The stories your grandmother told herself about marriage might be living in your relationship patterns.

We live our lives forward but understand them backward. Every day, we make decisions based on the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what we're capable of.

Your hurt feelings about injustice? They make complete sense. Your anger at systems that seem rigged against you? Valid. Your exhaustion from fighting battles that feel impossible to win? Completely understandable. These aren't character flaws or signs of weakness—they're human responses to real social realities.

‍When homework becomes healing

The stories we tell ourselves about therapy often have more to do with Hollywood portrayals and cultural myths than the actual work of healing. These narratives—that therapy is only for "broken" people, that healing follows a neat timeline, or that the right therapist will unlock all your answers—can keep people from getting the support they deserve or set them up for disappointment when their experience doesn't match the script.

Your life probably feels like it's following the same exhausting script.

‍You're not broken because trauma changed you. Growth after trauma doesn't mean your pain wasn't real.

When depression whispers that you're always sad, anxiety insists you're perpetually overwhelmed, or shame declares you're fundamentally flawed, these problem-saturated stories can feel absolutely true.

The term "shadow work" has exploded across social media feeds and self-help circles, often presented as the cure-all for personal growth.