Sparkle Kingdom Warriors

11/14/2025

I had the privilege of taking part in a Mandela creating class this week in which we got to choose our medium to work with and create our own designs.

I thought I was going to quit after the first 3 circles worth of random shapes and lines, but taking a moment to step back from it and see what I had already created gave me the incentive to keep going.

It reminded me of the 3 potential benefits of Attainable Victory #68 in "TheAdaptableWarrior".

"Draw a shape of your choosing"
🦋 Engages cognition/decision-making
🦋 Works fine motor skills
🦋 May encourage further artistic endeavours

Page 153 and 154 of "The Adaptable Warrior" by Cherylyn (Cher) Tanner RN, Psychotherapist

I definitely experienced all three as I engaged with the creative process of this piece. And now I have beautiful art to look at as well!

Have you created anything this week that started as one simple shape? I'd love to see it! Drop a picture of it in the comments so we can be inspired by you too.

You are valuable. You are loved. You are worth the effort it takes to heal and the strength it takes to keep choosing to live. You have purpose.

Cher
❤️💜💙
Cherylyn Tanner RN, Psychotherapist
Author

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Disclaimer: Today's post is for informational purposes and not intended as a replacement for professional help. If you are struggling, please consider seeking services from a licensed therapist in your area. (I am an option for Ontario residents.)

11/13/2025

I have.

Not because it is a bad model, but because it did not feel like it was designed for my crisis stabilization and recovery needs.

There are times in our lives when our capacity levels drop significantly, and the action steps we can take in those times look drastically different than the ones we can take when we are functioning at full strength.

Maybe full strength days look like long, brisk walks or hanging out for hours with friends or being able to immerse yourself in a hot bath until you are a prune and the water goes cold.

Maybe lowered capacity days look like repositioning in bed or eating one bite of food or opening your eyes.

You are worth celebrating on both of those days and everywhere in between.

You deserve to be proud of yourself for your attainable victories regardless of how massive they feel at any given moment.

And, if using a tool that feels too overwhelming in that moment as target practice makes us feel good, then I say "Bravo" for listening to our needs and caring for ourselves in a way that is attainable that day.

You are valuable. You are loved. You are worth the effort it takes to heal and the strength it takes to keep choosing to live. You have purpose.

Cher
❤️💜💙
Cherylyn Tanner RN, Psychotherapist
Author

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Disclaimer: Today's post is for informational purposes and not intended as a replacement for professional help. If you are struggling, please consider seeking services from a licensed therapist in your area. (I am an option for Ontario residents.)

11/12/2025

Attainable Victories are the seemingly insignificant tasks that pack a massive impact always, but are still acheivable when we are working on crisis stabilization and recovery or are in some form of lowered capacity levels. 99 other Attainable Victories can be found in "The Adaptable Warrior: Attainable Victories for Even the Darkest Days" by Cherylyn (Cher) Tanner RN, Psychotherapist.

11/11/2025

11/10/2025

Attainable Victory # 14 - Look outside for 10 seconds.
3 potential benefits:
🦋Reduces eye strain by looking at far vs near
🦋Natural light is an antidepressant
🦋Gives you a break from inward focus
Pages 31 and 32 of "The Adaptable Warrior: Attainable Victories for Even the Darkest Days" by Cherylyn (Cher) Tanner RN, Psychotherapist

11/10/2025

11/07/2025

10 months ago, I didn't realize I was about to write a book.

I started with an idea. One that seemed quite pamphlet sized.

I chose the attainable victory for myself of writing something down every day.

My first idea quickly felt too small and I added to it. As I wrapped up that addition, I realized it needed more and I added another stage to it.

One writing attainable victory at a time.

It wasn't until I was in the second or third round of editing and I looked at how many pages the format I envisioned would be that I had the realization that I had just written a whole BOOK!

This is what doing our current capacity attainable victory or victories has the potential to do. Maybe we commit to opening our eyes daily no matter how hard it feels. Maybe a year from now that has lead all the way to getting dressed in fresh clothes with consistency and we didn't even realize that was an outcome option.

And, maybe, that's the coolest thing ever!

"The Adaptable Warrior" is the book I intentionally, unintentionally wrote and it is available on my website. Link in the comments.



You are valuable. You are loved. You are worth the effort it takes to heal and the strength it takes to keep choosing to live. You have purpose.

Cher
❤️💜💙
Cherylyn Tanner RN, Psychotherapist
Author

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🦋

🦋

Disclaimer: Today's post is for informational purposes and not intended as a replacement for professional help. If you are struggling, please consider seeking services from a licensed therapist in your area. (I am an option for Ontario residents.)

11/03/2025

My husband used to tell a story of his time in the service. The assignment was to use a map and compass to make it from point A to point B. He headed out with his assigned team as they took the straightest line possible to their destination.

On that straight line, they met up with a brambly, swampy area. His teammates looked at it and went "well, we have to go that way to get to our destination" and started through. My husband looked at it and went "that looks like a thing I don't want to do" and found a way to go around it.

He ended up making it to the other side first and sat and waited for the rest of the team to make it to him. When they finally did, (scratched up, muddy, frustrated) they were shocked that he was unscathed, rested, and waiting.

He looked at them and said, "The mission is to get from point A to point B. Nobody said it has to be a straight line".

Not all obstacles in our lives require ramming speed, brute force, or mountains of determination. Sometimes, we just need to go around them.

You are valuable. You are loved. You are worth the effort it takes to heal and the strength it takes to keep choosing to live. You have purpose.

Cher
❤️💜💙
Cherylyn Tanner RN, Psychotherapist
Author of "The Adaptable Warrior"

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Disclaimer: Today's post is for informational purposes and not intended as a replacement for professional help. If you are struggling, please consider seeking services from a licensed therapist in your area. (I am an option for Ontario residents.)

11/02/2025

Happy Fall back Sunday Warriors!!

Is that "extra" hour feeling like a blessing, a curse, or complete indifference for you today?

I am fortunate that this year is feeling like a blessing. It gave me a chance to sleep a little while more and allow my body to have the recovery time it needs from an intense couple of weeks.

Wee reminder: None of us are super human. We ALL function better with adequate rest, nutrition, and hydration at our baseline.

So...whatever you get up to with your "extra" hour today, I hope a piece of it is spent feeling what your body, mind, or soul needs and giving that to it.

You are valuable. You are loved. You are worth the effort it takes to heal and the strength it takes to keep choosing to live. You have purpose.

Cher
❤️💜💙
Cherylyn Tanner RN, Psychotherapist
Author of "The Adaptable Warrior"

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Disclaimer: Today's post is for informational purposes and not intended as a replacement for professional help. If you are struggling, please consider seeking services from a licensed therapist in your area. (I am an option for Ontario residents.)

10/29/2025

Sometimes the darkness feels impenetrable. You open your eyes and all you can see is nothing. No way forward. No way back. No place to rest. No hope. No future. A darkness so deep that walking off the edge feels like an inevitability instead of a choice.

I am here to remind you... there's always a choice.

It may be to scream into the void until somebody hears you. It may be to reach out your hand and assess your surroundings. Maybe what feels like the cliff's edge is actually a really, really well light deprived closet.

You are valuable. You are loved. You are worth the effort it takes to heal and the strength it takes to keep choosing to live. You have purpose.

Cher
❤️💜💙
Cherylyn Tanner RN, Psychotherapist
Author of "The Adaptable Warrior"

🦋

🦋

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Disclaimer: Today's post is for informational purposes and not intended as a replacement for professional help. If you are struggling, please consider seeking services from a licensed therapist in your area. (I am an option for Ontario residents.)

10/27/2025

Remember in school when they told you to make an educated guess when you felt entirely unsure of any acquired knowledge and yet somehow, sometimes, it worked out?

That is how I felt going into the launch mission for "The Adaptable Warrior". Only this time we called it "strategically winging it"!

The Sparkle Kingdom Warriors team took our collective knowledge, skills, and judgement to get the word out and create a beautiful experience for those we hoped would show up.

And you showed up!! Warriors of all ages and stages and backgrounds filled the space with connection, creativity, support, and hope. You listened to our speeches. You interacted with our mantra colouring sheets. You ate the food. You gifted yourself a copy of the book. You gave hugs and shared pieces of your stories and took pictures. And we all healed a little more as a result.

Thank you for being a part of the beginning. Thank you for choosing to love yourself and honour "The Adaptable Warrior" inside of you.

You are valuable. You are loved. You are worth the effort it takes to heal and the strength it takes to keep choosing to live. You have purpose.

Cher
❤️💜💙
Cherylyn Tanner RN, Psychotherapist
Author of "The Adaptable Warrior"

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Disclaimer: Today's post is for informational purposes and not intended as a replacement for professional help. If you are struggling, please consider seeking services from a licensed therapist in your area. (I am an option for Ontario residents.)

10/25/2025

"Potentially life-saving." ~ Book editor
"Easy to understand and look at." ~ Veteran with a brain injury
"Educational and skill-building." ~ Occupational Therapist

Today "The Adaptable Warrior" begins its mission of hope, support, and connection. Every word hand picked to be a sparkle of hope dancing in the soul crushing darkness and designed to leave space for calm, rest, and understanding.

See you at the launch party!

You are valuable. You are loved. You are worth the effort it takes to heal and the strength it takes to keep choosing to live. You have purpose.

Cher
❤️💜💙
Cherylyn Tanner RN, Psychotherapist