healthy and beautiful

Something happened during last week’s debate and I’m not talking about Trump losing his s#!t or the Hillary shimmy. No, the something I’m referring to happened to those of us watching. The hullabaloo disguised as a debate left viewers unsettled and fearful. I felt as if I had witnessed an accident and posted “ I need lavender and chamomile and kava and natural calm...and Xanax”   I wasn’t kidding. I couldn’t sleep with the thought that there are people who support “that”. At this point, it’s not being partisan, it’s being human. The WSJ called it “political anxiety disorder". Sure enough, when there’s anxiety there’s eating, as my clients the next day attested to. Even Carolyn mentioned a half pint of Halo top disappearing as she tried to calm her “Donalds". We coined these election-induced munchies “debate weight” at the office.   With the VP debate tonight, we have a solution: Election Survival Kit It contains: healthy, almond cookies, delicious (grain free!) rosemary crac...

Meditation stresses me out.  While I’m fully on board with all meditation can do for me, I couldn’t find a way to work it into my life. Some people meditate first thing in the morning. That’s great but I like to write at that time. Others suggest meditating before bed but at that point, I just want to go to bed. I’ve spent money on apps and programs and nothing stuck until my most recent discovery. One of my favorite things in life is a sauna. I love the dry heat and the quiet. I find it to be one of the most relaxing things but I don’t have a sauna at home. I do have a steam shower, which was never my thing (more of a bath girl). Marc insisted on it when we renovated. I’ve slowly come around and find it sauna-esque, now I set the steam for 10 minutes whenever I shower. I’ve been pretty anxious the last couple of weeks. It’s nothing major but the usual not enough hours in the day stuff that comes with the kids being back in their routines and work kicking up for me....

Last week, I was in my office for client sessions. Many clients had Rosh Hashanah on their minds. For any special event, I try to gather information in order to formulate a plan. “Where will you be for the holidays?” On this particular day three clients informed me that their mother in-law was hosting. Each of these clients shared this with evident apprehension.   Humor is my favorite antidote for anxiety so I dubbed it “ the Mother In-law challenge ” and we went from there. When my sessions were over, my mind drifted back to mother in laws and all the accompanying stereotypes. This definition made me chuckle.   A phrase appended to names of relationship, as father, mother, brother, sister, son, etc., to indicate that the relationship is not by nature There are books written on the subject including one from psychologist Terri Apter entitled… What do you want from me?  And it will come as no shock that the most complicated relationships are between mother in-laws and daug...

My 49th Birthday! What a gripping word that can literally take the wind out of our sails, right? We have all experienced some sort of fear in our lives and it does not discriminate with gender or age.   In my journey of life and health I have definitely felt and experienced fear on all levels, physical, emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual.   Of course, when going through such feelings, it can be difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel, and sometimes, just staying put in the comfort of a warm bed until the storm blows over makes perfect sense at the time.   Facing a fear is one of the hardest things to do in life, and it does take courage, inner strength, and the physical will to force the body to go, when the mind says to freeze.   Emotional challenges and fears seem to be the most draining, at least in my experience, and take time to process through, and figure out the best way to persevere.   It does not matter how long anything takes ...