What Does "Self Help" Mean?

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Negative experiences can hold us back, but we can break free.

Realize that old beliefs are not necessarily truths—change is possible.

Setbacks are opportunities for growth.

Having the courage to try something that scares us can transform our lives.

Especially during difficult times, it’s important to have an outlet, a stress reliever, or simply an activity in which we can express ourselves freely. Studies have shown that regular exercise can boost mood. For many, however, exercise can be a struggle, and it can take some doggedness to get going.

I didn’t think I could “Zumba.”

I was 40 years old. I knew I was fit enough for the one-hour Latin-inspired dance fitness class at the gym because I took other cardio classes, from cycling to boot camp to kickboxing. I considered myself relatively fit. But I didn’t think I could take a Zumba class. I didn’t think I could allow my body to move expressively. I didn’t think I could bear to see my reflection in the mirror.

Negative Experiences Shape Us

When I was five, every weekend my mother put a Disney album on the record player, and I skipped and hopped and leaped around the room for hours, paying attention to nothing and no one but the music and the way I expressed myself through my body. I danced; I lived and breathed the rhythm of each moment, until the sexual abuse of my childhood caused me to stop.

I grew up ashamed of my body, closing it up, folding myself inward, so that no one would see my pain or what was underneath it: the essence of me. As an adult, I spent years in therapy psychologically........

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