Closed posture, shallow breath,

Long silences - longing for death

Contact contact - ready to engage

But short circuited by tears that never quite assuage

Isolation is the echo that hums when love forgets where to land.

Yet within its stillness lies the doorway back to belonging.

“Even in silence, the soul whispers back — I am still here.”

Dig it, it's Dignity, it's a right for you and me

Give it, give Dignity, it's a gift from you to me

Will I lose my dignity, will someone care? -- Johnathan Larson

Terse comments, sighs, finding fault in small things.

It is not things themselves that disturb us, but our opinions about them. — Epictetus

Closed posture, avoiding calls, short replies.

In solitude the mind gains strength. — Laurence Sterne

Carrying others’ stories home, difficulty saying no, emotional exhaustion.

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. — Pema Chödrön

Withdrawn posture, little eye contact, long silences.

Sometimes it is enough to rest in the grace of the world. — Wendell Berry

Tears, candles, storytelling, quiet presence with others.

What is grief, if not love persevering. — Paul Atreides (WandaVision)

Glassiness in the eyes, voice catching, tissues nearby.

Tears are words the heart can’t express. — Gerard Way

Furrowed brows, starting and stopping sentences, reaching for clarity.

In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s there are few. — Shunryu Suzuki

Shrugs, missed deadlines, minimal engagement.

The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. — Elie Wiesel

Slumped shoulders, slow pace, low voice.

If you are going through hell, keep going. — Winston Churchill

Flat tone, distant gaze, going through motions.

The cure for the pain is in the pain. — Rumi

Eye rolls, sneers, sarcasm as a blade.

Contempt is the unsleeping guardian of the gate. — Hannah Arendt

Monologuing, ignoring social cues, centering personal needs.

We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are. — Anaïs Nin

Self-critique spirals, apologizing for existing, difficulty receiving kindness.

Talk to yourself like someone you love. — Brené Brown

Boastful tone, ignoring feedback, leaping without a net.

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. — Daniel J. Boorstin

Sighs, foot tapping, interrupting to ‘get to the point.’

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. — Lao Tzu

Animated gestures, focused eyes, time disappears while engaged.

Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine. — Henry David Thoreau

Hard stare, sharp tone, cutting remarks.

Speak only if it improves upon the silence. — Mahatma Gandhi

Tight jaw, clipped words, revisiting old grievances.

Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. — Anne Lamott

Exasperated sighs, clenched fists, shutting the laptop hard.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. — Albert Einstein

Lifted chin, strong handshake, highlighting wins.

Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real. — Thomas Merton

Soft voice, protective posture, careful movements.

Be gentle with yourself; you are a child of the universe. — Max Ehrmann

Bursting laughter, playful teasing, spinning in place.

Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. — Rumi

Heavy limbs, yawns, desire to withdraw and sleep.

Not even sustenance in the food we eat

Time for self care and love and rest

Are your needs hard to confess?

Rest is not idleness. — John Lubbock

Pacing, furrowed brows, late-night rumination.

Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. — Arthur Somers Roche

Frozen posture, wide eyes, silence or gasps.

The wound is the place where the Light enters you. — Rumi

Flinching at harsh words, tearful eyes, retreating to regroup.

The more you know yourself, the more clarity there is. — Jiddu Krishnamurti

Interrupted conversations, clicking ‘send’ too soon, jumping into plans.

Between stimulus and response there is a space. — Viktor Frankl

Shallow breath, scattered attention, difficulty choosing next steps.

You can do anything, but not everything. — David Allen

Fidgeting, glancing around, a quiver in the voice.

Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth. — Pema Chödrön

Fast speech, bouncing gestures, rushing to say yes to everything.

Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create. — Jana Kingsford

Wide eyes, stillness, hushed voice.

He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. — Albert Einstein

Relaxed jaw, steady heartbeat, easy breathing.

Feeling safe in someone’s energy is a different kind of intimacy. — Unknown

Bright eyes, glowing skin, laughter that spreads.

Nothing can dim the light that shines from within. — Maya Angelou

Relaxed shoulders, open palms, steady breath.

Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune. — William James

Smiles, nods of appreciation, verbal acknowledgment.

Gratitude turns what we have into enough. — Melody Beattie

Steady voice, calm movements, ease in presence.

Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong. — Peter T. McIntyre

Slower speech, deep breathing, still body.

Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. — Sylvia Boorstein

Soft-spoken, receptive body language, bowing of the head.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less. — C.S. Lewis

Upright posture, steady gaze, decisive actions.

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. — Alice Walker

Gentle voice, soft eyes, reaching out physically or emotionally.

Where there is love there is life. — Mahatma Gandhi

An open hand resting without tension.

“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication.” — Stephen Covey

A cup lifted, brimming with light.

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” — Aesop

The open palm of the heart

Serenity is not freedom from the storm. — Unknown

A river flowing without resistance

Happiness can exist only in acceptance. — Camus

A stone lifted from the back

Relief is a great feeling. — Unknown

A cup filled without overflow

He is richest who is content. — Socrates

A door opened on a wounded room

The weak can never forgive. — Gandhi

A hammock swaying in still air

Calm mind brings inner strength. — Dalai Lama

A still lake beneath changing skies

How deep our vision sees the depth

Without ripple, without waiver, without doubt to cloud with shame

Without label even though, peace we know is our name

Peace begins with a smile. — Mother Teresa

A curtain pulled back on delight

Surprise is the greatest gift. — Boris Pasternak

A candle that refuses the wind

Hope is a thing with feathers. — Dickinson

A spark leaping from thought to fire

Genius is one percent inspiration. — Edison

A lantern carried into the cave

The important thing is not to stop questioning. — Einstein

A child’s gasp before the curtain rises

Wonder is the beginning of wisdom. — Socrates

A door slammed against the world

Aversion clouds our wisdom. — Pema Chödrön

A stomach’s recoil in sound

Revulsion is a protest of conscience. — Unknown

A weight pressing the chest to the floor

Guilt is a gift. — Elie Wiesel

A shadow that folds inward

Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change. — Brené Brown

A face turned sharply away

Disgust is often more deeply buried than lust and anger. — C.S. Lewis

A pause before the unknown door

Apprehension is natural; it shows we care. — Unknown

Eyes narrowing in dim light

Suspicion always haunts the guilty mind. — Shakespeare

An iron spine in forward motion

Fall seven times and stand up eight. — Japanese Proverb

A house with no foundation

Insecurity is an ugly thing. — Unknown

A shadow stretching ahead

Dread is a disease of the imagination. — Disraeli

A stampede of heartbeats

Panic causes tunnel vision. — Unknown

A rocking chair going nowhere

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. — Dale Carnegie

A bird flapping against its own cage

Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. — Kierkegaard

A trembling leaf in the wind’s hand

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. — FDR

A dignified stance, rooted and tall

Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real. — Thomas Merton

A ladder leaning on the sky

Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. — Twain

A standard raised against the storm

Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and soul. — Montaigne

A river cutting through stone

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races. — Walter Elliot

The grounded stance of readiness

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. — Helen Keller

A steady flame that walks into the storm

Courage is grace under pressure. — Hemingway

A pebble in the shoe of the mind

Irritation is a great motivator. — Unknown

An old wound rehearsing its script

Resentment is like drinking poison. — Nelson Mandela

A hunger with no plate of its own

Envy is ignorance. — Emerson

A fire fed by fear of loss

Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius. — Fulton Sheen

Fire spilling over its vessel

Rage is the only quality which has kept me, or anybody I have ever studied, writing columns for newspapers. — Jimmy Breslin

A clenched fist around a fragile flame

Looking for someone to blame

Hand in hand with post traumatic shame

Strengthens the anger and turns your heart lame

Anger digs two graves - Unknown

An ear pressed to another’s heart

Empathy is about finding echoes in yourself. — Hamid

A backward glance in a forward river

Regret is an appalling waste of energy. — Mansfield

A sweet ache in fading light

Melancholy is the happiness of being sad. — Hugo

An unfinished melody on the lips

Yearning is the flame of the heart. — Tagore

An echo that longs for answer

The eternal quest is to shatter loneliness. — Cousins

A bridge made of tears and care

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. — Dalai Lama

A cloud passing across a quiet sun

Even a happy life has darkness. — Jung

Tears watering the roots of remembrance

Grief is the price we pay for love. — Elizabeth II

A mirror that makes faces back at itself

Through humor, you can soften life’s blows. — Cosby

A window that insists on opening

Keep your face toward the sunshine. — Whitman

A contagious smile in sonic form

The best way to cheer yourself is to cheer someone else. — Twain

A bubbling spring that refuses a lid

Joy is not in things; it is in us. — Wagner

A child’s grin behind grown-up eyes

Play is the highest form of research. — Einstein

A sparkle that needs no reason

A day without laughter is a day wasted. — Chaplin