Skeletons & Silver Linings ☠️
"Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people." — Carl Jung
"Pick one thing about yourself you hate to admit. A habit, a thought, a pattern. Dig into it. Where did it come from? Why does it persist? What’s it trying to protect? Because yes, even the ‘ugly parts’ serve a purpose. Figure that out, and maybe you’ll stop fighting yourself so hard."
I used to get annoyed at people when they asked for help.
Small things. Simple questions.
Didn’t matter.
My chest would tighten. My hands would fidget. My words came out sharp, sometimes cruel. It felt like dragging a bag of bricks everywhere I went. Heavy, relentless, exhausting.
But then, I stopped. Stared it in the face.
The anger wasn’t random.
It had roots, tangled and deep. As a kid, I learned to fend for myself, to handle everything alone. Being independent was survival. Needing others was a weakness.
So, every request felt like a threat.
A loss of control. The anger wasn’t rage—it was armor.
Funny how we hold on to things that hurt us.
Like Gollum clutching his “precious,” we guard our worst habits because they trick us into feeling safe. But they’re not safe. They’re traps. And until you see it, you’re stuck.
That’s where shadow work begins.
Not fixing, not erasing, but recognizing the parts you’d rather ignore. It’s uncomfortable. Messy. Necessary. It’s how you loosen the grip, bit by bit. A slow unraveling, not a perfect release.
But even small cracks let the light in.
Pick one trait that grinds your gears about yourself.
Maybe it’s oversleeping. Maybe it’s snide remarks. Write it down.
Then ask: Where did this come from, and what is it trying to shield me from?
No fancy journaling needed—just a simple bullet list of observations. Keep it short, but be honest. That small act of structured questioning can reveal what you’ve been ignoring.
"Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people." — Carl Jung
Ever notice how your worst habit feels less like a flaw and more like a gatekeeper? A watchdog for something buried deep.
Maybe it’s anger.
Or shutting people out.
Or spending money like it grows on trees.
We’ve all got one—at least one. The thing you’d rather stuff into a box, shove under the bed, and forget exists.
But here’s the real question…
Have you figured out where it came from? Or are you still piecing it together?
Maybe it was self-defense, born in chaos. Maybe it just became part of you, like a scar you stopped noticing.
Drop your thoughts below.
Unpack it.
You might just stumble on someone who’s untangling the same mess. Strangers, sure. But maybe not so different after all.
Every so-called "ugly part" you face holds a truth.
Not a pretty truth, but a raw one.
When you lean into the discomfort, you reclaim something stolen: freedom.
Looking directly at yourself—flaws, fears, the jagged edges you usually avoid—isn't easy. But it’s necessary. Growth demands it. No shortcuts. No easy exits. Just you, staring down the pieces you’d rather bury.
Take your time. Go layer by layer.
Don’t rush what’s meant to unfold slowly.
Progress doesn’t need a stopwatch.
You’re not alone.
We’re all trudging through this same muck, wrestling with the shadows we used to flee.
Keep going. Keep asking hard questions.
The courage is already in you—you just have to prove it to yourself.
— Ryan Puusaari