"Why didn't you text me to say you'd be late?"

Perhaps you know this feeling.

As a little girl, I grew up with a father who often became angry.

"I'm not running away," you might say.

Have you ever had someone say something, and suddenly you felt yourself tense up inside?

Maybe you feel like you don't know which way to turn anymore.

Out of everything I've tried throughout my life, one thing has consistently made the biggest difference.

An emotion arrives — sadness, fear, anger. Intense, real, present. And yet... something doesn't complete.

Most of us have been taught to avoid our fears. Push them down. Think positive. Move on.

Maybe you know this feeling all too well: You say "yes" when you want to say "no". You feel responsible for other people's emotions. You wonder whether you've let someone down. You'd rather back down than risk a conflict. And you put yourself last.