“To thine own self be true.” A quote from Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, is often misunderstood. It does not mean narcissism, each man for himself and tough rocks for you. It means no more pretending everything is okay when it has NOT been for some time now. It means being authentic, real, honest, and speaking your truth and making YOUR choice. When I introduce authenticity to clients they want to go back to pretend and self medicate with alcohol, sugar, excessive carbs, gambling, shopping, etc. Pretend hurts! It costs us our soul and spirit. But the saddest thing for me to watch is how it costs people their health. We die a little more inside each day we pretend things are really okay when they are not right, fair or hurt. I deal with all stages of pretend with clients. The masks are varied, but the eyes tell the truth.