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Change Your Story to
Change Your Life
During childhood we develop narratives about ourselves and the world that often contain at least some inaccuracies. To the extent that your narrative has false beliefs embedded in it, it could be ruining your life! One of the saddest things I encounter in my work as a psychologist is to hear about the painful experiences people have lived through and then watch as they create the same pain in their adulthood due to their early false beliefs. In this blog, I write about how you can increase your awareness of your inner narratives and how to modify them to get the life you long for and deserve.



6 Self-Care Tips That Require Little to No Time or Money
Hello dear readers. So sorry if you are getting this twice, I had a glitch in my website. I hope you are faring well in our crazy times!...
Linda Buchanan
Aug 17, 20214 min read
161 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: Has Your Mind Been Hijacked?
Has your mind been hijacked by your brain? or more specifically one tiny part of your brain? The amygdala is a tiny almond-shaped organ...
Linda Buchanan
May 21, 20214 min read
451 views
0 comments


I thought I Let That Go Already: From Change Your Story ~ Change Your Life
What first comes to mind when you think about letting go? Maybe, if you're like me, the first thing that pops into your mind is the...
Linda Buchanan
Feb 20, 20213 min read
274 views
3 comments


From Change Your Story ~ Change Your Life: Plan to Fail
ome goals are too big of a leap and may be even quite unkind. There is no reason to feel like you need to recreate yourself.
Linda Buchanan
Dec 30, 20204 min read
184 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story ~ Change Your Life: Why Can't I Stop Thinking About it?
"Shut up, she tells her monkey mind. Please shut up, you picker of nits, presser of bruises, counter of losses, fearer of failures,...
Linda Buchanan
Nov 1, 20204 min read
203 views
0 comments

From Change Your Story: Three Surprisingly Easy Steps to Increase Motivation in a Strange New World
Are you lacking energy? How can expecting less from yourself and fantasizing more actually increase your motivation and energy?
Linda Buchanan
Aug 8, 20203 min read
222 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: Did Anyone Ever Gag you? Take it Off!
Have you ever felt gagged. What can you do with a gag? Keep wearing it or take it off! How to stop gagging yourself to be yourself.
Linda Buchanan
Jul 5, 20203 min read
281 views
0 comments


Change Your Story - Change Your Life: Three Ways to Keep Negative Thoughts From Having the Last Word
Strategies for conquering negative thinking. Don't let a negative thought have the last word.
Linda Buchanan
Jun 15, 20203 min read
648 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story: No Need to Socially Distance From Yourself
Are you socially distanced? From yourself? Maybe you don't even realize that people have relationships with themselves but we all do.
Linda Buchanan
May 13, 20204 min read
147 views
0 comments


Mother's Day - Happy?
Today is the day that we celebrate our mothers. Consider the very most positive moments you had with your mom growing up and honor those mem
Linda Buchanan
May 10, 20202 min read
118 views
0 comments

From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: Focus on the Present or the Future in a Pandemic?
Contemplate what this pause in your normal life has given you and what you want to keep when it's over
Linda Buchanan
Apr 27, 20203 min read
138 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: How can the Mona Lisa help with Covid-19?
How could the Mona Lisa smile help us see the silver lining as we try to cope with the pandemic.
Linda Buchanan
Mar 16, 20203 min read
417 views
1 comment


From Change Your Story-Change Your Life: What Lens Do You Use?
What if the things you believe about yourself are actually distortions of the truth? If you could correct your "identity" eyesight it would
Linda Buchanan
Mar 9, 20203 min read
307 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: Is Curiosity a Key to Happiness?
Markham Hied calls curiosity the "secret sauce" to living a happy life. I call it the secret to change as well.
Linda Buchanan
Feb 23, 20202 min read
234 views
0 comments


Change Your Story - Change Your Life: Remembering the Good
Did you know that most of us have a negative memory bias that affects our self concept? Try this exercise to reestablish the truth.
Linda Buchanan
Jan 13, 20203 min read
137 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story-Change Your Life: Six things to Stop Doing in Psychotherapy for Rapid Results
f you're in psychotherapy and you aren't seeing the changes that you want to see happen quickly enough, you might want to consider the follo
Linda Buchanan
Dec 2, 20195 min read
200 views
0 comments


Change Your Story-Change Your Life: What Verb Tense Are you Living In?
What tense are you in? Are you in the moment that you are currently having? Does that sound like a crazy question? Peace comes in the presen
Linda Buchanan
Nov 25, 20194 min read
265 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: What is a Defense Mechanism?
Defense mechanisms are natural and normal however the more often we use them the less uncomfortable we need to feel to resort to them .
Linda Buchanan
Nov 9, 20194 min read
245 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: Sand/Stone Story
Do you seem to hold onto hurts with more energy than you count your blessings? Most people do. Here's a strategy to change that ratio.
Linda Buchanan
Oct 13, 20193 min read
1,530 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: My Circus - My Monkeys
That awful moment when you realize this is your circus and those are your monkeys. We all have them right. Don't compare to others - accept.
Linda Buchanan
Sep 30, 20193 min read
390 views
4 comments


Change Your Story - Change Your Life: 4 Keys to Finding Freedom
Freedom doesn’t come from having the best job, best relationship, more money or accomplishments. It’s much more basic than that and more wit
Linda Buchanan
Sep 17, 20193 min read
146 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: Emotions Hurt
Emotions can hurt but to numb them takes a strong counter emotion which can bring another set of painful emotions such as with addiction.
Linda Buchanan
Aug 19, 20193 min read
175 views
0 comments

From Change Your Story - Change Your Life: Know Thyself!
Becoming self-aware is the first step in having control over your present and your future experiences rather than being imprisoned by habit.
Linda Buchanan
Jul 31, 20194 min read
298 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story-Change Your Life
When someone attempts to find a sense of worth by controlling their body, they find themselves in a never ending process of jumping
Linda Buchanan
Jul 14, 20193 min read
146 views
1 comment


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life
Have you ever told yourself that you can't ask directly for something you need? Have you felt like you had to earn love? You may manipulate!
Linda Buchanan
Jun 23, 20193 min read
99 views
0 comments


From Change Your Story - Change Your Life
What IS an Inner Child Anyway? Do you ever feel like a little kid when you are around your boss or your parents even though you are an adult
Linda Buchanan
Jun 11, 20195 min read
889 views
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From Change Your Story - Change Your Life
Every living body is doing things for the person living in it and thus has earned a measure of gratitude rather than control.
Linda Buchanan
May 23, 20193 min read
83 views
0 comments


There is No Place for Shame
We are born into this world already equipped neurologically with the ability to feel emotions. We are not born with the ability to feel sham
Linda Buchanan
May 13, 20193 min read
398 views
0 comments


Get on Your Stage!
I was full of misgivings and fear when first asked to dance for the EDIN (myedin.org) Celebrity Dance Challenge fundraising event. In...
Linda Buchanan
Apr 23, 20193 min read
84 views
0 comments


Is Your Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
After looking at the photos above, did you notice which one you gazed at the longest or which one caught your attention the fastest? If...
Linda Buchanan
Apr 8, 20193 min read
125 views
2 comments


Work Out For Your Brain
Always work on your mental strength. We all recognize the need to practice when developing a skill such as playing an instrument....
Linda Buchanan
Mar 23, 20193 min read
132 views
0 comments

Using Guilt Might Help You Move From Shame to Acceptance
You know that feeling you get when you’ve done something wrong and you can’t stop thinking about it? That happened to me a few days ago....
Linda Buchanan
Mar 17, 20193 min read
414 views
0 comments


Wherever You Go, There You Are
Nicholas Göke, who writes for Medium.com, shares the following story: Two men visit a Zen master. The first man says: “I’m thinking of...
Linda Buchanan
Feb 23, 20192 min read
110 views
4 comments


What Would You do to Avoid Change?
In my last post, I promised that I would address why, at times, we are more comfortable avoiding change even if it could make us happier....
Linda Buchanan
Feb 9, 20193 min read
94 views
0 comments


Boost Your Happiness in Four Minutes!
If you knew that you could boost your happiness in just four minutes a day would you? (If you answered no to that question, bravo for...
Linda Buchanan
Jan 25, 20192 min read
140 views
5 comments

Are Your Thoughts Hyperactive?
Does your brain ever feel like it’s bouncing around without any control? When I read this quote in a post by Ayodeji Awosika in Medium, I...
Linda Buchanan
Jan 12, 20192 min read
176 views
0 comments

An Atypical New Year's Resolutions: Fail
Surprised by that statement? So was I when I first began to read a post on Medium by Danny Forest. He talks about how he made his goal...
Linda Buchanan
Dec 29, 20182 min read
102 views
0 comments


How a Divorce in Childhood has Affected John's Story
When I was three years old, my parents decided that they no longer wanted to be together. It was confusing and upsetting for me. I wasn’t...
Linda Buchanan
Nov 5, 20186 min read
59 views
1 comment


So What Is Ambivalence Anyway?
“Ambivalence is a wonderful tune to dance to. It has a rhythm all its own.” — Erica Jon Being ambivalent is part of the remarkable...
Linda Buchanan
Oct 29, 20182 min read
347 views
10 comments


What You Tell Yourself May be Ruining Your Life
Stories you developed in childhood may still be guiding you, and often you're not even aware that it's happening! Do you find yourself...
Linda Buchanan
Oct 19, 20182 min read
74 views
0 comments

Self-image, Self-acceptance, True Beauty & Accepting Imperfections
Message from Dr. Linda Paulk Buchanan: I like to find short quotes to expand on for my ACEspiration messages, but this week I am passing...
Linda Buchanan
Sep 3, 20182 min read
55 views
0 comments
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