We have reached the middle of the calendar year. The first half of 2020 is in the review mirror. This has been a banner year to set the stage for your brain and body to feel every emotion; the good, the bad and the ugly. I have had surges of joy and have been fraught with despair.

When you read the word "hurt" you immediately think of a situation in your life. In my practice, I watch people hurt. In some situations, hurt is part of the process. I relate "hurt" as a physical feeling to the emotion of grief. I also relate "hurt" as an emotional feeling that can be a response to what someone else said, did, or didn't do.

One battle I wage everyday is to suppress my desire to assume the worst. As an attorney, I am trained to look for every possible scenario which includes worse case scenarios. On a personal level, my thought pattern of choice is "catastrophizing". I shared this with a friend and she asked "is that even a word?" I explained what it was and she couldn't believe I thought that way most of the time. I couldn't believe that everyone doesn't think this way most of the time. I think pessimism comes from experience. Life experience.