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Posts by Lori Deschene

Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She’s also the author of Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal, Tiny Buddha's Worry Journal, and Tiny Buddha's Inner Strength Journal and co-founder of Recreate Your Life Story, an online course that helps you let go of the past and live a life you love. For daily wisdom, join the Tiny Buddha list here. You can also follow Tiny Buddha on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Lori Deschene's Website

20 Powerful Quotes to Help You Deal with Difficult Relationships

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Relationships are never easy, especially relationships with family.

Some people seem to always push our buttons, making it hard not to react emotionally. Others trigger our deepest wounds, leaving us questioning our worth or sanity. And sometimes, without even realizing it, we’re the ones creating unnecessary conflict and drama.

We take things personally that aren’t really about us, assume the worst in people and act accordingly, and fight to be heard and understood while refusing to hear or understand the other person.

I know I’ve done all these things before, and I always wish later I’d responded more skillfully. With …

Two Exciting Updates (Including a FREE Life-Changing Event Next Week)

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Hi friends! I’m thrilled to share that Suzanne from Generation Mindful is hosting a FREE online event from January 2nd-4th—the Reparent Yourself Online Summit.

I’ve been a huge fan of Generation Mindful since I had my two sons. I only felt comfortable having children after discovering that it’s possible to parent without shame, pain, or fear—and that this is actually the key to raising confident, emotionally resilient children.

Since then, I’ve devoured everything I can find on positive parenting, and Generation Mindful has been a lifesaver during those challenging moments when I’m feeling emotionally triggered …

7 Books for Your Holiday Gift List (and Enter Win a Free MacBook Air)

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Hi friends! I imagine many of you, like me, are still finishing up your holiday shopping, and what better present to give someone than the gift of insight, peace, joy, and healing? The seven books below are some of my recent favorites, and I’m sure they’d be a wonderful addition to your loved ones’ libraries—or your own!

All for Love: The Transformative Power of Holding Space by Matt Kahn

It makes my heart so happy to see that Matt Kahn’s All for Love is a #1 bestseller because I truly believe the world would be a better place if we …

Hard Times eBook Sale: Buy One, Give One (This Weekend Only!)

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Most people find their way to Tiny Buddha for the same reason—they’re hurting and looking for relief.

Since you’re reading this post right now, I’m guessing that’s true for you too.

Maybe you’re dealing with loss, illness, a toxic relationship, or a major life change that’s been hard. Maybe you’re struggling with your mental health as you try to heal from a traumatic childhood or event. Or maybe the demands of everyday life have you feeling stressed, depressed, overwhelmed, and even a little hopeless.

Whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone. Thousands of contributors have shared their stories over the years, …

FREE Global JOY Summit! Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and More…

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Hi friends! I’m excited to invite you to the upcoming Global Joy Summit, a FREE online even running from November 13th to 16th.

This is an amazing opportunity to be inspired by the contagious joy and timely message of the Dalai Lama and the late, great Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and learn from 30+ renowned joy scientists, spiritual teachers, changemakers, and artists.

The lived experiences of these two global icons, and self-described “mischievous brothers,” serve as a profound example of the power of joy in the face of adversity. They teach us that joy is an essential key …

Giveaway: New Inner Strength Journal – A Tool to Help You Get Through Anything

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The winners have been chosen! If you see your name here, please email me at email@tinybuddha.com so I can send you a copy. The winners (chosen at random) are:

Hi friends! Today, I’m running a giveaway for my new Inner Strength Journal.

I created this journal because I know life isn’t easy for any of us.

Maybe you’re in a dark place right now, perhaps healing from trauma, illness, addiction, or loss. Or maybe things have always been hard for you, and you don’t know much longer you can go on.

Whatever …

Tiny Buddha’s 2023 Day-to-Day Calendar & Planner – Pre-Order Now

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Hi friends! I’m excited to share that my 2023 day-to-day calendar and eco-friendly planner are now available for pre-order!

The colorful daily calendar pages feature quotations (all from me and Tiny Buddha contributors) on happiness, love, relationships, change, meaning, mindfulness, simplicity, self-care, letting go, and more.

With an easel backer for desk and tabletop display, the calendar will hopefully keep you encouraged, uplifted, and motivated all through 2023!

Some of you suggested last year’s quotes were too long, so I aimed for mostly shorter quotes this year.

You can see sample pages and pre-order a calandar on Amazon here. …

[Free] Collective Trauma Summit: Creating a Global Healing Movement

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The FREE Collective Trauma Summit 2022: Creating a Global Healing Movement is starting soon, and I’m excited to extend an invitation to you! This is a nine-day online event to explore emerging solutions for healing individual, ancestral, and collective trauma.

When you register, you’ll be able to see the powerful lineup of speakers including therapists, scientists, researchers, activists, poets, artists, visionaries, and more. You will also get access to special live events, musical performances, as well as movement practices to support your integration and healing.

Some of the topics that will be addressed during the Summit include:

  • Bringing aid and
…

Toxic Positivity: 10 Things Not to Say When Someone Is Feeling Down

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“When you can’t look on the bright side, I will sit with you in the dark.” ~Unknown

It’s hard and uncomfortable to sit with pain, our own or someone else’s.

We don’t like to see people hurting, especially people we love, because we instinctively want to make them feel better, and we feel powerless if we think we can’t.

We feel like we have to do something. We have to say something. We have to somehow pull them out of the darkness—and we often try to do this by dousing them with light.

We do this to ourselves as well, …

FREE 30-Day Take Your Power Back Challenge

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Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in a pattern of waiting?

Waiting on things to change or people to change.

Waiting for closure or clarity or certainty.

Waiting for life to get easier. Waiting for your heart to feel better.

Waiting for an opportunity or a relationship or something you think you need to finally feel happy and at peace.

I suspect most of us spend years and even decades waiting, feeling powerless over some, if not all, aspects of our lives.

I know I’ve been there before. This is when I was the most depressed. When I felt …

Last Day for FREE eBook with New Inner Strength

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I know I don’t know you, but I see you. I get you. And I know you’re a survivor.

You’ve been through so much your life could be a movie, though you don’t always feel like the hero of your story, or always want to be.

Because sometimes you feel tired of being strong. Tired of wounds to heal, problems to solve, and crises to avert.

Sometimes you wish that it was all easier. That the ups and downs of life would stop so you could finally breathe, relax, and be.

I get that; I’ve wished that many times, …

Take Your Power Back: 15 Things You Don’t Have to Do Anymore

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There’s little more frustrating than feeling stuck or trapped—like you have to accept things that aren’t good for you and can’t do the things you need to do to feel and be your best.

I think we all feel this way at times, and sometimes we do have to accept things that aren’t ideal, at least in the short term while we figure out a plan to make things better. Until we address our health issues, or find a less stressful job, or slowly unravel layers of grief or trauma to find some modicum of peace and healing.

But when …

10 Signs You’re Being True to Yourself

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“The most confused we ever get is when we try to convince our heads of something that we know in our hearts is a lie.” ~Karen Moning

It’s painful and stressful to feel like you’re living a lie. Like you’re hiding how you really feel, saying what you think other people want to hear, and doing things you don’t actually want to do—just because you think you’re supposed to.

But sometimes we don’t recognize we’re doing this. We just know we feel off, or something feels wrong, and we’re not sure how to change it.

It makes sense that a …

10 Things to Tell Yourself When Going Through a Hard Time

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When life gets challenging, we often make things even tougher by being hard on ourselves.

We berate ourselves for feeling down, as if we should be positive and happy all the time. We minimize our feelings, as if we have no right to be struggling since things could be so much worse. And we hold ourselves to ridiculous standards, pushing ourselves to do more, keep up with everyone else, and respond to life’s stressors with perfect composure.

Or at least these are things I’ve done.

I know that life is messy and I’m only human, but sometimes I expect more …

15 Things You Can’t Control and What You Can Control Instead (Free Printable!)

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This post is for anyone who stresses themselves out trying to control life. Which I’m guessing means it’s for most people.

It’s easy to convince ourselves we have power over things we don’t—as if we can force people and situations to go our way simply by trying or pushing harder.

The world would feel a lot safer if this were true. If people did what we thought was best, situations worked out as we believed they should, and nothing challenging or painful ever caught us off guard.

But some things are simply uncontrollable, and it’s exhausting and futile to obsess …

Does It All Feel Too Hard? Tiny Buddha’s Inner Strength Journal Can Help

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Do you ever feel like calling into the day? And I don’t just mean work. I mean everything. I mean turning it all off for a while. Freezing the full gamut of this messy human experience—the regrets, the fears, the adulting, the drama. The constant onslaught of anxiety-inducing news and personal problems to face.

When everyone needs you and everything worries you and nothing helps you feel better, it’s tempting to disconnect. To numb out, shut down, or give up.

But we can’t, at least not for long. And really, that’s not what we want. Or at least, that’s not …

Free Thich Nhat Hanh Audio Series: Living Without Stress or Fear

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When you think of the teachers who’ve had the greatest impact on your life, who comes to mind?

For me, it’s the calm, the humble, the patient—the people who not only imparted useful life lessons but also embodied their message with their grace and equanimity. People I was fortunate enough to know personally, like my grandmother, and others I never met that brought me clarity and peace from afar, like the inimitable Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thay, as his students called him, was a Vietnamese Zen monk, author, poet, peacemaker, and founder of the “engaged Buddhism” movement—the act of leveraging our …

20 Inspiring Acts of Kindness and Giveaway Winners for HumanKind

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Last week I ran a giveaway for Brad Aronson’s HumanKind: Changing the World One Small Act at a Time—a heartwarming book that highlights ordinary people doing extraordinary things and offers practical tips for everyday kindness.

I had ten books to give away—four for the blog, three for Facebook, and three for Instagram—and I invited you all to share an act of kindness you’d recently received or witnessed for a chance to win. The four blog winners, chosen at random, are:

Please email me at email (at) tinybuddha.com so I can get a book …

HumanKind: The Inspiring, Uplifting Book We All Need to Read (Giveaway!)

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A while back I shared a quote by an unknown author that reads:

“You know who’s going through a lot right now? Literally everyone. Just be kind.”

It got me thinking about all the struggles we assume other people don’t have—because we’d never guess from the looks of them.

You’d never guess that your confident colleague struggles with PTSD from childhood abuse and neglect.

You’d never guess that your boisterous brother-in-law beats himself up because he doesn’t earn enough to get his family out of debt.

You’d never guess that your collected cousin cries in the bathroom every day because …

10 Positive Things to Do for Yourself in the New Year

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I think I know you pretty well. I know I don’t know you, know you, but I’m guessing since you’re here, you’re a lot like me.

You want to be your best self. You want to make the most of your life. You want to be the best you can be, physically and mentally, for the people around you. And you quite possibly will take a little time today to think about what you should embrace or release in the year ahead to boost your happiness and make a positive impact on the world.

Maybe you’ll make a list …