Hello World! Okay, well, “world” may be a bit bold of me. As I write my first or second post, depending on how I look at it, only two trusted friends have been given the actual website domain. Why these two lovely ladies? Ah, why indeed? Well, you see these are two women, who have my back. They want the best for me. They do not judge me. I can be who I am with them, fully and completely. I do not have to pretend to be someone that I am not and that is so completely freeing.
You may be thinking both of these ladies have been long-time friends, but that is not actually the case. One, I have known going on 26 years now. The other, is a newer friendship, meeting her just two years ago when we moved to a new community. But for me, I feel safe, sharing all the emotions, all my struggles and frustrations, as well as my quirky, feisty side. I can be my true, sincere self. I can share my nontraditional, thinking outside-of-the-box dreams” of “You know I’ve been thinking of…” and they listen, support, and share ideas. They don’t laugh at my ideas or blow me off. They engage with me and for that, I feel heard and understood. I mean, isn’t that what we all truly want?
What does it mean to be sincere? The definition includes being “free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings, not pretending or lying; being honest.” When I asked these two friends if they would review what I had created so far, I knew both of them would be honest with me, providing constructive critiques of my work. I knew I could ask them their thoughts on important decisions, like, oh I don’t know, the actual name of the website! Yes, I trust them that much and they are that invested in my success. I 100% knew they would be sincere with me and not just tell me what they thought I wanted to hear, because they were afraid of hurting my feelings. I could trust the insight they had for me and I appreciate it.
So what can you expect to find here at My Sincere Self? First of all, I am a storyteller. So, you will get that personal side, and boy do I have stories! I will share tales from my own life, that have had lots of ups and life-changing, painful lows. In my career as a licensed mental health provider and 15 years as an instructor in higher education, I have seen and heard a lot. As soon as I think “Nothing surprises me anymore” something always does. Because of these real-life experiences, I am here to encourage, support, and celebrate you. I provide practical tools, such as teaching mindfulness, that you can use to make improvements in the areas you want to with anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, grief and loss, life or career change, and just your overall mental health. I promise I will do all of this with compassion, energy, and a sense of humor. So thank you for stopping by. I am truly looking forward to our journey together!
Teresa
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