Nanette Floyd Patterson, LPC

Love is a beautiful gift from God, meant to be deep, fulfilling, and life-giving. But when you love hard, it can come with a cost. Many people wear “loving hard” like a badge of honor, pouring everything into a relationship, giving their whole heart, and holding nothing back.

If you’ve ever dismissed your emotions, questioned your own reality, or told yourself you were “overreacting” before anyone else could, you may be engaging in self-gaslighting. And today, that’s what I’m focusing on, not how others dismiss you, but how you dismiss yourself.

Have You Ever Felt Like Your Feelings Didn’t Matter? You share your heart, only to be met with “You’re overreacting,” or “Just pray about it and move on.” It stings, doesn’t it? That’s emotional invalidation—when your feelings, thoughts, or experiences…

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I was in line at the store, growing frustrated as the cashier moved at a painfully slow pace. My mind filled in the blanks—maybe she didn’t care about her job, maybe she was just being careless. But then I overheard her whisper to a coworker, “I just lost my mom last night.”

Ever feel like life is constantly pulling at you from all directions? Between responsibilities, obligations, and the endless demands of others, it’s easy to feel drained, distracted, and even depleted. But here’s the truth: God has entrusted you with five powerful resources—your Time, Energy, Attention, Mind, and Money (T.E.A.M.M.)—and it’s your responsibility to protect them. Unlike popular belief, you do have a part to play.

A few years ago, I was searching for a book on people-pleasing and ran across When People Are Big and God Is Small by Edward Welch. The title alone stopped me in my tracks. I immediately felt I needed to…

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