Who would have thought that #ThoughtfulDailyPost would be the anchor of consistency for me in a busy life? As always, @Wesphilbin waves the flag for us and runs @thoughtfulposts as the curation account that rewards thoughtful posts. Please share your positive vibes on the blockchain and consider delegating.

My algorithm has been feeding me some interesting stuff lately and these are a couple I thought worthy of meaningful discussion with our network of engaged #hive community members. With added music!

Invisible Growth

Helen Marie https://helenmarietherapy.com/ is a registered integrative therapist in the UK with a Post Graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy & Counselling from Regent’s University, is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy www.bacp.co.uk and holds a certificate as a Clinical Trauma Practitioner. Damn fine resume! Good to have you on Hive!

As I consider my own growth, I am finding that it is often undetectable until I look to the past and study the difference decades or only years later. Being committed to the idea of lifelong growth and learning, I love to keep myself honest and laugh at myself 5 years ago. If I don't look back on my past self and shake my head a little at how I handled things, or how I saw things, then surely I have wasted 5 years!

It is easier to measure growth when you break it down into smaller pieces. Enjoying your own company surely has to be a prerequisite for happiness but is not always the case. I notice younger folks (and my younger self) thriving on external validation and am definitely hard on myself. I do find myself irritated with people less as I let them walk their own path and saying no is damn well cathartic even when you just start! I am in a love/hate with contentedness in general but concentrating on that in e moments also helps me be more present. I am too good at overexplaining myself but also concentrating at managing impulses that are driven by emotion and allowing intellect to dictate reactions. So many good things to consider and I figured they were more like tactics than signs of growth in practice.

Not needing everyone to like me is sort of a challenge when I enjoy people so much and strive to be a helper. Knowing I only have so much care to give and also being a strong personality in order to accomplish what I have set out to do makes it a bit easier to swallow that pill. Maybe that is growth too or just a little "I am too old to put up with that shit!"

I forget how great Simon & Garfunkel were. You may not be a rock yet (or ever) but your growth can make you an island for someone else.

Healing Wounds

All digital roads seem to lead to Dr. Thelma Bryant https://drthema.com/for this gem. She is is an American psychologist who is a professor of psychology at the Pepperdine University, where she directs the Culture and Trauma Research Laboratory. Her research considers interpersonal trauma and societal trauma of oppression. She was elected as the 2023 President of the American Psychological Association. Talk about excelling in your field!

I contend people are more a sum of their experiences than some predetermined element of some simulation.....which seems to be an increasingly popular belief in my circles. Thinking about this a little, I don't think that all filters come from wounds and all trauma & hardships are not wounds. Still, those filters must be among the strongest we have and can have profound impacts on our perception of the world. Helps so much when you consider communication between people who are interpreting each other and the messages through completely different sets of filters. It is a wonder we can communicate at all when even conversations are like the highest level of poker game where you are trying to predict what the other person(s)think that you have in your hand by the way you are playing.

All that being said, how powerful is it to look at healing as not only something you should do for yourself, but the positive effect it can have on your ability to navigate this world. Not only will you be able to see more clearly, you will also be able to sense what cards someone has in their hand and help them win their game too.

One of my all-time favourite guitar riffs as Corrosion of Conformity helps us clean our wounds.

Join this movement as the world needs your wisdom and the blockchain is a place to share it. I hope others join me in delegating to @thoughfulposts to increase the rewards for positivity.
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