Living with Anxiety
Did you know that up until 1980, anxiety was not a diagnosable condition? 1980 wasn’t all that long ago! That means those who lived with anxiety weren’t able to seek treatment or understand what they were experiencing. Or in my case, being able to go to doctor to confirm “you’re not crazy”. Before I dive in, I want to be clear: I don’t want to write about anxiety in a sad, “feel sorry” for me sort of way. In fact, I want to write about it in a very uplifting, empowered way. I recently purchased “First, We Make the Beast Beautiful” by Sarah Wilson and the title alone felt like a big sigh of relief. I wanted to scream, “YES! That’s it!” Someone else understands that we don’t want pity, we don’t need people to feel sorry for us. We need someone who knows that it’s ok to feel a negative emotion, and that we are just looking for ways to manage the symptoms. Since it’s mental health awareness month, I felt it was a good time to finally write about my journey in hopes that … Read More
Weekend Edition: Jan 14, 2018
It’s a long weekend for a lot of people, but I’ll be getting up and heading to work tomorrow. So, my weekend edition of the blog comes today. :) We’ve had an interesting weekend. First, the weather had a serious case of schizophrenia. On Friday it was 70 degrees and today we probably won’t get above 25. I’ve also been struggling to get over some bug for the past few days. I’m happy that today I felt much better and was able to get a light workout in. But overall, we’ve enjoyed some R&R. Let’s get on to the Weekend Edition, where I share random things that have happened during the last week, things I’ve read, watched, listened to, or just plain love. Last night, we saw “The Post” with Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. Honestly, I could watch any movie with Tom Hanks, but it was truly a good story and one that is very timely. I highly recommend seeing it, whether in theaters or when it comes out ON-Demand. Podcasts are the new TV … Read More
Beating the Winter Blues
To be honest, most of the time I love winter. I get to snuggle up next to the fire, drink warm tea or hot chocolate, and read lots of books or watch my favorite TV shows. Someone at work recently asked me if I knew the word “Hygge” because she just learned about it and immediately thought of me. In case you’re a hygge newbie like I was, it’s a Danish concept that loosely translates to coziness. Think flannel, cable knit, candles, and a fireplace. However, winter also can cause some blues, or extreme blues. Seasonal Affective Disorder has been extensively researched and can cause a variety of symptoms. We may feel lethargic and tired even after a full night of sleep, or feel especially grumpy and irritated. January can also be especially difficult for a number of reasons. The holidays just ended (“post holiday blues” anyone) or maybe our holidays didn’t turn out quite as planned. We also typically overdo it with treats and alcohol between … Read More
Focus on 30 Days
It's January, and if you're like most of us, you're trying to decide on a New Year's resolution. Maybe you've already kicked into full swing making healthy changes, organizing your home, or creating a budget. New Year's is a great time of year for goal setting, but it can feel overwhelming. You're thinking about "what can I commit to for the next 365 days?" That's a lot of days! The behavior change expert, BJ Fogg, tells us to strike while the iron is hot. Pretty much, if you're feeling motivated right now, then start to plan out those changes NOW. Motivation ebbs and flows, so it's important to take advantage of it while it's here. However, Fogg also instructs us to start with "tiny habits" instead of large, lofty goals. It's ok to envision yourself running the marathon, being 20 pounds lighter, or having an extra $1000 in your savings, however, to make that happen, we need to think about the small things that will get us there. That's why this year I'm focusing on … Read More
2017 in Review
Happy New Year! I’m so excited for a fresh start, a fresh year, and hopefully fresh opportunities. While I’m not a huge new year’s resolution person, I do love the energy this time of year brings for each of us. We’re taking the time to reflect on last year, identify what we loved, where we could make improvements, and hopefully start to plan a way to implement change. I’ll be writing a blog post soon about how I’m approaching my 2018 goals. For now, I’d like to take a look back at 2017, which was filled with change, adventure, and lessons. In January, we found out that our lease would be up on the townhome we were renting. This forced us to make a decision and we felt it was a good time for us to purchase our first home. With lots of support from friends and family, we closed in February and started making this house a home. While moving is never a fun experience, it was worth it knowing we were moving into a home that was fully ours. We learned so much in the … Read More