The minute I heard my first love story,
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.
Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere.
They’re in each other all along.
Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi, The Illuminated Rumi
Sometimes admitting that youre not okay is the hardest thing you can do, BUT, it is the first and biggest step to getting better. I am revisiting this post and feeling every word to the bone…. #itsokaytonotbeokay #startingover #eyesonthehorizon #thesunriseneverlies
Anyone else feel alone and abandoned today? Friday is supposed to be Yay! Day…. I cant be bothered with it and actually feel I could bite the hand that tried to hug me…. So, I revisited this post yet again. Every word stings like saltwater in a new paper cut. #yourenotalone #askforhelp #dontgiveup
Waking up to darkness is real… thoughts crowding your mind of why bother and is it worth it… misgivings about every aspect of your life, questioning every success like each is a traitor, nodding hello at every failure as if each is a familiar good friend… last night I was a warrior. This morning, I feel like a tangled ball of useless frustration. A failure not worth the fight. It would feel better to just get back in the box… Facing myself in the mirror was the first step. Shedding a few tears in the shower where no one could hear me was the second. Facing myself again in the mirror and reminding myself that I am worthy and appreciated, even if its by only one person was the third step. And getting dressed, having breakfast and facing my day was the last… life goes on. Chin up. #thestruggleisreal #anxietyawareness #sadness #depressionawareness #ptsdawarenessmonth #itsokaynottobeokay #bethebestversionofyou
Patience
In time, she must learn
as sunrise awaits her night
robed in sheer desire
dawn’s kiss on the horizon
taught him patience too.
All Rights Reserved © JenKress
I can find worth in others without a doubt, but this is something I have to remind myself of all the time. In the chaos of our days, it is very easy to be hard on yourself, and to give everything away to others. We need to remind ourselves that #weareworthy of time, of love, of being appreciated and valued…. Look in the mirror every day and remind yourself #IAmWorthy and do not allow anyone to tell you or treat you otherwise!!!! #knowyourworth #loveyourself
Some mornings it takes an extremely early start, the vestiges of a brutal migraine and the exhaustion of physical therapy for a shoulder injury to remind me that physical scars (my body carries many that ache all the time) are exactly this… a reminder that I am alive and have survived a few hellish surgeries and three natural childbirths without any drugs. If I can get through all of that, I can survive the day-to-day pains. Physical pain is an obstacle to achieving your best self. Emotional pain, sadness, depression, anxiety – you have to think that these are obstacles to achieving your best self as well. To achieve your goal of being the best version of yourself that you can be, you can work towards it physically with exercise, but you can also exercise your mind. You don’t have to give in to the anxiety and the PTSD and the darkness. You are not broken; you are a work in progress! Just as you are conditioned to doing reps of squats or pushups or even running, you can repeat reps of positivity pressups and joyful jump squats by making lists of things you are thankful for, and what your positive goals are that you are working towards every day, and what brings you joy.
Repeat these things to yourself out loud in the mirror in the morning, write them on post its and put them in places you’ll see them throughout the day to remind you not to give in to the negative and the dreary thoughts. Make an effort to conquer your goals every day and remember, every day is a new day and the only easy day was yesterday. Work just that much harder tomorrow to make that new start and find your joy! Grow from every experience, from every failure and become the success you see yourself to be!
Repost from @22untilnone
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Stick this on post it notes all over your house. You. Are. Not. Broken. You are a survivor! Survivors aren’t weak, and its not weak to admit you’re dealing with the fall out of a traumatic experience. Healing takes time, so give yourself some grace.
#mentalhealthmatters#physicalhealthmatters#stressmanagement#anxietyawareness#ptsdawareness#positiveaffirmations#beyourbestself
It’s always good to remember this, even when it seems so far off mark. Every day we are forced to face so many reasons to harden our hearts and strike back with our words, our fists, or worse… and we are witnessing what happens when “we” do. The strongest nation in the world appears to be weakening, crumbling upon the very foundation and tenets of which it was built those hundreds of years ago! Our forefathers fought for ALL of our freedoms, our military laid down their lives so that we could taste the sweetness of all of those inalienable rights we have been given… and here we are, an entitled, selfish mass of petulant urchins spitting on those freedoms; the very ones that unfortunately give us a right to do so. GROW UP AMERICA! Love your neighbours and respect each other! Rebuild our great nation so there is a legacy worth leaving to our children! Show a UNITED front to those who mean us harm outside our borders, not fighting within our ranks! Remember, there is STRENGTH in numbers, but it is our KIND hearts and our COURAGEOUS souls that make us BETTER and BRAVER and FORGIVING and LOVING. We are ONE and we ALL matter! #ALLLIVESMATTER #loveyourneighbor #respectforall
It is always okay to ask for help. Not long ago, I had someone ask me if I was okay. I hardly knew this person, but he recognised the signs as he was a combat veteran. Just the fact that he took the time to reach out, to ask after my well-being, was enough for me to check myself. To know that if I ever needed a safe space, someone to talk to that I didn’t have before, someone I don’t know but who has been there, someone who recognises the signs and doesn’t judge me for what I suffer from… it makes EVERY DIFFERENCE. Please know It’s Not Too Weak To Speak. 🙏🏻#itsokaytonotbeokay #askforhelp #PTSDawareness #suicideprevention #giveofyourself #breakthestigma #nevergiveup #mentalhealthawareness @mission_22 @stopsoldiersuicide @getheadstrong @havokjournal @mangang_uk #itsnottooweaktospeak
I am releasing Counting Breaths in a paperback version for all those people who have requested it! I too am a bibliophile, even taking it one step further to embrace the bibliosmia, the smell of a good book. I am not sure if there is a word for it, but the feel of a new book’s cover and pages as I crack the spine and trail my fingers over the pages for the first time, brings me an odd sense of joy. I have always lost myself between the covers of books. Each one a different escape from a reality that weighed me down. I would celebrate any story that took me outside of myself. My hope is that when you read Counting Breaths, you will find solace rather than just an escape from reality.
I have always maintained that I do not write for the edification of others, that I write because sometimes I must. Writing this book has solidified that standard for me, but on the other hand, I truly hope that my words resonate with someone. Even if it is just ONE person that takes my words to heart, I will have helped them the way someone helped me.
Go on, have a read and remember to breathe… Let me know what you think.
-Jen
BONUS: This version will have an additional piece included on the back cover that was not published with the eBook.