Author of You Are Not Your Mother: Releasing Generational Trauma & Shame and Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters: A Guide for Separation, Liberation & Inspiration
on the difference between joy and happiness
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Brittney Cooper on the difference between joy and happiness: "Joy is not based on happiness or things going our way or that all is well in the world. Joy is rooted in a deep internal sense of purpose. That we have a reason to show up here and do our work with righteousness and integrity and care. And any time we secure an sustain the conditions to be able to do that, there is a reason for joy. Particularly for those who believe, even in the face of deep injustice, that ultimately justice will prevail." While this quote was part of a larger conversation she had about the election in the U.S., which takes place today, it's pertinent to anyone who is a cycle-breaker and/or who is reckoning with shame. Many of us were taught to pursue a happiness that was prescribed for us, rather than a joy we define. ~~~ I was featured on my publisher's new website, answering questions you might like the answers to, including how being raised by a narcissistic mother affected me personally, and what the relationship between the mind and the body is and how it plays a role in overcoming trauma (my answer might surprise you). ~~~ Speaking of joy, here's our girl Scout this past Sunday. Much, much love (and joy), Karen |
Karen C.L. Anderson
Author of You Are Not Your Mother: Releasing Generational Trauma & Shame and Difficult Mothers, Adult Daughters: A Guide for Separation, Liberation & Inspiration
I recently participated in Rauhnächte, the ancient "time between the years" ritual in Alpine, Celtic, and Germanic cultures in which you write down 13 wishes on separate pieces of paper and then, starting on December 24, you release one each night (without looking). I lit mine on fire! After 12 nights, you are left with one, and this is the one you are meant to bring into the new year...and make happen. I was gobsmacked when I opened that final wish. When I wrote them down (which I did over...
[New and improved Shame School is coming back soon. Click here to get on the wait list!] “The good dwarves felt pity for the prince and gave him the glass coffin in which Snow White lay. The prince had his servants carry it away on their shoulders. But it happened that one of them stumbled on some brush, and this dislodged from Snow White’s throat the piece of poisoned apple the evil Queen had given her. Not long afterwards, she opened her eyes, lifted the lid from her coffin, sat up, and was...
Are we working together in 2026? If you're at a breaking point in the relationship you have with your mother or your adult daughter and you're not sure how to move forward, let's work together. I am offering $500 off a 12-session package and this offer ends tonight at midnight. Click here to save your spot! ~~~ She can only hear you through the filter of her own reality no matter how clear, honest, and patient you are. What she understands will always reflect her internal world, not your...