Self Help Stories

Contents

The jacket story (self-esteem, respecting your worth)................................................................................ 5

Buffalo in the boma (containing negativity, positive thinking)........................................................................ 14

Fleas and elephants (learned helplessness, challenging false limits, negative beliefs, failure)......................................................................... 19

I can’t see you (living in denial, identifying and dealing with problems) ................................................................................. 27

Sinking ships (resistance to negativity, burnout, stress and overwhelm, self-care) .................................................................................. 33

Volume controls vs on-off switches (all-or-nothing thinking, perfectionism, motivation)................................................ 40

Two kinds of problems (boundaries, co-dependency, responsibility for self and others, assertiveness) ................................................................... 46

A glass of water (self-knowledge, managing emotions, response patterns, relaxation, positive thinking) ............................................................................... 56

The tender tooth (past wounds, visualization, self-healing, forgiveness) ............................................................................ 64

Dandelions in the sidewalk (Burnout, finding hope, positive focus) ............................................................. 72

The onion and the macaroon (assertiveness, self-love, saying no, boundaries) ......................................................... 80

When Mars goes rogue (resistance to change, sick systems) ................................................................... 88

The Labrador and the scorpion (toxic people, abuse, self-delusion, getting help) ...................................................... 97

A child at the wheel (dysfunctional beliefs, changing old patterns, childhood wounds, self-concept, empowering yourself) ...................................................................... 105

Red kettle surprise (kindness, positivity, gratitude) ........................................................................ 114

Crabs in a bucket (sabotaging change, limiting success, zero-sum thinking, abundance mindset, assertiveness) .......................................................................... 123

The magic question (goals, short-term vs long-term planning, decision-making, action-orientation) ...................................................................... 135

Baboons and pumpkins  (staying stuck, attachment to dysfunction, letting go, changing habits) ................................................................ 142

Splinters — the gift of pain (learning from pain, emotional wounds, self-neglect) .......................................................... 150

A jar of stones and sand (priorities, enriching your life, wasting vs managing time) ................................................................ 153

A freezing sneeze (self-care, slowing down, listening to your body) ..........................................................................