The past six months of my life have been emotionally challenging. Postpartum combined with several joyful life changes left me feeling like I had new roles to step into and the pressure was high. Right before my husband and I had our baby we made the decision to start a new business. From the outside it looked like I had it together, but the next few months would unveil a completely different side of me that I wasn’t prepared to deal with.
Read MoreInsecurities are something we all have. Many of them were formed in childhood and then reinforced throughout our teenage and adult lives. For some of us the insecurity lies in our physical looks (here is a great post for how to have a better body image) but for others, our insecurities lie in feeling loved in our relationships. I’ve been going through intense therapy this year and we’ve been digging deep into my childhood, doing shadow work, and healing my inner child. I’ll share a few ways that therapy has helped me over this past year and what I’m currently working on.
Read MoreFirst and foremost, I wanted to begin by thanking all of you for your sweet comments and encouragement. Each DM and comment you leave has truly filled my heart and I’m so thankful for you. The past couple of months have been beautiful and have also been a little bit of a roller coaster. We found out very early on in July that we were pregnant and it was a true shock for both Marshall and I. We are in our late thirties (I am 38 years old) and I did not see this coming. You can read more about our pregnancy announcement in this post but I wanted to share more insights for what I’ve actually been going through. It wasn’t easy. This is now my second pregnancy (I have a beautiful 14-year-old daughter) and it has been drastically different than the first time around.
Read MoreAfter a grueling weekend last week, I made a decision Saturday afternoon to do a 48-hour social media detox. Being a blogger and influencer comes with the price of constantly being on social media through posting content on multiple platforms, engaging with followers, and then responding in direct messages. It’s such an incredible way to create a space in the world but sometimes we all need a break. I desperately did. I started feeling a little out of touch with myself. I felt like I had a million things tugging at me and I was struggling with mindfulness. I put a quick plan together and then alerted my boyfriend and kiddo that I would be offline and intermittently checking my phone for the weekend. Here’s what I did in hopes to inspire you to take that much-needed downtime.
Read MoreIf I’m not doing at least the above, then it’s hard for me to be focused. I clean up my environment and raise my vibes. It’s not always easy and sometimes it takes reminders and alarms on my phone to get all the things done. The truth is, we are all human and we need a little help sometimes. That’s exactly why I created Glow Up. It’s a two-day course that will help you get a 60-day plan together. I show you how to do all of the above in a way that works for you!
Read MoreThe thing is… sometimes we have to have emotional lows to get back to the highs. It’s a contrast. When we have to let go of something really big in life oftentimes we are left with an emptiness. That emptiness takes time to refill. So what can you do?
Read MoreIt doesn’t have to run your life. You have options! Look towards the light. Remember that anxiety is a dive into lower vibrations.
We have to have lower feelings to understand how positive we can feel.
Read MoreThe mind can be a battlefield. If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack you know firsthand what mental hell is like. In my late twenties and early thirties, I had panic attacks all the time. I mean on the daily and oftentimes multiple times a day. I would freeze and feel like I couldn’t drive my car. I didn’t want to go very many places for fear of getting overstimulated. Being extroverted this felt really difficult. I was torn between what my soul and body wanted to do every day. I needed to bring my body out of fight or flight but being stuck at home to do so in a calm environment was torture in itself because then I was alone with my thoughts. Over time I would get therapy and begin working on training my brain to focus on new things. I would learn different coping techniques that were not full proof but would oftentimes get the job done. It took work. Each day I’d start going down the same worry wormholes and I’d spend time and energy pulling myself out. I figured some of you might be dealing with this, too. Here are three coping tools you can use when you go down a negative mental path:
Read MoreI spent the weekend resting, relaxing, and playing. The past month of my life was a whirlwind. My role at my job changed, a trip mid-month for a work conference in Vegas took place, and then when I returned it was a non-stop follow up from the trip. I worked twelve days straight without taking even an evening to myself. It was absolutely necessary, but at the beginning of last week, I started to feel really heavy. I dreaded Monday morning and felt like I had zero time to decompress. That was it for me. I knew it was time to take a break. It was suggested I take a full day off and just do what makes me happy, so I did just that. It can be a HUGE challenge to work full-time and run a blog and a business on social media. Although I’ve been doing all three for years, this month was particularly tough. I struggled to bounce back with energy. One thing I have learned about life is that I am the only one responsible for my life. If I want to live a life with clarity and calm I have to create that environment. I also know that I am prone to maxing myself out. Here are a few things I’ve learned about the necessity of rest and play.
Read MoreThis week has already started with a crazy change in my life. Sometimes change is expected and sometimes it hits you like a freight train. This week, it was the freight train for me. The one thing I’ve come to realize as I grow older is that change is inevitable. Nothing in life is static and the key to inner peace and happiness is being able to go within yourself instead of depending on your exterior circumstances. Relationships dissolve sometimes, companies make directional changes, and new opportunities will present themselves. The best thing you can possibly do for yourself is to take care of yourself. Here are a few ways I’ve found navigating change to be more digestible in life.
Read MoreMental health. I’m so glad this topic has been on the rise especially since the pandemic hit. Now more than ever more and more people need resources. My anxiety journey began about 10 years ago. Through a series of trials, errors, and lots of therapy I am now able to manage panic attacks and anxiety without medication. This post is in no way meant to replace medical advice. If you are struggling I absolutely recommend seeking professional help. Today I’d like to share a resource I use in my own mental health toolkit called a “Coping Checklist.” I’m going to share with you guys a few benefits of having one and the science behind it, how to create one, and when to use it. The biggest key in your coping checklist is to use it as soon as you feel anxiety come on. The more you go through the sequence the easier the panic becomes to manage.
Read MoreLast year I chose the word “Abundance” for my word of the year. It was evident in my life I needed to find more joy every day. I wasn’t necessarily miserable or depressed at that time (I fought those battles a few years prior) but I was struggling with feeling happy. I remember that a mentor shared with me the area I needed the most growth in was just doing the things that make me happy. Not the things that made me the most productive. So here I go, trying to shift from doing what I’ve done year over year and now I am supposed to just find joy. About this time last year, I embarked on a 600-mile one-direction road trip. I guess when all was said and done.
Read MoreThe week between Christmas and NYE is one of the weirdest weeks of the year. Days seem to blur together and there’s an overarching tone of “let’s put it off till next year” happening in business. I took this as an opportunity to travel to some of the places I’ve had on my bucket list for a while. I drove from College Station to Abilene on Sunday stopping to catch the sunset before grabbing dinner and retiring for the evening. You can check out that post and I’m wearing one show-stopping dress in this post. After leaving Abilene I made my way up through Caprock Canyons and then onto Amarillo, Texas for a few days. This whole area of the Texas Panhandle is like nothing I’ve seen before. I don’t recall ever making it through Amarillo in the past but it’s definitely a world of its own. Surrounded by so much nature! Great place for spending time on Lake Meredith, or hiking one of the toughest trails in Texas on Palo Duro Canyon. Either way, if you are an outdoors person this place is for you!
Read MoreHow many times have you thought to yourself… I really should have taken that trip? I’m in a phase of life where I am holding nothing back. I have no reason to anymore. In the past, I came up with reasons I couldn’t do something or go somewhere. Maybe it was the cost. Maybe it was asking for time off from my job and I didn’t think they couldn’t manage without me being there. Maybe it was because my ex-husband didn’t show interest or even complained about it. Maybe it was the fact that you have three kids and now you have no idea how to even begin to make that happen. When was the last time you did something that made you feel the most you?
Read MoreThis is now my third Christmas in a row of being sober. I can tell you that although my twenty-something self would have looked at me like I had two heads if I had told her she would be completely sober through a pandemic and into the year following a global shutdown. Yes, this person right here used to love her wine and champagne. Especially on a holiday. A few years ago I made the decision to stop drinking in hopes that my life would find purpose and I would stop having panic attacks. Both happened and here we are ordering mocktails instead of martinis. So little is really talked about in the drinking world outside of being either a drinker or someone who doesn’t. I love going to a good party. I also love fancy drinks. What I don’t love is alcohol. It just doesn’t agree with my anxiety and I feel like a happier human being without it. If you are also in the same boat and alcohol just doesn’t do it for you right now I’m here to tell you a few ways I still have fun without having a hangover.
Read MoreSometimes I have to do a little reality check on myself. This week was one of those times. After a whirlwind of ten days of non-stop travel and then the joys of Thanksgiving I rolled right into this last week with fatigue. Not only fatigue, but my sister spent Friday getting a metal rod out of her leg in surgery. She had an injury five years ago and decided to get the hardware taken out this past week. I didn’t realize just how much all of these blessings would also add extra stressors into my life. I drove into Houston on Friday and let me tell you my anxiety was at an all-time high. Once I returned home I made a decision to do everything I could to clear my calendar for Saturday and just decompress. Anxiety never goes completely away, but I have managed these past few years to get it in a manageable state. I thought it would be wildly appropriate to share what I experience and how I cope with amounting pressure in hopes that it helps you, too.
Read MoreCan you believe Thanksgiving is in just two days? I absolutely cannot. After a whirlwind of a weekend traveling, I just got back to my house and was thinking a lot on my drive home about mental health and the next six weeks. Holidays are a time where schedules seem jam packed, the to do lists are endless and there are so many social events that leave a person drained at the end of the day. Furthermore, many companies are closing out their year with inventory counts, end of year sales and crunching budget numbers. As much as the season brings me joy, I also find so much of it to include a lot of additional stressors. When stressors amount life can get really overwhelming and the season can loose it’s luster. Here are a few ways I’m focusing on my mental health this season.
Read MoreA long walk is just what I need at the end of stressful days. I believe walks at sunset are one of the easiest and quickest ways to connect with your inner self and admire the beauty of the world we live in. After hours of being connected to my phone and computer - getting the chance to disconnect from techonology and reconnnect with nature helps soothe anxiety. Fall is my favorite season for sunset walks. The air is crisper, the breeze is cooler and the earth lights up with strands of gold grass and leaves. It’s truly a magical season and evening walks light up my soul.
Read MoreI woke up this morning and stepped out on my back patio to feel the rush of the cool crisp air meet my face. Texas doesn’t get a true fall until about November but we do love our gentle mornings. I quickly made a cup of coffee and walked over to start journaling as I usually do. I felt so grateful in that moment. To be here, in my new house (for years I’ve lived in an apartment) sipping on coffee in sweat pants. It was surreal. Over this past year I’ve experienced a tremendous amount of growth. If I were to sit here and tell you all of the ways you would be astonished, but I am living proof that dreams can come true.
Read MoreOver this past year, I’ve written a lot about finding joy. The truth is a few years ago I went through a huge struggle with joy. My life felt flat during that time. Very little brought me joy. I’d later come to find that I was going through depression and I had to realign things in my life. I need more sleep and consistent sleep. I need to shed things that were weighing me down. I needed daily exercise and better support. It took time to transform all of these things, but when I formed a healthy foundation I was able to laugh and feel joy again. Looking back it wasn’t overnight that my life became joyless and it wasn’t an instant change to move it back on track. Both situations were a series of daily choices made over time. Now I protect my mindset above all else. If I am feeling like I’m in a funk, I make small choices that day to find joy in little things. Here are a few practical ways I choose to find joy when I complete everyday tasks.
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