Under Heat and Pressure

Loss in life is unavoidable. As long as we are alive, we will be disappointed by losing a dear friend, a relative, a pet, a home, a job, a love -or the illusion of love we were focusing on. The perception of every person's reality varies as much as the possibilities for the combination of genes from their ancestors.  If you have been touched by loss in any way, you might be still grieving. There are losses we never come to terms with, so the acceptance part of grieving is never achieved. In the process of becoming changed by the "heat and pressure" of life, I have put together a list of reasons why we become stronger after a loss. This is not exhaustive nor exclusive, but I hope you might find a few that resonate with you.  Without further ado, after a loss we become stronger because: Life goes on. Losing something or someone doesn't kill you. The surprise factor can cause physiological damage but while there is life there is hope and you can work on your...

Do you agree that today we have so many choices regarding our personal and professional lives yet we have lost the support structure that predetermined roles offered in the past? The meanings of activities that fill most of our time, like working and long-term personal relationships have changed from being financial exchanges to having to offer psychological satisfaction. We don't just go to work, it has to be rewarding in other ways apart from getting a paycheck. We don't just get married to procreate, we have to find the "soulmate". Clarissa Pinkola Estés in her treaty about the ancient female archetype, Women who Run with the Wolves , explains how women can lose their creative soul in search of security. Inhibition of her true desires for an extended period of time leads to voraciousness for the soul-satiating attributes: emotional, physical, spiritual, financial or rational. Domestication of the female instinct kills creativity and fulfilment. Eventually, ...