of Emotional Vampires

11 Jun 202011 Jun 2020

“As an empath, you are part of a countercultural revolution to put what is humane back into humanity. I applaud you for being a path-forger, willing to venture off the…

From My Bookshelf

Remember this one? – Will I Ever Be Good Enough?

12 Feb 202012 Feb 2020

Do I notice the irony of the subtitle on this blog post? Why yes, yes I do. It's taken me a long time to write about Will I Ever Be Good…

From My Bookshelf

Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall – Self Reflection

23 Jan 202024 Jan 2020

What's not to love about the premise of Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall by Kjerstin Gruys? Not much, me thinks! In 2011, when she should have been excitedly planning her…

From My Bookshelf

I Thought it Was Just Me – It’s not.

11 Dec 201928 Mar 2021

Introductory Note: Brené Brown has a beautiful name with an accent over the e (as shown here). I had a heck of a time getting my keyboard to cooperate -…

From My Bookshelf

Fiction as self-help – The Shack – First, I hated it!

14 Sep 20199 Oct 2019

This will be a very different post for me... for many reasons. Let's begin with the obvious. The Shack by William P. Young was a juggernaut. It was originally self-published...…

Self-Help Whispering

Remember this one? – Healing the Shame that Binds You

9 Sep 20194 Apr 2021

Healing the Shame that Binds You by John Bradshaw is another of the classics on my shelf. To be honest, John Bradshaw himself is a bit of a classic. If you get the…

From My Bookshelf

The Gifts of Imperfection – The sub-title says it all!

31 Aug 20199 Oct 2019

Sub-title: Let go of who you think you're supposed to be and embrace who you are. There. You now know everything you need to know about this book - and…

From My Bookshelf

Girl, Stop Apologizing – Sorry, not sorry

16 Aug 20199 Oct 2019

“Women are taught that to be a good woman you need to be good for other people. If your kids are happy, then you're a good mom. If your husband…

Self-Help Whispering

Bio Moment – Another lifetime ago

10 Aug 2019

The world was supposed to end five months earlier. And in a way, it did. At least for me. It was Mother's Day, 2000, as you can clearly see written…

Self-Help Whispering

Remember this one? – The Emotionally Abused Woman

19 Jul 20193 Jun 2021

Note: "Remember this one?" = Posts that you may have missed the first time around. This post was originally posted by me on February 13, 2018 The Emotionally Abused Woman by…

From My Bookshelf

Women Food and God – And Banana Bread

17 Jul 20199 Oct 2019

You are not a mistake. You are not a problem to be solved. But you won't discover this until you are willing to stop banging your head against the wall…

Self-Help Whispering

Soul Without Shame – Heavyweight contender

11 Jun 201912 Jun 2019

If you're looking for a quick-fix for your shame, Soul Without Shame by Byron Brown is NOT it. Not that it's a difficult read - it isn't - but that…

Self-Help Whispering

Easy like Sunday – Shame, shame

14 Apr 201912 Aug 2020

I'm having a difficult time and I'm embarrassed about that. Worse, I'm ashamed. The shame is wrapped around the word "should" and I know it. I should be able to…

From My Bookshelf

You Don’t Look Your Age… and Other Fairy Tales – “This happened to me, learn from it!”

9 Apr 20199 Oct 2019

You Don't Look Your Age... and Other Fairy Tales by Sheila Nevins is a book after my own heart. In fact, it could have been written by me. It wasn't! But it…

Self-Help Whispering

Bio Moment – Purple People Pleaser

2 Apr 20199 Oct 2019

I'm going to keep this short and sweet since I've already created this post three times... and no, not just in my head. Ha. Ha. You're so funny! I decided…

Self-Help Whispering

Remember this one? – Journaling

28 Mar 2019

I’ve briefly talked about journaling in several posts so far. This will be focusing on it! I am a journal fanatic… although… it goes in fits and starts. When I’m…

Self-Help Whispering

In The News – Violent Men: Can we (at least) discuss this?

11 Mar 201912 Mar 2019

Trigger Warning: Violence (physical, emotional and verbal abuse discussed) Disclaimer: Not everyone is a victim or perpetrator. However, there are still too many wounded women and children, in particular. 1 in…

Self-Help Whispering

Remember this one? – Memes as Self-Help/ She Chose Neither

28 Feb 201928 Feb 2019

About three years ago, just after the new year, I had something life-changing happen. This meme reminded me of it, so I thought I’d share. More about it in a…

From My Bookshelf

You Can Heal Your Life – It’s a Beaut!

20 Feb 20199 Oct 2019

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay is a stunning book! I read it years ago. My newer copy, shown on the featured photo, is a keepsake copy... bright,…

Self-Help Whispering

“Easy like” Monday – I get it now!

18 Feb 201912 Aug 2020

Today is Family Day in Canada. What that means to me is a day off. For my husband, not so much. He's a reporter and it's his "weekend" to work,…

From My Bookshelf

After the Affair – I hope you NEVER need this book!

6 Feb 20199 Oct 2019

“Dr. Spring possesses a remarkable combination of clarity, wisdom, spirit, and heart. This is an extremely helpful and healing book—a gift to us all.” —Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., author of The Dance of…

If you have a medical or mental health emergency, call your doctor or 911.

Nothing contained in this blog (The Self-Help Whisperer®) is intended to establish or replace a physician-patient relationship or services.

If you are IN CRISIS and NEED TO TALK but don’t know who to call…

In USA: Mental Health America In Crisis? Call 1-800-273-TALK

Or elsewhere in the world – By Country, as compiled by Wikipedia

Suicide hotline numbers

Someone dies from suicide every 40 seconds

United States 1 800 273 8255

Canada 1 800 456 4566