Ala'A Ismail

“One cannot get much more vulnerable than to expose oneself psychologically. To share oneself with another and then be misunderstood or rejected is, for many, a risk not worth taking. As a result, this is the rarest of intimacies and the reason so many of us are reluctant to share even with loved ones our deepest concerns and insecurities about ourselves. Yet there is no closeness that can surpass the sense of feeling known and still being liked, accepted, welcomed, invited to exist.”
― Gabor Maté, Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers

“Sometimes you have to stay alone, a little moment of solitude gives you the opportunity to knock on the door to your brain, and it opens to a sudden bright idea.”
― Godwin Elijah

“Information alone does not improve our lives—we need to actually use it to see a change.

Information applied to a situation causes transformation.”
― Tina Hallis, Sharpen Your Positive Edge: Shifting Your Thoughts for More Positivity and Success

“The core belief in having to be strong enough, characteristic of many people who develop chronic illness, is a defence. The child who perceives that her parents cannot support her emotionally had better develop an attitude of “I can handle everything myself.” Otherwise, she may feel rejected. One way not to feel rejected is never to ask for help, never to admit “weakness” — to believe that I am strong enough to withstand all my vicissitudes alone.”
― Gabor Maté, When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress