It’s September- Back To School is in full gear. If you’re the mom of a teen, you know how tough the school year can be. Intensive AP classes. Mountains of homework. Sports practices that take hours. This seems to be the new normal, and that’s true whether your teens are headed for the local community college or a powerhouse university.
No wonder today’s kids say school has displaced family or peer problems as the greatest stressor in their lives.
Okay, today’s “On the fence” question: Do you sleep with your door open or closed?
Why I am asking, is because this weekend, I discovered one of the greatest sleep secrets known to man mom. It’s called… wait… here it comes…. I give you… SLEEPING WITH THE DOOR CLOSED. Winning!
There is something I’ve been meaning to tell you. And my husband. And my mom. And my friends. So here goes…
I have been secretly and quietly meditating for the past few months. Most recently, I’ve been doing it before bed to relax. It all started when I returned home from Canyon Ranch with Dove a few months ago. I signed up for a meditation session simply out of curiosity while at Canyon Ranch. It changed my life.
Please don’t stop reading. This is not some voodoo, organic, spiritual, granola, blog post. This is something very real making a significant difference in my daily life, and it can be doing the same for you.
We tend to love ourselves from the outside in, using exterior forces such as weight, success and praise to determine our capacity for worthiness. We ask arbitrary questions like, “Did I avoid cookies today?” ” How much have I accomplished from my to-do list?” “Do you think he will ask me out again?” as gauges for self-love. These random means of measuring undoubtly shift and dare I say, fall short which keeps us asking, “Do I really deserve to love myself?”
When your alarm goes off in the morning, do you snooze or do you wake immediately? Or perhaps a more appropriate question… HOW MANY TIMES do you hit the snooze button? Truth.
Six years ago, I came out of a 12-year verbally abusive relationship not knowing what had happened.
First relief, then not understanding why I felt so bad, and kept feeling like the world would be a better place without me in it.
Then ANGER. No way was I going to let him continue to have that kind of power over me – I had to understand everything, not only for myself, but also for my three children. And so I started writing and observing.
Growing up, I was harboring a dark secret. Well, I felt like it was dark at the time… this was how society made me feel. Growing up as a gay teen in America was a nightmare to say the least.
I am sitting at the gate, about to board my flight to Arizona. If you recall earlier this year, I was thrilled to announce my alliance with Dove® as their ambassador for the “Nourish Your Mind, Body and Soul Campaign.” In honor of this campaign, I am now off to Canyon Ranch Resort in Arizona to do just that… Nourish My Soul.
These 4 days will be a mix of yoga, meditation, health and wellness activities, workshops, hikes through the canyon, and spa treatments. I can feel my body already begin to relax as I sit here in my seat. These last few weeks have been honestly, overwhelming. I’m tired. If you’re a working mom, you can attest to the speed in which we move.
The plane has landed. I guess I deserve it. I did, after all, write a blog post called ‘Born Skinny.’ My metabolism… the metabolism that has been overly kind to me for 37 years, has officially retired. I think due to overwork. I have joined the rest of humanity- ass fallen, boobs headed south, beautiful cellulite, and finally the inability to eat whatever I want (that’s the worst part of all). Ahh, the wonderful world of aging. It was great while it lasted. Now I actually have to really do something called, *GASP*… WORK.
It’s hard to understate the importance of exercise. By getting physical activity we can strengthen our immune response and our cardiovascular system, buffering our bodies against heart disease and other ailments. We can lose weight and feel younger. We can reduce stress and battle depression. No matter what we specifically choose to do – whether it’s running, swimming, tennis, or yoga – there’s truly no substitute for a lifestyle that promotes exercise and activity.
I help busy women (like you!) prioritize self-care so you can experience less stress, more calm and greater joy every day!
