Kudos to your Inner Teen for making her requests known and to you for being able to hear her requests from a place of love and recognition. My Inner Teen loves to "rage" when she's misunderstood, dismissed or manipulated in some way or another. She definitely let's me know when she has something to say, and it has been interesting to witness myself translate her messages into "responsible adult language" so her needs can be met. I reward her by wearing the clothes she always wanted to wear but wasn't allowed to because of religious beliefs. My Inner Teen is definitely an edgy goth that still has a whimsical colorful side, so to make her feel seen and appreciated, I dress the way she's always wanted to and practice giving her compliments whenever my clothes reflect her style. Personification of my Inner Child, Inner Teen and Inner Young Adult has helped me tremendously when it comes to hearing the different parts of myself speak. They speak different languages and requests different rewards. My Inner Child just wants to eat snacks, play with Legos and watch Harry Potter all day, so when I do those things, she feels very satisfied and happy. My Inner Teen is into puzzles and perfume and quirky clothes and flower arrangements and hanging out with friends. My Inner Young Adult loves experiences. So think of plant workshops and painting workshops and going to festivals and things like that. I have children in those age ranges (13/16/23) and to witness my inner versions have fun with their outer versions allows me to parent them the way I needed to be parented, so this journey does become full circle at one point or another. I love that you're looking forward to the 24th because I am too as well as the feedback ❤️

The "need" I'm currently learning to meet is, allowing space for gentle transformation and allowing people to witness my transformation through authenticity 💚 My favorite way to relax is sitting by the lake 💚 What inspired me to create an Academy is the desire to teach and guide people into a better version of themselves, and to create a safe space for them to witness their transformation 💚

I completely understand 🙂.... The "I hear you" is a form of being validated and received since every time we communicate with someone, we're also making a bid for connection... So that response makes the request for connection feel fulfilled in a sense.

I completely agree 🙂.... I find it a little bit easier to overcome challenges when I have a clear starting point and a clear goal... The measurements of success and progress can sometimes be hard to recognize when you don't know have a starting point... I've been telling myself "don't give up before the miracle happens" and that keeps me going in some form or fashion.

@Mercedes Rummel ....I absolutely love this for you ❤️ ....*virtual hugs* 🫂 Noticing when my body was triggered was a monumental step in my healing journey because: ✨ I was able to trace my steps backwards to see when I was actually triggered ✨ Determine if my reaction was appropriate for the current situation ✨ And allow myself a moment to PAUSE, so I can respond instead of reacting The best example I can give in a real-world situation is a few years ago around early 2023 I was finding myself more triggered than ever. I had lost my home in a house fire, my younger kids were traumatized from the house fire and being displaced, and of course I was traumatized because I didn't have a backup plan. We were all deep in survival mode and living out of a hotel room. I was getting complaints from the front desk that my kids were being too loud as far as walking and running and stomping. My kids were used to living in a house, so they didn't know anything about neighbors living underneath them and the importance of being mindful about noise. I remember coming home from work several times and snapping on them when they would get too loud. The look on their faces after being scolded broke my heart one day. They looked terrified of me and confused because they always run and jump and skip after school. It was in that moment, I asked myself, "why am I yelling at them so severely when they haven't done anything except be kids?" The answer came to me so quickly that it unnerved me a little. I was super frustrated with work, trying to find a new place to live, not sure of where the money for a more expensive place was going to come from and just overall exhausted with life and losing so much. Now insert kids rough-housing in a hotel after a noise complaint. But none of those things warranted me to project my emotions onto my kids. They didn't know the gravity of the situation because they were kids. They didn't know about the stressful day I had because they're kids. They didn't know about the money struggles I was having because they were kids.

You're most welcome ❤️ I'm glad my words resonated with you to the point of taking the micro-steps of journaling more and creating just a little bit more space to ground yourself and begin to fill your cup. It's not an easy task, but patience and grace brings so much ease to the challenge of learning a new way of being. Best of luck with your newfound micro-steps and I look forward to hearing how they unfold for you. ❤️🫂❤️