Happy Father’s Day!
Perhaps this holiday brings up amazing memories of your dad but it can also certainly bring up negative memories as well. Father’s Day and Mother’s Day can often be a day of pain for many people. I love both days because I had loving parents and I’m grateful they are both still here on this earth. They are a gift to me and I’m grateful that there is a lot of love between us.
What about me?
Well, I’m a dad too and for some reason Father’s Day is a struggle for me. Father’s day can trigger guilt and shame and bring up a negative, false inner voice that tells me, “you could’ve done better.” I know this is a lie because I get positive feedback all the time from all three of my sons as well as my wife and others around me. But still, the inner voice tries to do its dirty work.
What about you?
Does this also happen to you? Do you approach holidays like Mother’s and Father’s Day with an inner voice that beats you down? If so, I encourage you to consider two options to remedy the negative inner voice that plagues you.
Go Vertical and Horizontal…
The way I like to address inner negativity is to connect VERTICALLY with God. However you do that, do it. Connect through prayer or reading positive, life giving material that will replace negativity with the positive love of God who does not want us to live in shame.
Go HORIZONTAL in your relationships with other people. Join a church, a gym, a club. Join any organization that will connect you with other people who are positive and loving. And of course, if you have trouble connecting vertically or horizontally then I encourage you to set up a meeting with a therapist. I happen to be free this summer if you would like to dig into that nasty negative voice inside your head. I will help you develop a strategy to kick the negative voice’s “you know what” so that you can live in freedom.
I love helping people live in freedom!