Get out. Exercise. Eat real food. Cut the processed crap. Cut the added sweeteners. Quit smoking. Get enough sleep. Cultivate relationships with people offline. Turn off the TV. Why? You deserve it. Feeling good in your body, being healthy, having energy, are worth it. We’re told at every turn that it’s not. “You deserve a … Read more
I used to run 30-day challenges on Facebook. The first one that was literally life-changing was a 30-day no-added-sugar challenge. What does that mean? For a month, 29 people opted into no food or drinks with added sugar. White sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, cane sugar, powdered sugar. Doesn’t matter. But that also includes corn … Read more
A few years ago, I bought a course by Brené Brown through Udemy. The course is no longer available for purchase, but I still have access to it and go through part or all of it from time to time. At one point, she said (paraphrased), “85% of adults interviewed remember something so shaming from … Read more
Things about me that make me “weird”: don’t watch TV don’t eat meat don’t eat much fried or sweet food don’t drink coffee don’t drink alcohol rarely drink other delicious crap (I miss you, chai latte!) avoid plastic don’t typically spend much time, energy, money on “girl” things (hair, makeup, clothes, shoes, purses) I have … Read more
So yesterday I wrote about the consequences of giving kids free time at school. Those thoughts definitely 100% do not apply to kids at home. Kids need free time. Kids need free time to play, to be bored, to imagine, to create, to be with friends. Also, adults need free time to play, to be … Read more
I wrote yesterday about things that people said to me during my cancer journey and in the time since (though one could argue that it’s all the same journey). I wanted to talk about it a little more. I don’t think people are intentionally being mean or dismissive or any other unpleasant thing. I think … Read more
People need people to thrive. Numerous studies in the last decade point to social networks as a critical variable for longevity, and for general functionality and thriving. As both a teacher and a parent, I see articles and videos about special needs kids, and to teach your kids to be kind and to be friends … Read more
In talking about podcasts, I’ve mentioned Armchair Expert a couple of times. A week or so ago, I listened to Dax’s interview with Esther Perel, a psychotherapist who specializes in relationships and sexuality. It was captivating. In it, they mentioned that she has a podcast, Where Should We Begin? She’s beginning her third season, so … Read more
I posted this the other day: “I just read an article about screen time and kids, and it made mention of four hours daily being moderate use. How is four hours of TV/gaming/etc moderate??” When I was in therapy, one of the things my therapist was trying to drill down into was whether I was … Read more
I saw this a couple of months ago and saved it. I knew I wanted to share it—or the gist of it—at some point, but I wasn’t sure how. Finally, I just decided to quote it and cite it and let you just read the original. A good portion of my pro-bono work is defending … Read more