Lifestyle

On the days when it feels like you will never get through this season, this period, this transition — please remember all of the mountains you have scaled before. Please remember all of the nights you spent convinced that the anxiety wouldn’t leave, that you’d never move beyond where you were in that very moment. Whether

Healing is not a one-time event. You recognize that familiar, dull feeling in your gut—as though something is wrong, though you can’t quite pinpoint what. You start to take inventory of your life. You recount your job, your salary, your friends, what so-and-so from such-and-such time in your life would think of you now, your

If you’re like most people, there will probably come a time in your life when you are faced with the realization that the things you once wanted in the past are not the things you want for the future, and this isn’t a comfortable thing to accept. The truth is that we all exist under

I’ve spent the majority of my life working towards that magical point in time where all of my ducks would inevitably fall into a row. You know the point I’m talking about – the one at which I’m working my dream job, dating my dream person, living in my dream city and pulling in my

Most teenagers on the cusp of twenty would be thrilled and excited at the idea of venturing out to other countries on their own, especially with very little adult supervision, but I was initially a reluctant traveler. Traveling and studying abroad was actually made “mandatory” to me by my undergraduate college’s requirements through various “immersive

Have you ever wondered why men never pick the “pick-me” women that center them and instead choose to pursue the women who are indifferent to their existence? They may swear up and down they want a docile “sweet” woman who tends to their every need—yet you see them pursuing or obsessing over the so-called high-maintenance

Nobody sabotages their own progress in life because they dislike themselves, because they have low self-esteem, because they aren’t smart enough or capable enough or worthy enough. Self-sabotage is an act of self-love. When we hold ourselves back from acting on our best ideas, when we continually spend time with people we know aren’t positive

One day, you will look back on this time, and all you will see is magic. You won’t remember how stuck you felt, or how far behind you thought you were, or what you wished you had done differently. All you will see is that within your uncertainty was also potential, and within your lostness

By Callie Byrnes Updated December 18, 2023 Thought Catalog Agency By Callie Byrnes Updated December 18, 2023 Thought Catalog Agency I am almost 30 years old, but I still wake up with a thrill on Christmas morning like I did when I was five. I’m not entirely sure if that’s due to some Pavlovian response

There’s a subtle yet profound brutality in silence, especially when it comes from those you once considered family. I pen down these words not in search of sympathy or redemption, but to lay bare the naked truth of abandonment, apathy, and the art of using someone’s memory as a mere prop for one’s self-righteous narrative.

The “dark feminine era” has become a trending hashtag and theme, especially on social media platforms like TikTok. But what does it really mean and symbolize? The dark feminine is code for rebirth, female empowerment, shadow work, and owning your power. It is associated with dark feminine goddesses like Hecate and Lilith. Here are some

By Callie Byrnes Updated September 27, 2023 Thought Catalog Agency By Callie Byrnes Updated September 27, 2023 Thought Catalog Agency I’m not 30 yet, but it feels like I have been for a while. The friends I’d gone to school with for years are finally starting to celebrate the big three-zero, and I’ve always seen

Find the Brianna Wiest podcast here. This month marks a great deal of exiting news around beloved author Brianna Wiest. First, her latest book The Pivot Year was released April 25, 2023 and Wiest is currently on tour right now promoting the book through packed book signings and speaking events. Second, the first episode of

Change is daunting. Change is terrifying. Change invites in the unknown. But mostly, change is inevitable. The truth is that, throughout our lives, things are absolutely going to shift and move around and evolve. And while some of these changes are out of our control, there are definitely facets of our existence that are within

It is the hardest thing you will ever have to do, and it will also be the most important: stop giving your love to those who aren’t ready to love you. Stop having hard conversations with people who don’t want to change. Stop showing up for people who are indifferent about your presence. Stop prioritizing

Self-care is often a very unbeautiful thing. It is making a spreadsheet of your debt and enforcing a morning routine and cooking yourself healthy meals and no longer just running from your problems and calling the distraction a solution. It is often doing the ugliest thing that you have to do, like sweat through another

Aries- The Hard Worker “It’s been phenomenal, but everybody keeps congratulating me on my resurgence and my big comeback. I haven’t been away, guys. I’ve been working steadily for the last 63 years.” Taurus- Just Here For A Good Time “I’m a health nut. My favorite food is hot dogs with French fries. And my

It’s difficult being the girl who feels “too much” in a world where logic trumps feelings. It’s a constant battle to either quiet your feelings or scare people away. We all do it, some more than others—we hide our hearts to protect them from shattering. We feel “I love you,” but say “that’s great.” We

Don’t feel guilty for cutting toxic people out of your life. Even if you love them, even if you had wonderful times with them in the past, you have to do what’s right for yourself today. Remember, even though you might be the person ending the relationship, you’re not the reason this has to happen.

Stop waiting until tomorrow to start pursuing your dreams. There’s no reason to wait when you can take the first step toward your goals today. Remember, you’re allowed to start small. You don’t have to take a huge, life-changing leap. You can take minuscule (but necessary) steps toward a brighter future. And you can start

Some people get mad when you start loving yourself more because now you say no a lot more than yes. Now you use your voice and say things they’re not used to hearing from you. Now you know your worth and you don’t settle for the bits and pieces you used to settle for when

Toxic mindsets are beliefs about our lives or ourselves that we develop from unfavorable circumstances, traumas, unresolved childhood issues, and failure. We start developing these mindsets and they grow with us if we don’t treat them right away. They have the power to ruin our lives or hold us back from living the life we

Keep going, even when you doubt whether you have what it takes to make it through another day. You’ve had that thought before and you were wrong. You proved you were capable of making it through the unimaginable. You surprised yourself then, and you’re going to surprise yourself again. You’re going to keep moving forward,

1. You can’t control what happens to you. But you’re in control of your own actions. That means you should do your best to cope with a bad situation. It might not be fair. It might not be fun. And it might not be your fault. But it’s your responsibility to deal with whatever life

I’m turning 29 this week. This last revolution around the sun has felt like a long one. It may be the isolation of a pandemic or the arduous process of becoming more myself in this isolation. Right now, I know that there’s a massive shift happening, carrying me from my twenties to my thirties in

Hit after hit, you take it on the chin. Can you remember a time in your life where you weren’t in fighting form, ready to rumble at the sound of a whistle blowing or bell ringing? It’s as if you exited the womb with your fists up, ready to protect yourself the moment you entered

I’m no longer holding back the parts of me that are meant to shine. I’m no longer allowing myself to be controlled by fear or doubt or worry or judgment. I’m no longer suppressing the parts of me that are meant to be loud and boisterous and I’m no longer allowing people to control who

I want you to sparkle. To stop denying yourself beauty for the sake of practicality or intelligence. We must reclaim beauty for what it truly is—life essence dropped carefully, shared spontaneously, drank in eagerly, appreciated reverently. A wanting for life and its courageous glory is what wakes us, keeps the heart beating. You cannot tell

You never know why God picked a certain path for you even if it didn’t make sense to you or even if you thought that it was unfair or too painful. You never know why God made you fight certain battles alone or why he made you lose those battles. You never know why he

Think about your life and what you have accomplished thus far. Recall the places you have been and the memories you have had the opportunity to create. Reminisce on the friends you have grown up with and have over time distanced from. Now, think about the friends who you have met and grown to love