What is normal? Hard to say. I'm the wrong person to ask. I just try to live and help others live, so that life works as it is or to change it so it does. Normal. I kind of gave up on that a long time ago. I guess it's kind of like the Holy Grail and I don't have the credentials to find it No matter. I have enough to do as it is

The problem is that "normal" and "healthy" aren't always the same. I work with kids who are being "Normal" in that they are PTSD'd out of their minds. Considering what they have been through, that is the "normal" reaction of a normal child to a horrendous experience. Are they HEALTHY? Lord no! Not at the moment! And what is healthy? Some therapists consider all shame harmful. I see some shame as part of the alarm clock that tells us we are on the way to violating our sense of self. Like anger, it has a job in protecting us, but from ourselves as opposed to from others.

Do you feel you are more in control of your life? Do you feel you are making better decisions? Are you more at peace with the person you are and feel you can live with the faults you have, or can chance those you can't live with? If the answer is yes, then you can probably say you are making a shift to the healthier. Anything that gives you more flexibility, stamina, and strength, dear, can't be too bad! Huggs