Category: Self Relationship

Growing Breasts – The Reflection of my Life in my Breasts

~ womeninlivingness

by Anonymous

As a little girl I looked forward to having breasts, I wanted to look like my Barbie dolls and I knew my breasts were going to be beautiful. When my breasts started to grow at around age eleven I was excited and although it was painful I embraced the way my body was changing. At this time my mum had recently begun a new relationship and moved in with her new partner and she began to seem uncomfortable with the changes happening to my body. One day my mum sat me down and told me in no uncertain terms that my new breasts must be kept hidden at all times. I was not allowed to wear strappy nightgowns or clothing anymore, even if it was a 35-degree summer. She also said that this order had come directly from her new partner. Continue reading “Growing Breasts – The Reflection of my Life in my Breasts” →

Parenting – Letting Go

~ womeninlivingness ~ 1 Comment

by Nicole Serafin, Age 41, Tintenbar, NSW

At what point as a parent do we let go and allow our children to make their own decisions?

This is something I have always pondered on since the birth of our first child just over 5 years ago.

While our daughter was progressing through the baby stages I would feel what was needed for her, asking myself: Continue reading “Parenting – Letting Go” →

My Right Breast – Finding Me Beneath the Cancer

~ womeninlivingness ~ 2 Comments

by Fiona McGovern, BA PGCE, Isle of Arran, Scotland 

For some months now, when I lay in bed or in a warm bath I have been holding my right breast, the one where the cancerous tumor is… the tissue is softening around the tumor.

At first I expected to feel something, waiting to feel that womanliness I had always missed. I wanted to feel something grand or perhaps simply warmth – but in truth there was nothing. What I was feeling was the deep level of disconnection I had to me and to me as a woman. Continue reading “My Right Breast – Finding Me Beneath the Cancer” →

From Sleeping Rough to Committing to Life

~ womeninlivingness ~ 2 Comments

by Anonymous, UK

As far back as I can remember I have been obsessed with food especially sugar. After school I would see what money was lying around, sneakily steal it from my parents and head off to the corner shop to buy a few pound’s worth of sweets. Once home I would ‘mong out’ in front of the television and eat and drink as much as I could before feeling sick. Looking back I did this to totally numb out – not  that I could say anything in my life was particularly bad, I just knew even then I didn’t want to be in it fully. Continue reading “From Sleeping Rough to Committing to Life” →

Learning to Love Myself Through My Breasts – Breastfeeding and Trusting Stillness Within

~ womeninlivingness

by Luz Helena Hincapie, 35 years, BA Architect, Colombia, South America

As with any other subject in this world, Breastfeeding comes with its own set of ideals and beliefs.

The obsession to do the best thing for our children above everything else, including the mother, seems to be normal and accepted. Ideas on breastfeeding have a great impact on women, as it did on me. Women can feel good about themselves if they produce enough milk and choose to breastfeed for a LONG time, or sad with a secret sense of failure if they don’t. Continue reading “Learning to Love Myself Through My Breasts – Breastfeeding and Trusting Stillness Within” →

Opening up (A Can of Glorious Worms) – Returning to the Truly Tender Woman Within

~ womeninlivingness

by Bryony, London UK

I’m almost embarrassed to admit that until very recently I thought ‘nurturing’ was a synonym for narcissism, gentleness was for wimps, and sharing was self-indulgent.

I attended an Esoteric Women’s Group and just didn’t get it: ‘What’s with all this love in the room and talk of tenderness? Surely they must be faking it?!’ I rejected the people who were there – most of them just like me – because I thought that talking about yourself was either for people with enormous problems, or for people who had no problems, but wanted some anyway. It didn’t fit in with my ideas of working hard and getting on with it. Continue reading “Opening up (A Can of Glorious Worms) – Returning to the Truly Tender Woman Within” →

Not Speaking Up – Silence: Is That a Form of Self-Abuse?

~ womeninlivingness

by Anonymous

Sometimes we speak but we are not heard.

Sometimes we are made to feel like what we are expressing is not of importance.

When this occurs it leaves us feeling like we should have not said anything at all and should have remained in silence.  I feel that as women we have all done this to some level and it is the silence of not speaking our truth that really hurts us deep inside.

This silencing of ourselves is a form of abuse.  It hurts us and it also hurts those around us. Continue reading “Not Speaking Up – Silence: Is That a Form of Self-Abuse?” →

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Abusive Sexual Relationships

~ womeninlivingness

by Anonymous

CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE

When I was 7 years old my mum’s then boyfriend sexually abused me. I told mum at the time and her response was… “He was only trying to make you feel good”. I never spoke of the event again until I was 18. Continue reading “Childhood Sexual Abuse and Abusive Sexual Relationships” →

To Disempower or to Empower – That is the Question…

~ womeninlivingness ~ 7 Comments

by JK, UK

I was recently reminded, at a women’s group I regularly attend, how much we can either disempower ourselves or empower ourselves while being out in the world. Reflecting on this I realised that the choice to disempower has in the past come too readily. Let me explain further.

When I say disempower, what I mean here is that I’ve left my house feeling fairly content with the way I look, the way I feel and with the day ahead of me, then something happens to change that. That something has for me been triggered by: Continue reading “To Disempower or to Empower – That is the Question…” →

‘I do’: What if My First Marriage is to Myself?

~ womeninlivingness

by Adrienne Hutchins, newly married, Qld, Australia

I hadn’t realized how many choices in my life were made as a girl in ‘waiting’: waiting to find a partner, fall in love, say ‘I do’, become a woman, start a family and grow old with someone. I bided my time as I waited for my marriage to happen, for life to begin.

Actually, I was a polygamist because in between I married my job, my studies, my trips away, my books, my family: these kept me occupied while waiting for the ‘real’ marriage to come. In all of this I totally missed that truly my first marriage is to myself. I always wanted to marry my best friend and shouldn’t that be me? Continue reading “‘I do’: What if My First Marriage is to Myself?” →