Hello ,

A few years ago, I began observing Ramadan because I wanted to stand closer to people I love.

What surprised me was the emotions around this holy season.

Ramadan felt like celebration.

Like joy expressed through devotion.

And when I compared it to how I had always experienced Lent — something shifted in me. Because Lent, as I was taught, felt different.

Heavier.

Something to endure.

Almost like proving worth through deprivation.

And I began to wonder…

How much of that had nothing to do with faith at all?

How much of it was about how I learned love?

, if you grew up where love came with conditions and where affection had to be earned, where discipline felt like punishment,

then any spiritual practice built around self-denial can quietly reinforce that old wound.

It can whisper: You must suffer to be worthy.

But what if that was never the invitation?

I wrote about this — honestly and personally — in a new post on the blog.

It explores the difference between Ramadan and Lent,

and what that difference might reveal about love, discipline, and the nervous system.

If this season has ever felt heavy to you, I think it will resonate.

👉 Read: Ramadan vs Lent — The Surprising Difference Between Devotion and Punishment

As always, I’m in your corner.

Dr. H

The Confidence Builder

Cultivating Quiet Confidence and Power