matters of the heart

A sanctuary for reflection, reconnection, and remembering what matters most.

Welcome to Matters of the Heart—a quiet, nourishing corner of You Matter Holistic Healing. Here, we honor the many layers of your being with gentle offerings to tend your body, awaken your mind, and soothe your soul. Whether you’re seeking insight, presence, or poetry, this space is here to meet you.

May it feel like a deep breath, a warm blanket, a soft place to land. Come as you are. You belong here.

Sometimes the greatest gift is presence, not fixing.

Witnessing vs. Fixing: The Power of Being Seen

When we rush to fix or advise, we often send the subtle message that someone’s feelings are not okay. True connection grows when we slow down, listen, and witness with presence.

Shaelyn Cataldo

Sep 165 min read

A lit candle and an open journal resting on a soft surface, symbolizing reflection, stillness, and quiet moments of self-celebration.

Learning to Celebrate the Unseen Wins: Why Healing Isn’t Always Loud

Not all healing is loud. This reflection explores how to notice and honor the quiet moments of growth like setting a boundary, softening a reaction, or finally saying no. Learn how to gently celebrate yourself, even when no one else sees it.

Shaelyn Cataldo

Sep 84 min read

Comfort food casserole used as a metaphor for grieving the living and creating your own rituals for hidden grief.

Grieving the Living: Understanding Ambiguous Loss, Estrangement, and Disenfranchised Grief

Some grief is recognized with casseroles and condolences. Other grief lives quietly, with no rituals to mark it. Grieving the living is one of those hidden losses. Sometimes called ambiguous loss or disenfranchised grief, it is the ache of someone being here and not here through estrangement, dementia, absence, or unmet needs. This grief can feel confusing, lonely, and even shameful, yet it is real and deserving of compassion.

Shaelyn Cataldo

Aug 183 min read

The sky doesn’t choose between sun and clouds — and neither should we. Wholeness means making space for every part of our emotional weather.

Wholeness, Not Happiness: The Path to Living Authentically

Happiness is fleeting, but wholeness can hold it all including the joy, the sadness, the confusion, the clarity. When we welcome every part of ourselves, we create the space for true authenticity and emotional health.

Shaelyn Cataldo

Aug 124 min read

A symbolic image of sensitivity and shame—an outstretched arm with a delicate flower representing emotional healing and self-compassion for highly sensitive people.

Sensitivity and Shame: Untangling the Two

Sensitivity is not a flaw—it’s a trait often misunderstood and shamed. In this post, we explore how shame becomes attached to sensitivity, especially for highly sensitive people (HSPs), and how trauma-informed, somatic therapy can help you reclaim your emotional strength with compassion and clarity.

Shaelyn Cataldo

Jul 213 min read

Young girl alone holding a doll, symbolizing the loneliness and emotional burden of a parentified daughter.

Healing the Parentified Daughter: How Emotional Caregiving Shapes Us and How We Begin to Reclaim Ourselves

If you’ve always been the one others relied on—the helper, the fixer, the one who never needed much—you may have been the parentified daughter. It’s a role that forms early and quietly, often without words, shaping how we relate to others, how we carry responsibility, and how hard it can be to rest, receive, or reconnect to our own joy. This piece explores what it means to grow up too soon and what healing can look like now.

Shaelyn Cataldo

Jul 144 min read

self-reflecting on what we inherit, what we choose

What We Inherit, What We Choose: unpacking your inherited beliefs

We all carry inherited beliefs—family sayings, silent rules, and assumptions passed down without question. But what happens when we start to ask: Is this actually true for me? In this soulful reflection on mustard, meaning, and becoming, Shaelyn Cataldo explores the tender process of individuation and what it means to choose your own path—not just the one you were handed.

Shaelyn Cataldo

Jun 302 min read