The Counseling and Wellness House LLC

11/08/2025

Shared post: 💗
Ernest Hemingway once said, "The hardest lesson I have had to learn as an adult is the relentless need to keep going, no matter how broken I feel inside." And that truth resonates deeply.
Life doesn’t stop when we’re grieving or exhausted. It doesn’t pause when we feel lost or like we can’t go on. It keeps moving forward, expecting us to keep up—even when our hearts are heavy and our strength is spent.
As children, we were told that resilience meant a happy ending, that pain always had a purpose, and storms always passed. But adulthood teaches us a different truth. Survival isn’t poetic—it’s messy, often invisible, and sometimes it feels like we’re barely holding it all together.
It’s getting up when all you want to do is hide. It’s smiling through tears. It’s showing up even when you feel completely worn out. Yet, somehow, we keep going. We keep moving forward, one step at a time, even when the path feels impossible.
Resilience isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s the quiet whisper that tells us: “Keep going.” It’s exhausting. It’s unfair. But every small step is proof that we’re still fighting. We’re still here. And that? That’s the bravest thing we can do. ✍️

09/29/2025

I've studied over 200 kids—parents who have the closest relationships with their adult kids do 7 things early on. Find the link in the comments. ⬇️

09/18/2025

Our thoughts have AND create energy. Therefore, what you focus on will grow. Is it your pain or blessings?

08/26/2025

What does it mean to self abandon?
This happens the moment you experience anxiety and you bail on yourself with the attempt to:
1. fix, control, or gain perfection
2. Numb or check out by engaging in addicting behaviors (eating, alcohol, shopping, or attempting to gain validation from others)
3. Believe “I can’t” do this!
That’s you jumping ship and bailing vs being there for you with the hard stuff!

Instead practice self investment! By:
1. Checking in with yourself as you would a best friend. Come alongside your anxiety versus trying to avoid or control it to make it go away.
2. Ask yourself what do I need? Maybe it’s to self soothe, or to move through the anxiety, make a tough decision or have an uncomfortable conversation, or you need to set a boundary.

You self abandon when you prioritize others comfort/well-being above your needs AND when you believe you need someone else to show up for you, when you aren’t showing up for you. You will never lose by self investing in yourself. Everyone wins this way!

07/04/2025

💗

06/09/2025

Time to level up! Self growth is worth the work.

05/28/2025

04/22/2025

I’m excited to participate in this year‘s conference! I’ll be speaking at one of the breakout sessions. Hope to see you there! 💙

01/14/2025

What makes Lewis's treatment of Pain in this book remarkable is his refusal to offer simplistic platitudes. He confronts the problem of pain with intellectual rigor, philosophical depth, and emotional honesty. He doesn't claim to resolve all questions but provides a framework for thinking about suffering that offers hope without denying its profound difficulty.

The book is particularly powerful because Lewis speaks from personal experience. He wasn't writing as someone immune to suffering, but as someone who had wrestled deeply with pain, loss, and doubt. This gives his philosophical and theological reflections a raw authenticity that resonates with readers.

Here are the key insights:

1. The Nature of Free Will
Lewis argues that genuine love requires free will. If humans were programmed to always do good or were prevented from making harmful choices, we would essentially be robots, not beings capable of true love or moral choice. Pain, in this context, is a consequence of free will - the ability to make choices that can harm ourselves or others. This freedom means suffering is not a design flaw, but a necessary condition for meaningful existence.

2. Pain as a Developmental Tool
Contrary to viewing suffering as purely destructive, Lewis sees pain as a critical mechanism for spiritual and personal growth. Just as physical pain alerts us to bodily harm, spiritual and emotional pain can alert us to deeper psychological or moral issues. Pain disrupts our comfortable illusions, forces us to confront our limitations, and potentially redirects us toward personal transformation.

3. Suffering as Divine Pedagogy
Lewis suggests that God uses suffering as a form of education. Comfort and constant pleasure can make humans complacent and self-centered. Pain, by contrast, can break down our ego, strip away our self-sufficiency, and create openness to deeper spiritual realities. It's not that God delights in our suffering, but that suffering can be a profound teacher.

4. The Theological Perspective of Redemptive Suffering
Drawing on Christian theology, Lewis explores the idea that suffering is not meaningless but can be redemptive. Just as Christ's suffering was understood as transformative and ultimately salvific, human suffering can have profound meaning beyond its immediate experience. This doesn't minimize pain but offers a framework for understanding it.

5. The Limits of Human Understanding
Lewis is careful to acknowledge that while these philosophical perspectives offer some insight, they don't provide complete answers. The problem of pain remains, at some level, a mystery. He argues for intellectual humility - recognizing that our human perspective is limited and that complete understanding may be beyond our current capacities.

Ultimately, "The Problem of Pain" doesn't eliminate suffering but offers a perspective that can transform how we interpret and respond to it. It suggests that pain, while real and often terrible, need not be the final word - that meaning, growth, and even hope can emerge from our most challenging experiences.

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