Do you struggle with food this time of year?

I’m pretty sure I say this every year, and here I go again: I can’t believe the holidays are upon us.  Though they may differ depending on your traditions, one thing remains: food tends to be the main event. 

Especially at Thanksgiving—the heightened emphasis on that decadent meal with butter dripping from every possible opportunity leaves so many people feeling anxious due to complicated relationships with food and body image.  I know this struggle all too well as someone who suffered a deadly eating disorder in high school.  I’ve worked hard to maintain a healthy relationship with food bolstered by a more gentle and balanced approach.  Though I feel a million times better today and don’t struggle in the way I did, I have a very special place in my heart for those who suffer from this ongoing battle with themselves and food.

In fact, most women struggle at some point in their lives with a disordered  relationship with food.  An estimated 30 million people, men and women alike, suffer from actual eating disorders through the course of their lifetime.  Ya’ll, that’s wild.  And incredibly sad.  

Whereas I highly encourage  you to seek professional treatment both with a therapist and physician if you are struggling, I wanted to share with you a few ideas on how to approach the next month and a half with more grace and enjoyment.  

Mindful eating

• I’m a big believer that it’s not the actual food that creates the problems, it’s our relationship with food.  So many of us, myself included, use food as a medicator, to numb and relieve temporary emotional pain.  That, or we use it to celebrate good news or important events.  So often, this is an unconscious process—one we don’t even realize is happening.  It’s automatic, habitual, and ingrained.  Simply becoming more aware of what you are  eating, when you are eating, and why you are eating is incredibly supportive in a more mindful relationship with food.  I like to call this mindful eating.  It doesn’t mean deprivation either!  It simply means slowing down enough to eat with intention and awareness.  It’s proven that as we slow down our actual eating time, we can connect to our bodies more, identifying when we are initially full. 

Exercise

• Daily movement has been my physical and emotional tether for decades.  With travel, it can be tricky though.  Let’s be honest, we will likely be indulging a bit more in the coming weeks, so this is the perfect opportunity to balance it out with mindful movement—wherever we can get it! A brisk walk, a streaming yoga class on your laptop, a snowball fight if you don’t live in the south ;).   As emotions also run high, physical exercise is an incredible natural anti-depressant and anti-anxiety.  Give yourself the gift of intentional exercise these upcoming weeks—it’s always a good idea!

Healthy-ish

• You’ve  heard about the 80/20 rule, eating healthy 80% of the time and indulging 20% of the time.  I try to follow this as closely as possible.  However, like I mentioned earlier, the holidays are a time  for celebration and merry-making.   So you may need to extend a bit of leeway in the direction of a 70/30 rule.   Eating healthy 70% and  indulging more like 30%.  The goal is to eradicate shame when we eat a bit more than we’d like or even gain a few pounds.   No one ever improved their relationship with food from a baseline of shame.  And that’s what we’re going for:  practicing a better relationship with food rather than putting unnecessary pressure on a strict diet. 

My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is that it’s not just about  food—it’s about gratitude.  Enjoying food from a place of  gratitude and abundance  rather than fear and scarcity is the goal.  I’m so grateful for you, and that we are on this beautiful journey together.

An Author, a Yogi, and a Therapist Walk Into a Bar

… well not really.  

But sort of! 

Here’s the deal.  On February 25, Ally Fallon, author and expert writing coach, Koula Callahan, yoga teacher and speaker, and myself will host the second Self-Care Workshop in Nashville, TN.  It will be a day of Enneagram exploration, writing, and movement, which in my mind is the trifecta of self-care: growing in understanding and compassion for your unique self and creating a foolproof self-care plan for the rest of 2023.  

Something I’ve learned along the way is we can’t truly thrive out of a place of lack and scarcity.  So often, we spin our wheels, hustling for worthiness and the next paycheck, taking care of everyone else’s needs around us, and coming up drastically short at the end of the day because we haven’t prioritized our own wellbeing.  When we lack a margin of time and energy, we constantly react out of emotion instead of responding out of intention and innovation.  

We need a plan.  We need support.  We need true self-care. 

I believe true self-care is really self-compassion: the proven practice of being kind to ourselves—creating a life we don’t want to escape.  It’s about really knowing, loving, and becoming the truest version of ourselves.  

So, when you attend the self-care workshop, you will:

• Understand the 9 core Enneagram types

• Learn more about your unique Enneagram type

• Receive a specialized self-care plan for your unique type

• Understand and develop a proven writing practice 

• Connect to mindful movement through yoga flows 

• Gain access to a community of support and ongoing accountability for continued self-care

• Wrap it all up with a dance party happy hour 

Alright ladies, who’s in?  Registration goes LIVE this Thursday, November 10th.  Here’s where the magic happens.

Don’t miss this restorative and fun day.  I can’t wait to lead you deeper into Enneagram waters and support you in a daily practice that is truly transformative.  

Early bird rates apply now, so don’t wait! 

Do you believe in magic?

Battling cancer did a few things for me.  For starters, it’s changed my overall view of the world. I feel more resilient, more grateful, and stronger than ever.  Strangely, magic feels a bit more possible now than it ever did.  

That’s not to say it’s been a leisurely walk through Central Park either.  My journey’s been hard, much like yours I imagine, wrought with heartache, loss, tough lessons, dark nights, and spells of aching loneliness.  I’ve grown to savor the days of lovely normalcy that lend a softer cadence on which to build my dreams.  

But how do we get there? To that faraway land with less loneliness and more magic?

Good news, you won’t need wings to take you from powerlessness to unhindered possibility…you need belief.  

Belief can often feel ephemeral or tough to pin down— a bit like Maria in Sound of Music.  I think we overcomplicate it.  I like what Abraham Hicks says, “A belief is just a thought I keep thinking.”  

Over time, the thoughts we habitually think become deeply ingrained beliefs, so deep they’re automatic.  Guess what?  Those insular thoughts, practiced over time, predict the way we feel, both physically and emotionally.  Our feelings create motivations that directly steer our actions and decisions.  You know the rest.  Eventually, we wake up and have unconsciously built out a life we either love or resent.  I use the word unconsciously because, as I mentioned, this process can be so involuntary and trance-like, we barely even know it’s happening.  

The biggest mistake we make as we embark on this journey of self-discovery and growth is to wait for outside circumstances to change before we allow ourselves to feel better.  We assume “Once I lose ten pounds” or “get the guy/girl” or “have a million dollars” or whatever (those tend to be the top three contingencies mind you), we will feel a sense of peace and control over our lives.   

Spoiler alert: it never works. 

The fastest, most failsafe way to reach our desired destination is to start from within. Why? Because this inner sanctum is the prime real estate where desires are birthed and visions built.  This sacred space is yours alone, unaffected by things and people. 

We build this interior castle brick by brick, choosing our beliefs, or the thoughts we keep thinking, with intention and practice.   

What is it you want to create more of in your life?  No, I don’t have a magic wand for you to borrow.  I have something far more powerful.  You do too.  It’s the power to shape your life over time, moment by moment.  It’s the ability to rewire your life and your mind.  

How?  Ask yourself this question every morning: What is it I want to feel more of today?  Confidence? Love? Security? Freedom? Once you decide, write down five thoughts to think about that will cultivate this feeling in your life.    

Just like anything, we master what we practice.  Get ready, because this is where the real magic happens…

Great expectations...or not

Here we are.  

This is not a throw away sentence.  It’s perhaps the most profound reminder we’ve got.

We will never ever experience the present moment ever again.  It’s gone in a heartbeat and yet is the only sure thing we ever really touch—presence, being, the here and now.

The Holidays kick up a whole host of unique demands and expectations, leaving me often anxious if not resentful.  It’s tempting to compare my life to others I see magically splattered all over social media cavorting around magical cities, gifts thoughtfully wrapped and under the tree like a month in advance, and wearing the perfectly cut Tom Ford red velvet suit while sipping something festive. Sigh.  “One day,” I deflate to myself.  

Where do these expectations even come from?  My hunch is, they come from the stories we make up in our heads.  Ah, those glorious narratives of certainty, guarantees, entitlement, essentially—suffering.  

Why?  Because suffering is the story we make up about our lack.  “I should have a better job that lets me travel more.”  “I should have a partner that enjoys doing the same things I do.”  “I shouldn’t have to work so hard.  After all, it’s nearly November and I deserve to relax and enjoy the season.”  

Whereas these may be true, I don’t know how much progress we make changing our reality by playing the victim.  In fact, there are no guarantees in this life.  That said, keeping unrealistic expectations flush in our back pocket is a fast way to prevent abundance in our everyday experience.  

As an Enneagram type four, I often struggle with this pervasive longing for what’s missing in the moment. For example, “Ah, the sunset is beautiful, but I wish it were a bit cooler so I could really enjoy it more.” I know. Gross. 

This dangerous habit creates a crusty resentment which in turn drives away joy.  

Because the struggle is so real for me, I created a little Expectation Inventory to keep me in check a few years back.  I’ve come to wholeheartedly believe the pivotal moment in every unrealistic expectation is simple: gratitude.  It tethers us in the here and now.  It gently leads us back home to presence.  Gratitude changes everything in an instant. 

Today, I’m sharing my inventory with you.  Keep it close and use like guardrails when you start to slip into resentment.  Maybe, like me, they will keep you on track and reminded of what you do have as opposed to what you lack.   

Expectation Inventory: 

1. How do I feel right now?

2. What unrealistic expectations am I feeding into?

3. What is the payoff for having these expectations of myself or others?

4. What would it feel like if I were able to let go of these?

5. What do I need in order to let these expectations go?

6. What am I grateful for? 

Enjoy…truly! 

Join me for a very special event

Be honest, what do you think about when you hear the term “self-care?”

Spa treatments? Retail therapy? A long bath? A wine night with the girls?

Whereas all of these things sound fun, I’m not sure they are actually self-care.  Pampering? Sure. Indulging? Absolutely.  I’m convinced we can do better for ourselves.  

Oh, and what if self-care is not in fact, selfish.  I hear that a lot in my work with clients.  It’s a real blocker. 

What if self-care is easier, (and cheaper), than you think?  What if you could actually save tons of money in therapy by practicing a plan that would connect you to your truest self each week? Hell, you may even put me out of a job! :)

There is a time and a place for therapy; however, I believe if we feel empowered to practice the things that bring about positive change and care in our daily experience, we are able to create a life that truly breathes hope and vibrancy.  

As an Enneagram coach and therapist, I love equipping people to step out of the limiting box they’ve been in and better understand the true story about who they are.  There is simply no better tool in bringing about self-awareness and transformation than the Enneagram.  

So mark your calendars for the Self-Care Workshop, taking place Saturday, February 25, 2023 in Nashville.  We will go beyond information and do a deep dive into how this wisdom makes a tangible difference as we apply it to our lives through self-care.  Ally Fallon, a bestselling author and writing coach will help us infuse writing practices into this transformation process.   Koula, a brilliant communicator and my favorite yoga teacher on the planet, will show us how movement and mindfulness are scientifically proven to improve our overall health and well-being.  I will guide you through a basic understanding of the Enneagram and how to use it in your everyday self-care through practical application.  

Most importantly, you will leave with a plan.  That’s why we struggle with follow-through, right?  We lack a plan and ongoing support.  We’ve got that covered.  

Investing in yourself will not only greatly benefit you, but the ones you love as well.  It’s like getting six months of therapy in one solid weekend.  (There I go again, putting myself out of a job. ;)  

Can’t wait to see you in February!