Rewriting Your Story: Turning Set backs into Stepping Stones for Personal Growth

Our unhappy childhood catches up with us pretty fast. But sadly, we wake up to the signs of childhood trauma, much later. Is it too late to be happy? Read on to know the truth!

Childhood experiences build the foundation of an individual’s mental, emotional, and behavioral structure.

During our formative years, when our brain is still learning to process concepts like trust, care, dependency, love, etc., the information that gets fed into it becomes the basis on which our brain develops our personality; our personal programming, if you will.

This programming dictates everything; our belief system, tendencies, quirks, thought process, behavior, reactions, and most importantly, attachment styles – how we develop relationships with others, as adults.

Now,

Maladaptive perfectionism is like running on a treadmill that never stops—no matter how hard you try, it never feels good enough. While aiming high can be a great motivator, obsessing over perfection can drain your energy, spike your stress, and leave you feeling stuck.

So, how do you know if your perfectionist tendencies are helping or hurting you? Let’s break it down.

Cowritten by Eser Yilmaz & Tchiki Davis.

Perfectionism is a personality trait associated with striving to be flawless and often involves being critical of imperfections (Flett & Hewitt, 2002).

Although perfectionism can be a healthy motivator in moderation, excessive perfectionism may cause stress and diminish the chances of succes

Did you get good sleep as a child? If so, it might be shaping your mental health today. Let’s learn how high quality sleep is the key to well-being.

Longer, higher quality, and more regular sleep leads to better mental health.

Key points

Regular, high quality sleep is important for children’s health and well-being.

Better sleep has been related to better outcomes including school performance and fewer behavior problems.

Longitudinal studies to determine lasting effects of childhood sleep are rare.

This study shows that bette

Ever heard someone say, “Go touch some grass”? It’s an internet slang often thrown around as an insult, telling people to log off and reconnect with reality. But behind the sarcasm, there’s actual wisdom in those words. So, let us explore the real benefits of touching grass.

We spend hours glued to screens, scrolling or doom scrolling through social media, binge-watching shows, or getting lost in heated online debates. Spending too much time online can leave you feeling disconnected, drained, and overwhelmed.

The constant flood of

Reading isn’t just a hobby—it’s a powerhouse for your well-being! From stress relief to boosting creativity, the benefits of reading go way beyond entertainment. If you need a reason to read, here are some great ones to get you started.

KEY POINTS

Reading has many mental health benefits, such as coping with depression, anxiety, and grief.

Reading helps us gain insight into our own lives and the lives of others.

Reading helps to minimize loneliness for those who are living alone.

As a writer, I like to remind people of the importance of readi

Ever tried writing meditation? This technique combines journaling and meditation, helping you focus, reflect, and cultivate inner peace through words!

Writing meditation may be a helpful approach to mindfulness.

Key points

Writing meditation is a little-known technique to promote mindfulness.

It’s about capturing your moment-by-moment thoughts on paper.

It’s great for people who are frustrated by traditional meditation approaches.

Meditation is hard. It’s hard t

Feeling pressured to have everything figured out, can lead to feelings of inadequacy or restlessness. Below are five signs of purpose anxiety that often arises when you feel like you’re not on “right” path in life!

How the search for purpose can cause stress—and what to do about it.

Key points

Purpose anxiety fuels job-hopping, imposter syndrome, and constant comparison, leaving us unfulfilled.