2. A Caring Exercise

With associations, we make connections between things or events because they are similar in a physical sense, or because they occurred together in time and space.

We can be the ones overwhelming our own intrinsic motives. We can easily become entranced by the desire to impress, to be admired, or to please others quite apart from whether the accomplishments we’re undertaking are actually meaningful to us.

2. Take perspective. Spend another moment to see if you can put yourself in your child’s shoes with a sense of empathy and compassion. We tend to treat our children’s behavior as we would a math problem. Instead, look at your children as you might a beautifully told story—with an attitude of appreciation. You and your children are about to write the n

the first step in turning toward acceptance is admitting to yourself that the things you’ve been doing to cope with difficulties haven’t been working because their aim is avoidance.

To turn this metaphor into an exercise, list some of your stress passengers on small cards, and carry them with you during the next week. Whenever you remember the exercise, pat where you are carrying the cards, as if to welcome them all on that bus of life called you, and notice again that you are the driver here.

Symbolic meaning gives words and mental images a reality that is virtually the same as that of physical objects and events in the external world.

as we speak or tell ourselves stories it could easily begin to establish a “point of view” inside us.

Feeling unseen and uncared for probably reflects a yearning for belonging. A sense of emptiness or feeling stuck suggests a lack of self-directed meaning.