Beware or BE AWARE... We all have an inner dialog. When I was younger, I kept bouncing between some version of "stay positive" and "you can't do that, dummy." For me the positive one has won out into adulthood, but that doesn't mean that the negative monster doesn't rear her ugly head sometimes. (Can I call the monster ugly???) I have learned that the first step of changing this negative talk is to be aware of it. Sounds easy, right? Well, yes. And no. Sometimes the nega

I love lists. They keep me focused. They help me plan. They are vital when taking a trip. Most of the time my lists also mean work. Until... Wait for it... I started a list of MY FAVORITE THINGS! Okay, this might seem silly. It started as a small list as part of a journal entry. Then it became its own section. Next, I'm going to start a journal just of things that make me happy and are my favs. coffee in the morning clean sheets warm rain a new book the sound of a bab

Happy New Year! A new year is always a good time to pause, reflect, and make a plan. Growing up, most of my big resolutions involved my body - losing weight, getting fit, growing my hair. (I bought a lot of supplements that year that did nothing for my hair, btw.) Most of these plans were short lived, not very healthy and not impactful. None of these pushed me to reflect on my heart and soul. What was I already doing well? What was holding me back? As I grew older, I came to

Guess what!? (Chicken butt. Did you fall for that again!?) No really... Guess what time of year it is? New school year. New teachers. Old friends. New friends. It's exciting and a little nerve wracking. I get it. Are you being judged? Are you being judge-y? Who changed over the summer? Will people notice your changes? For good or bad, this is all normal. And even adults that "get it" or seem to have it all together get nervous for new things. Anytime I am in front of new

"To love yourself is a never-ending process." Oprah Winfrey The past few weeks have been sort of rough on my body. (But, my how fun summer is!) I've taken some road trips, eaten whatever strikes my fancy, I'm sure I haven't been drinking enough water, and I had been nursing a shoulder injury. The lazy days of summer were taking their toll. The other morning, I was up early running with my pal, Megan, and felt may belly shake in a way that made me cringe on the inside and s

Meet the lovely Sydney. She is currently a junior in high school and I am blessed to have her in my world. She is brave in ways that many of us strive to be. She is honest and beautiful in her writing and I am so grateful that she is sharing her story. It is a story that is all her own, but a story so much like many of ours. She is wise to acknowledge that we don't always know the answers and smart enough to recognize the need for self care. A lot of adults struggle wit

Have you ever felt like you could find 100 wonderful things to say about your friends but not even five about yourself? Ask around. I'll bet that you will find more people feeling like this than not. And this, my friends, needs to change. All of that crappy negative self talk needs to stop. You wouldn't say those things to someone you love. You need to treat yourself better. Why is this a thing? We could look to a lot of different places for this answer. Maybe it was how we

As we start thinking about the upcoming year, many of us start to make resolutions. These can be great. They force us to reflect and learn and grow. Most resolutions are like goals. These are always good when done well. (See upcoming post on Sunday.) Many of us strive to do better with our physical body in the new year...lose weight, work out more, lose weight, eat better, lose weight, lose weight, lose weight.... While losing weight can improve overall health if you are ov