self love — MISFIT WELLNESS

WHY I'LL NEVER HAVE IT ALL (AND I'M LEARNING TO BE OK WITH THAT)

I’ve always found the concept of “having it all,” for women and men, to be terribly flawed. If you really break it down, it simply isn’t possible. There aren’t enough hours in the day to show up fully as our best selves in our careers, partnerships, families, friendships, communities, service efforts, spirituality practices AND still have time to proactively care for ourselves mentally and physically (which is what allows us to show up fully in the first place). Add in the basic human needs for joy, connection, fulfillment, adventure… How can we possibly expect to find time for all the aforementioned in the 24 short hours we have each day? I don’t believe we can, and I don’t believe we should have to.

HOW I LEARNED TO TRUST MY BODY AND HAVE FAITH IN MY ABILITY TO HEAL

I struggled on and off with disordered eating in some form or another for the better part of two decades. Combined with clinical depression, hormone imbalances, infertility, hypothyroidism and spinal osteoarthritis, my ongoing battle with my body was fueled by fear and a desire to control everything I couldn’t control. For years into recovery and my holistic health journey, I couldn’t quite figure out what kept me in the two steps forward, one step back cycle. And then I realized, I was missing two important things I had lost when I was a little girl: trust in my body and faith in myself.

WHY I SOLD 90% OF MY CLOTHES AND WHAT I LEARNED IN THE PROCESS

To be honest, I am still a little surprised by the resistance I felt every step of the way to accepting myself in whatever shape or form prioritizing health created. Intellectually, I knew it was the right choice, a no brainer. Logically, I knew there was no other choice but to put my health first. But emotionally? That was a whole other story. All of a sudden, I became painfully aware of all the negative associations I, and society, have with bodies that aren’t slim and tight and taught and perfect. It took a lot of therapy, hugs from my husband, reassurance from a few dear friends, reinforcement found in my work as a health coach, journaling and more therapy to free myself from the limitations of those associations.

11 THINGS THAT ARE HELPING ME HEAL MY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD & MY BODY

I've spent more years of my life at war with my body and food than I've spent at peace with them. I've experienced both the mental and physical fallout of a war waged on oneself AND the liberating contentment of moments of peace. After over two decades of stumbling through half-assed solutions and quick fixes in a desperate attempt to break the cycle, I'm excited to finally be able to share a list of things that have truly been transformative on this path to healing.

FUNDAMENTALS OF HEALTHY EATING PART III: EAT MORE GREEN VEGETABLES

So! You're ready to dig that fork of yours into a big pile of health and wellness and wake up a changed woman, eh? But what the heck actually goes on that fork?

The conversation around nutrition in this country has grown maddeningly confusing. It can seem impossible to get straight answers to questions around whether or not things like red meat, gluten, saturated fats, or even little ol' brown rice are harmful or perfectly healthy. Add increasingly high rates of food allergies, hormonal imbalances, gut issues, and autoimmune diseases and no wonder many of us feel beyond overwhelmed.

AIN'T NO SHAME IN THAT SELF LOVE GAME: 9 WAYS TO SHOW YOURSELF THE LOVE

I'm a realist first and a dreamer second; always pragmatic and only (very) occasionally wistful. So you're not going to find me frolicking around chanting affirmations in the moonlight or tattooing an image of my naked body across my back. Yet. Honestly, I hope I dig myself enough to do those things someday with unbridled enthusiasm, but for now the below are quick, easy self love baby steps that even the most practiced in self-criticism can bear.