November Notes
A Peek into My Reads and Reflections
I’ve been sending out email newsletters since 2017 and it’s been a minute since I mixed up the format. So let’s do it again and see what you think, dear reader.
Helpful Concept this Month
High Functioning Codependency by Terri Cole
“A high-functioning codependent is often smart, successful, reliable, and accomplished. They don’t identify with being dependent, because they are likely doing everything for everyone else. In a way, you make it look easy and like you have it all together.”
“You can do it all and the people in your life look to you to do so. But what is the cost to YOU? Overfunctioning can leave you burnt out and exhausted from trying to maintain an impossible workload and keep all the balls in the air.”
I read the book and boy, did it call me OUT (in a helpful way). It’s like she caught my sneaky behaviors and shined a light on them. I’ve had to recover from a lot of high functioning codependency in the past five years.
If you’ve done a lot of other inner work, I think you just need the main idea rather than the whole book. But if therapist-like terms are new to you, the book is amazing for condensing a lot of other good work in one resource.
Did you miss any of my videos last month?
Beyond Willpower: A Different Way to Manage Urges
Do you find yourself reaching for a drink, a snack, or your phone to distract yourself from stress, awkwardness, or boredom?
Get Ahead of the Holiday Self-Sabotage Now
As we step into October, now is the time that sets the trajectory for the next three months.
How to Use ChatGPT as a Supplement to Therapy
As a developmental psychologist, I’m always on the lookout for tools that can help support personal growth and well-being. Recently, I’ve started using ChatGPT as a supplement to my own growth, and I want to share how you can do the same. While this doesn’t replace a 1:1 human facilitator (e.g., therapist, counselor, etc), it can be a helpful tool for r…
Helpful Buy
And finally, capitalism got me good this month when Karen Costa posted a photo of herself on LinkedIn in a “viral, crisscross applesauce chair” under $100 on Amazon. I have been wanting to sit cross-legged at my desk! Here’s me enjoying my new chair:
What’s lighting you up this month? Click reply and let me know!
This is a good topic of contemplation. I look at it like being a point guard on a basketball team running up the court, the team is weaving in and out with their opponent, and at any moment one of them is going to throw you the ball to make the basket. There's a pressure so to speak that we can feel addicted to and also to "save the day" for the team.