Hello! If you’ve been following along you know that I’ve been away having and taking care of our new baby boy. I am so excited to be back in front of the microphone again bringing you fresh, new content. In a future episode, I will share more on our unexpected but welcome pregnancy, the labor and delivery, and the unexpected but welcome challenges that arise in caring for two young children instead of only one!  Until then, we’re continuing the “Journal Your Way to Clarity” series with the next theme: love. Our focus is on self-love and its impact on relationships. So, we start off with this beautiful quote that I pulled from The Treasured Journal: “How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.” - Rupi Kaur I invite you to think about or write about this thought-provoking prompt: "If I loved myself more fully, I would..."  Journaling can be mightily effective because it allows us to be free and honest. We don’t have to perform for others. We’re not obligated to play a role. We can think and consider and be who we truly are and how we truly feel. This makes journaling an unparalleled tool for self-reflection and insight. So I encourage you to join in on the exercises in this series. And be sure to check out the next episode in the series when we explore the topic of sex and its interconnectedness with various aspects of our lives.   It is so good to be back! Thank you for listening! RESOURCES and MENTIONS Rupi Kaur - https://rupikaur.com/ The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer - https://stepheniemeyer.com/the-books/ Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer - https://stepheniemeyer.com/midnight-sun-2020/ A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - https://sarahjmaas.com/books/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses-series/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses  THE TREASURED JOURNAL - https://danielleireland.com/journal Whether you use The Treasured Journal or a plain pad of paper, journaling can help you see yourself, and your situation, more clearly. If you opt for the journal, you'll get useful questions, prompts, and sentence starters that perfectly complement the concepts discussed in this series.  CONNECT WITH DANIELLE  I greatly appreciate your support and engagement as part of the Don't Cut Your Own Bangs community. Feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or experiences you'd like to share. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe. Your feedback is invaluable.  Website: danielleireland.com Instagram: @danielleireland_LCSW Facebook: @danielleireland_LCSW