“I could never live alone.” This is something I used to say all the time. Living alone seemed too scary. I didn’t think I could ever handle living alone. It seemed like a no brainer to me and wasn’t something I wanted to even entertain. Cut to 2014. I was living alone.
Read MoreWe’ve all been there. You wake up expecting the day to go one way, and instead it goes very very wrong. Nothing seems to align the way you had hoped. Plans get changed last minute, throwing you into either the turmoil of anxiety or causing you to play catch-up for the rest of the day. Maybe it just feels like the whole universe is working against you. Or perhaps you wake up feeling sad or angry and can’t seem to shake it off no matter what you do.
Read MoreWe are not quite in post-quarantine life yet. We are just barely even at the point of transition. And yet, it feels like there’s something looming around the corner. I felt a bit of a shift near the end of last week, and honestly, instead of feeling relieved that quarantine may be over soon, I’ve felt more anxious and even a bit sad.
Read MoreWe are all looking to have more energy. We want more energy to get through our day and to complete the things we want to. We also want to be able to take part in things that fill us up. Low energy is one of the main concerns I see people coming into the clinic for. Whether it’s their only focus or one of the things on their list, it pops up often.
Read MoreWe tend to get wrapped up in the appeal of the word. Self-care can seem like it's actually skincare, or a spa day or setting aside hours to spend on pampering yourself. And although I love all of that, it doesn’t actually get to the root of what self-care really is. Having gone through many, many years of school, while also trying to manage a long-distance relationship, friendships and living a healthy lifestyle, I’ve learned a few things about self-care.
Read MoreSo, I know nobody asked about my current skincare routine (lol!), but I had to share this because it’s something I really love working on for myself. Exploring new products (especially natural ones with clean ingredients) is exciting for me and I know there are others out there who are also always looking for new clean products to try.
Read MoreBefore podcasts became a thing, I didn’t really understand what they were for. I had the purple podcast app on my iphone that I never deleted, but also never used. And then suddenly the whole industry just burst wide open. The first podcast I started listening to was Off the Vine by Kaitlyn Bristowe. I have always enjoyed her humour on Instagram and randomly one day just popped her podcast on and was immediately hooked. After bingeing every episode, I was itching for more podcasts to fall in love with. Over the past couple years, I have expanded my podcast library considerably. However, there are a few key ones that continue to be in my repertoire.
Read MoreLiving alone, even if you stay highly connected to friends and family, can really make you feel quite alone. That PLUS quarantine…well… it can amplify a lot of things. Whether you have always lived alone, or you’re new to living alone, and whether or not you prefer living alone…this one’s for you. All of you.
Read MoreI have noticed that my days generally take on their own “schedule”. Nothing is set in stone because I’ve always been the type of person that needs some fluidity in the way I get things done. When quarantine first started, I was very much about following my intuition. This often included a lot of time journaling and connecting to myself and my needs. As time goes on, I’ve found myself craving a little bit of structure. Instead of going fully one way or the other, I’ve started to automatically create a routine that works off of my intuition and still contains a bit of structure.
Read MoreThis past week has felt like a struggle. My emotions have been all over the place. My energy has been lower than usual and my motivation to do anything goes along with that. My joy for the little things has been fleeting. It’s been a difficult week to say the least. I try really hard to stay optimistic about everything and I truly do enjoy being a homebody with fewer obligations and lots more time for self-care. But I would be lying if I said this whole thing was easy. I have my moments, and sometimes those moments can feel really overwhelming.
Read MoreI didn’t really want to write about the corona virus. To be honest, I didn’t take it very seriously a couple weeks ago, and then it blew up and now we are all staying home trying to flatten the curve. It is such a change in our realities that it’s hard to even grasp. There’s so much I could say about it, but I don’t think it is necessary. There are enough people commenting and sharing their opinions about what’s going on out there and I don’t want to add to that stress. What matters most right now is you and your self-care.
Read MoreI’ve gone through a multitude of emotions myself in the last few days. From being judgmental and dismissive to feeling sheer panic and fear, and then to calmness and acceptance and then back to a bit of panic and anxiety. It’s probably the shortest amount of time I’ve experienced all these things in. And I’ve been feeling so compelled to share my heart with you on this.
Read MoreI started thinking about this more and realized that a lot of people struggle with this too. For some people it means that they just don’t stop working. They continue to go and go and go until they crash. For other people it results in immense negative self talk. For others it becomes constant procrastination. Or a whole lot of stressing. All these things can really take a toll on you because not only are you not fully resting, but you also end up being extremely hard on yourself.
Read MoreLately I’ve been savouring my time in the kitchen. I don’t love meal planning, or grocery shopping, or prepping to cook…but the cooking part I love. (aka. the easiest part lol.) It’s exciting to create a healthy and tasty meal out of simple ingredients. And it almost feels like a form of art. I feel like when you’re able to sit down after cooking and enjoy a fresh meal that you just prepared for yourself… that is probably one of the best feelings. It is one of the ultimate forms of self-care. Nourishment all the way.
Read MoreWhat I’ve created to help you out is a free wellness tracking sheet! It’s a place where you can track all the things you are doing for yourself so that you hold yourself accountable and you can also see how certain things may be affecting you positively or negatively. This information is invaluable when it comes to preventative medicine and holistic health.
Read MoreAt the beginning of 2019, I decided that I wanted to read a lot more. I grew up with books as a big part of my life. They meant more to me than stories or information to consume. To me, books were an escape and an experience. They allowed me to connect to others through a shared love of books. I wrote a post early last year about my goal to read 30 books in 2019.
Read MoreI really wanted to write a new years post this year. I’ve found it harder this year than usual though. It seems that all I can think about are expectations. With it being 2020, it suddenly feels like the stakes are higher, the pressure is stronger and the expectations are even more intense. I rang in the new year with my family while we played games and enjoyed a home cooked meal. It was simple and it was lovely. And somewhere in that time it became a new year. A moment passed where it was no longer 2019 and it was suddenly 2020. Just a simple moment.
Read MoreI don’t think I was good at listening to my own cues when I was younger. I rarely ever vocalized how I was feeling and never really understood the value of actually caring for myself. The result of this was many blow ups, countless phases of intense anxiety, a lot of crying and essentially a whole lot of confusion.
Read More
