It’s been exactly a year since I began my healing journey. It's been a long ride with lots of twists, turns, and growth, and guess what? I am excited to introduce you to the final pages of the Traumatic Breakup chapter of my story! I can write this from a place of forgiveness and acceptance because I was able to truly move on. The traumatic aspect of the breakup At the end of our relationship, I blamed myself. I have an incredibly big heart, and I gave every ounce of love, respect, and kindness I had to my ex. If you’d read my journals through those three years, even if I was mad at him, ...
personality
I said goodbye to my insecurities today, and I feel great!
This is the follow up to my last post, My Deepest Insecurities: Iris, Warts and All. I’m going to go through each insecurity and disproving it. There’s no reason for me to believe bad things about myself, especially since I’ve made leaps and strides in my healing journey and loving myself! The problem with comparison and insecurities The thing about insecurities is that we think they are facts, when all reality, they are just thoughts. Let’s bring up some common insecurities: “I’m ugly because I don’t look like girls in magazines.”“I’m too old to be considered attractive anymore.”“I’m ...
How I Use Journal Prompts for Self-Care
It’s no secret that I love to write! This blog wouldn’t exist if writing was not one of my passions. When I first discovered journaling, I was in elementary school. I had a little diary from Wal-Mart that had a little lock and two keys. It was a place to put and protect my ideas, secrets and dreams. I absolutely loved it! I treasured it, just as I treasure all the books that come my way. There’s something about getting a new journal that makes me happy in a way nothing else does. It’s the way the paper smells as I flip the pages, the feeling of my pen gliding along the lines that get me, ...
What do I have in common with a depressed horse?
My struggle with borderline personality disorder has mostly been under the surface. Usually when people hear "Borderline Personality Disorder", they react like someone peed in their cereal. Disgust or anger that crosses their faces as they begin to talk about a particular ex or the movie Gone Girl or Girl, Interrupted. Things I've heard about borderlines? "Those girls are absolutely insane.""They're the worst people on the planet.""They are crazy, but they're the best in bed.""Extreme Daddy issues.""Oh, you mean strippers?""If you don't want to get stabbed or murdered, don't ...
Healing Journey – Part 1
Hi, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. I took a break to gather myself. My tears have dried. After a couple of mopey days, I got up, washed my face, and in true Iris-fashion whipped out a notebook and pen. I got to work writing down how I felt and listing the choices I wanted to make. The best choice I’ve made so far? Sobriety. Instead of numbing, isolating, and avoiding, I chose to go on this journey sober. I’m stronger because of it. I believe that wholeheartedly. That speaks to how far I’ve come as a person. Not even a year ago, I would have drowned my sorrows and pain with ...
The accidental introvert
I found out something interesting from school this past week. We had to take a personality quiz to see how we’d fit into an organization. I was shocked at my result. I’m an introvert? More specifically, I have an INTJ (Introvert Intuitive Thinking Judging) personality. I had no clue. I almost didn’t believe the result, so I took it twice. I got the same answer twice. My dad is one of the most extroverted people I know, and I take after him. Surprise surprise, I actually have a much more similar personality to my mom! Me? An introvert? Most of my life has been geared toward chasing ...
