Image: Flickr/lauren rushing

“The truth about your own life is not always easy to accept, and sometimes hasn’t even occurred to you.” (Anna Quindlen)

The hardest part of living a ScreamFree life is embracing the idea that you’ve helped create some of the things that drive you crazy. Many of us would rather blame someone or something else for the things we don’t like in our lives and wallow in self-pity. The rest of us tend to take all the blame ourselves and wallow in shame and guilt.

Neither extreme is very helpful.

Instead, take full responsibility for your part of the pattern. Seeing what you’re doing wrong in a stressful situation is not an easy thing to do, but it’s a vital one. It takes a strong sense of self and a whole lot of courage. You’ll have to take a leap of faith and a long, hard look at yourself — not in an attempt to beat yourself (or anyone else) up, but rather in an attempt to actually resolve the stress you’re experiencing.