“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~ Albert Einstein Is anxiety always pathological? I think not. As someone with a previous history of panic attacks that seemed to arise out of nowhere, I can say that I am very familiar …
Wrinkles, Gray Hair, and Cellulite? You Can Have Them All, But Still Feel Beautiful. I Do. (Or, How the Messaging Behind Skin Care and Beauty Products is Just as Toxic as the Ingredients)
“It is lovely to meet an old person whose face is deeply lined, a face that has been deeply inhabited, to look in the eyes and find light there.” ~John O’Donohue When I was in 7th grade, I remember being invited to a pool party for a friend’s birthday and firmly deciding that I would not go because the tan …
Bold Moves! But First? Boundaries. The Year of the Fire Monkey Begins!
“You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down.” ~Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon The Year of the Fire Monkey is upon us, you guys! I, for one, am extremely excited about this year. I am also, admittedly, a little nervous. Fire. Monkey. This is a potent combination of energies, if you ask me. One …
On Hypervigilance, Self-Compassion, and Channeling Your Energy For Good (or, Your Anxiety Might Be a Superpower)
“Breathe properly. Stay curious. And eat your beets.” ~Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume What do you want your energy to feed? This question has been on my mind since I first woke up this morning. Pulling me out of a deep-ish sleep, urgent in its efforts and impatient for me to offer some sort of satisfactory answer to its biddings. What …
Let’s Change the Conversation About Bodies. Because They’re a Whole Lot More Interesting Than We’re Making Them Out To Be. (Also: This Post Might Talk About Sex. Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You.)
“I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself.” ~Rita Mae Brown On Sunday of this week, I got on a scale for the first time in at least six years. And for the first time in almost a decade, I actually looked at the number that appeared when I did. This, you guys, was a …
You Are Not Going To Be Eaten By Tigers. I Promise.
“There is no such thing as a weird human being. It’s just that some human beings require more understanding than others.” ~Tom Robbins You are not going to be eaten by tigers. A dear friend of mine offered this little gem to me during a particularly challenging bout of anxiety recently. I am not going to be eaten by …
Let’s Talk About Anxiety. Or, Why I Almost Dropped Out Of Graduate School Eight Hundred Times.
“Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” ~Allen Ginsberg Let’s talk about anxiety. While I was in graduate school studying acupuncture and Chinese medicine, I started having panic attacks multiple times a week, forcing me to excuse myself from class for extended “bathroom breaks”, often feeling unable to return for as long as an hour at a time. There …
What You Want Is What You Want. Until What You Want Is Something Else.
“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” ~ E.E. Cummings Ten years ago, the things I thought I wanted were vastly different from the things I know today that I desire. In June 2004, I had just received a bachelor’s degree in English Literature, with dreams of pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing, living …
How You Relate To Your Body Is How You Relate To The World. Because Writing About Dating Wasn’t Personal Enough So I Thought I’d Give Body Image A Try.
“The body is our general medium for having a world.” ~ Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception To say that my relationship with my body has been strained is to understate the reality of things quite a bit. In fact, this relationship has probably been the most challenging and heartbreaking and life-changing relationship of which I have ever been a part. …
Unicorns, Synchronicity, and Embracing the Absurd
The National Animal of Scotland is the Unicorn. Seriously. THE UNICORN. This is one of my favorite random facts because it conveys to me a certain playfulness and prioritization of fun that I feel is often lacking in our modern society. And a belief in magic and myth and mystery. Because we spend too much time being serious, I think, …