Health & Wellness
Featured
Invite more ease and flow into your life while still pursuing your dreams with passion and dedication
As we navigate through the various stages of life, we often encounter moments of introspection and self-reflection. One common phenomenon that we experience is often referred to as a “midlife crisis.” This is not uncommon after the death of someone as close as a parent but there are many other situations that have us questioning our purpose here; empty nests, career and work changes, relationship shifts, infidelity, traumatic accidents or revelations, etc. But it also doesn’t have to be anything dramatic. Age can simply be the reason we start questioning our existence. It’s essential to delve deeper into this concept to understand whether it’s genuinely a crisis or simply a natural part of the human journey.
Life is a tapestry woven with various chapters, and the midlife crisis is a significant one that many women in their forties encounter. Often misconstrued and surrounded by stereotypes, (please don’t cut bangs right now) this period is not just about making impulsive decisions; it’s a profound and transformative journey marked by six distinct stages, offering opportunities for self-reflection and growth.
Remember that the key is to set realistic goals and incorporate activities that bring you joy and fulfillment; why else are we here? January is a great time to establish positive habits that can set the tone for the rest of the year.
My Top 10 Self-Development book list that created the life I live today. I took something profound from each one of these books reading them over and over again.
I always thought perfectionism was actually being perfect at something so when she asked my point-blank if I identified as a perfectionist my immediate answer was a “Fuck No” through a throaty laugh. I’m not perfect at anything, I told her.
thought I was too tired, too exhausted, too overwhelmed to write tonight. I was scared I didn’t have the right thing to say and that a post like this would just add to the to-do, to-read, to-be list of someone that was equally, or exponentially, overwhelmed.
If you’ve known me for any length of time, or even not very long, you’ve probably figured out that I have, ahem, “dabbled” in a few different passion projects over the years.
People feel liberated to share their actual feelings when there isn’t a grimmace, an eye roll (I am the queen of eyerolling by the way) or snicker in their face. Emojis aren’t quite as involuntary as our body language.
Instead, we had some nervous kids and a real uncomfortable mom in our house this morning. A husband that went off to work yelling “good luck” from the front door…and then promptly returning and yelling up the stairs, “KATY, WHY ARE THE BUSSES RUNNING?” He didn’t say it, but I’m pretty sure he thought I got something wrong and they were actually supposed to be going to school.
It’s hard not to get swallowed up in it all. Really hard. But as I sit here, on National Dog Day no less, staring out my window at three very content, happy (all be it very hot) Australian shepherds, I’m trying to take a lesson from them. They’re just happy waiting for one of us to acknowledge them, pet them and play with them.
Picture it: I’ve walked in to a party, or a bar, or a friend’s house, or by myself in my own kitchen; location really doesn’t matter. A drink “appears” in front of me; likely a large glass of white wine, but could be a beer or cocktail.
In my early twenties, I ‘tried’ a yoga class. Mainly because I wanted that lean yoga bod. I wasn’t yet ailing from achy bones and joints and a hangover was pretty much non-existent so an early Saturday morning class was no biggie.
But, I didn’t like it. I always left there feeling quesy and with a dull headache (it couldn’t possibly have been from the 8 beers I had 7 hours before). So I ditched it.
He talks about doing something you don’t absolutely love for a living and masking it as practicality.
This is a foreign concept to me now, but I’ve certainly been here. I’ve worked lots of jobs; banking, bartending, customer service, soldier.
A few years ago, my very talented husband finally gave in to my whining and built out our attic into a seed starting space. I start around 10K seeds every year for our cut flower farm and since I’m too lazy to trudge down to the shed, the space off of our master bathroom above our garage became my little seed sanctuary.
My experience with a yoga class starts days before I even go. I start thinking about a Monday morning class on Saturday. I find reasons not to go; I’m too fat, too out of shape, too tired, too busy, too whatever.
The day started out like all the others this week; five minutes of guided meditation with my feet up the wall (on my handsome new DIY headboard by my husband), making my bed, spending five minutes with my planner, brushing my teeth and weighing myself.
The year before I turned the big 3-0, I signed up, ran and completed my first marathon. Dale and I had been married a few years by then and since trying for kids was on the horizon, I figured the timing was right. I’ve always been a sucker for Mondays, meaningful months and milestone years so, when my third decade was coming to an end, I decided to set this lofty goal.
SELF, Health + Wellness
SELF, Health + Wellness
The stuff that you have to wrestle with for a while, sit with the feelings of someone else (maybe) being disappointed, letting someone else down but in turn making yourself a priority. We have to start respecting ourselves MORE than we respect others.
What if, instead of automatically agreeing to every request that comes our way, we start prioritizing ourselves and our needs? What if saying “no” becomes an act of self-care rather than people-pleasing?
Read More →
SELF, Health + Wellness