By understanding some of the internal shifts I took towards self love, why I think it's important for women to be fierce about it, and how it can help ground you in your purpose, values, needs, and boundaries, you can begin to build self-love skills in your own life.

In 2012, I embarked on a Vision Quest in the desert seeking clarity amidst life changes and self-doubt following a divorce and return from living abroad. This spiritual journey involved fasting alone in the wilderness for three days and four nights, providing a profound opportunity for self-reflection and connection with nature. The Vision Quest, a rite of passage ceremony, offered a transformative experience, guiding me to confront old narratives and emerge with a renewed sense of purpose and connection to my community and inner self.

Experiencing a divorce can evoke challenging emotions and self-doubt, often manifesting as panic, anger, or feelings of being broken. A skilled therapist can guide you in understanding how your nervous system responds to these emotions, helping you regulate and navigate the rollercoaster of emotions linked to states of safety, fight-flight, and freeze, ultimately fostering a sense of hope and resilience.

I'm Jodie Stein, MFT, a therapist specializing in attachment-focused, body-based therapies, utilizing nature, creativity, and Spirit for healing. Through my Healing Hikes for women in relationship transitions, participants explore the impact of a breakup on their fight or flight responses and negative self-beliefs. By understanding the correlation between emotional states and personal narratives, participants feel more in control of their emotions as they heal.

Sometimes it does seem crazy these days to believe that love can last a lifetime. With the demands of modern life, all too often marriage can become about downtime and recovery, like a comfortable pillow, rather than a living connection that we feel inspired to nourish and feed.

But what I now realize is that sustaining love for a lifetime, if possible, does take a skill set; one I definitely didn’t have during marriage number one. Likely a lucky few inherit these skills for sustaining intimacy from their families, but for most of us, they need to be learned.