I love serendipity! As I was sitting to write this week’s love note to you, a study landed in my inbox showing that 68% of respondents to a survey done in January of this year indicated that they would be focusing on their health and well-being in 2014. If you were asked the same question in January, would you have answered the same way? Well, 2014 is half over. How are things going for you?

If you’re on track, I’m sending you the biggest virtual hug and cheering madly. If you’re not, I’m still sending you the biggest virtual hug, and stepping in as your cheer leader.

First of all, please stop beating yourself up if that’s your current style. Change can be difficult. In fact, research in the Journal of Psychology shows that only 8 percent of January resolution-makers achieve their goals. Does that mean that goal-setting is a waste of precious energy? On the contrary, studies show that people who “explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions.” In other words, it’s hard to reach a goal unless you set one. (So keep setting those goals!)

But why is success so difficult? There are lots of really individual, personal factors that can impact our progress, but I’ve found three common themes among the thousands of women I have had the privilege to work with over the years.

1. It looks like apathy, but really – it’s exhaustion. Learning new skills – including what foods and nutrients are essential for you personally – takes effort. Moving your body takes effort. Getting up off the couch to get to bed on time, ironically, takes effort. (Have you ever missed that *sweet spot* when you should have made your way to the bedroom, and then the very thought of getting ready for bed keeps you glued to the couch?) Of course, if you would eat more nutritious food, move your body more and hit the sheets in time to get your beauty rest, you’d have more energy. Sometimes even the thought of getting started can be exhausting.

2. It looks like exhaustion – but really, it could be a form of mild depression. Now don’t freak out and go into immediate denial because I used that word! I’m not making a medical diagnosis here; I’m simply making the observation that when you are so exhausted from the pressures of your life, you may start to question why you should bother to do anything differently. You look for ways to feel happiness – and it might involve an excursion into a tub of ice-cream or a bottle of vino. The joy is short-lived, as you know, and there are consequences. And, I’m sure you’re aware that all that sugar (in the ice cream and the wine) exacerbates the fatigue that could be a factor keeping your spirits low. Then the cycle of self-recrimination begins, with you mentally beating yourself up because you gave in to temptation, yet again. And the cycle continues.

I know this one well. As a self-employed single mom, I’ve had some extended periods of stress that have had me fighting to keep my spirits up – and, frankly, am very grateful for those children of mine who continue to keep me focused on moving forward rather than going down the rabbit hole. I’ve learned to recognize the signs in myself, and know how to shift gears. If you feel stuck in a low place, there are ways to kick-start higher energies.

(If you have thoughts of suicide or concerns about the safety of those around you, please seek competent medical care.)

3. You have some limiting beliefs.

This one can be tied to a low mood, but doesn’t have to be. We all have beliefs about worthiness and abilities and so on that impact our experience of the world. And believing that you aren’t capable of change guarantees that you aren’t. I love Henry Ford’s genius statement that “Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you’re right.”

I also know from personal experience, however, that you can’t new-age think yourself out of your situation. Have you ever worked with a ‘guru,’ or attended a lecture, and had a huge a-ha… and it jazzed you up for a day or two – and then the energy depleted and you were back to your previous self? That’s because while thoughts are crucial, *action* is also essential for success. You have to walk the talk. Make it a habit. Practice it. Which gets us back to #1. How do you do anything differently when you’re exhausted? Not the circle of life, necessarily – but definitely circular.

Next week we’ll dive a little deeper into some of those limiting beliefs, but for now I want you to know that if any of these three themes resonate with you and where you are now with your health goals for 2014 and beyond, I get it. I also promise you that there are ways to start feeling better gradually that don’t involve putting out a ton of energy that you may not have right now.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time, I wish you vibrant health and a beautiful day!
Lisa

PS. Whether you want to recharge your energy, stop the mood swings, or fit into your skinny jeans, I’d love to help you reach your goals this year. Head over here for ways we can work together.

It’s quite possible that, like me, you’re experiencing the roller coaster ride otherwise known as peri-menopause (which, by the way, starts at about age 35 whether you feel it or not). Anyway, peri-menopause has kind of taken me for a loop lately. On the one hand, I’m lucky: I don’t have any serious symptoms that have me questioning my sanity (most of the time!), but I am starting to feel at odds with a body that I have long understood. At 47, I got my first pair of reading glasses, and over the holiday break, discovered I need a stronger prescription just two years later. Out of nowhere, I’m gaining weight without any real change in food intake or activity level. I’m seeing tiny lines where none previously existed. I’m a little more forgetful. And what’s up with my hair?

I know I’m lucky. I’ve gotten this far in my life with a pretty good idea how to make my body look and feel good. I know what to eat, when. I know when a food doesn’t agree with me. I know how to keep a regular sleep cycle. I know to move my body.

Except, lately, it doesn’t seem to matter that I do all the ‘right’ things.

The last straw fell with the grace of a boulder today when, almost 11 days into a fresh commitment to exercise and 8 days into my annual pledge of a sugar-free January, I pulled on a pair of jeans for the first time in a month. With difficulty. Jeans that fit not four weeks ago barely made it over my hips. Seriously? Let me be clear, also: while I did enjoy the holidays, I didn’t indulge to the point of craziness – and in decades past, a week without sugar and a little extra exercise would have erased excess holiday calorie consumption.

Clearly, my body is changing.

Frankly, I’m not comfortable with that.

It’s not that I resent the process of aging. I’m grateful for the opportunity. What makes me uncomfortable is that I no longer see a direct cause and effect with my choices. Strategies that worked for me in the past no longer work. While I don’t want to give this thought a whole lot of energy, if I’m honest (and I’m being honest here), I’m more than a little concerned that I don’t know how to live in this changing body. I’m on a very steep learning curve to figure it out.

All of these physical changes, of course, are taking place at the same time that I am experiencing emotional, environmental and home-life changes, too. As you may know, I’m back at university doing my masters degree. What you don’t know are the reasons I’ve chosen to pursue higher education at this point in my life. It’s a long story that I won’t go into right now, but suffice it to say that my needs changed. I felt pulled – or pushed – to change course in my life.

Are you experiencing that push/pull right now – like something is missing or you need more? It’s pretty common in women who’ve finished having babies, and have raised young adults (plus, in my case, one teen at home still requiring some finishing parental touches.) According to Dr. Christiane Northrup, women’s brains chain during peri-menopause, making us less inclined to having such a strong drive for nurturing others and more interested in ourselves and our personal growth. I’ll take a wild guess that this might happen because women now live much longer than we have historically, much past the expiry of fertility. Women now live at least a third and sometimes half their lives after menstruation ends. (In the past, we’d be called Crones. I detest that word. Let’s use Sage instead, shall we?)

So, as women physically change, we change mentally and emotionally too. Just as we become strangers in our bodies, we become strangers to the way we perceive the world. Our habitual responses to circumstances and people no longer appear or longer not suffice. It’s no wonder that we might feel confusion right now. For me, nothing is the same, and my way of living no longer seems to fit my new reality. I am between who I was and who I will be. Or, as Carl Jung said much more eloquently:

Thoroughly unprepared, we take the step into the afternoon of life. Worse still, we take this step with the false presupposition that our truths and our ideals will serve us as hitherto. But we cannot live the afternoon of life according to the program of life’s morning, for what was great in the morning will be little at evening and what in the morning was true, at evening will have become a lie.

Does any of this resonate for you?

If so, I’ve started a forum or group for women going through peri-menopause and menopause that will be a resource for sharing and caring – you know, that thing that women do so well. Women will be invited to post questions and concerns, and to share what has worked for them in terms of symptom relief, emotional support, career guidance, relationship advice (partners, kids, friends, extended family). Heck, we never know what will face us at this time of our lives!

This forum will not cost a penny. It will be like having tea with the girls. Afternoon Tea. That’s what we’ll call it. It will be a group that allows us to share and care about being in the afternoon of our lives – together. We’ll have a few rules: for example, people can’t go on there and inundate us with ads for their products and services, because it’s not about that. It won’t be a fishing hole for practitioners and vendors. Unless and until it becomes burdensome, I’ll approve new posts. I’ll gather together some of my friends and colleagues in natural health and wellness, as well as other areas of concern for women, and invite them to join us for tea.

You in?

If so, there are a few ways to participate. I’ve created a page on Facebook called Afternoon Tea. Here’s the link: http://on.fb.me/159RRQT Please join us there. If you aren’t on Facebook, I will continue to make blog posts on my website (LisaPetty.ca) and you can chime in there. I can’t promise identical information, but I will do my best.

Hope to see you for tea!

Until next time,

I wish you vibrant health and a beautiful day!
Lisa

Respiratory tract infections are the most common illnesses in the Western world, and involve diverse symptoms including nasal stuffiness or runny nose, sore throat, headaches, cough and fever. Most children get up to 9 respiratory tract infections per year, while adults experience 2 to 5 episodes.

Your best defense is a good offense. If you aren’t interested in hibernating, here’s what you need to know to stay as healthy as possible:

Food for Immunity:

When it comes to protecting your body from cold and flu viruses, the best defense is to make pathogens feel unwelcome, and that involves creating an alkaline environment in your body. Our blood is naturally slightly alkaline, with a normal pH around 7.45. Unfortunately, modern diets tend to promote excess acidity, and bacteria and viruses thrive in acidic environments.

Foods That Promote Alkalinity

Foods that promote alkalinity include a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers, nuts, and legumes. Generally, foods that promote acidity include processed foods, meats, and sugar.

Regular, moderate exercise coupled with stress-busting deep breathing also promote alkalinity.

Boost Your Immunity with Food and Supplements

Along with an alkaline diet, it’s important to feed your immune system, particularly through the winter. Approximately 80% of your immune system is in your digestive tract, allowing you to support it every time you eat!

For added immunity protection, be sure to include probiotics. Translated from Greek to mean "pro-life," probiotics are live, beneficial bacteria in fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, miso, tempeh, and natto as well as in supplement form. Not only do probiotics improve digestion and absorption of nutrients, they also help to crowd out undesirable bacteria that can cause problems. Look for probiotics supplements containing fructo-oligosaccardies (FOS) plus Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium in the refrigerated section of your favorite natural health products department or store.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the shorter daylight hours and angle from the sun in fall and winter severely decreases our ability to synthesize vitamin D. For prevention of cold and flu, take 2,000 IU of immune-boosting D daily.

Give Your Digestive System a Rest

When fighting an infection, ease your body’s workload by choosing foods that are nutrient dense and easy to digest, including soups, vegetable juices, and smoothies. Limit your intake of dairy products including milk, cream, and cheese as these promote mucous.

Liquids for Cold and Flu:

When a cold or flu strikes, be sure to keep hydrated. This not only helps to flush out the pathogens, but also helps to keep all of your cells from becoming dehydrated.

Drink a glass of water after every bathroom visit, plus additional fluids including herbal teas. Enjoy hot water with lemon or lime juice, as these fruits provide natural anti-viral and antibacterial properties.

Relax and Sleep for Immune Health:

Chronic stress, lack of sleep, medications, alcohol, and caffeine cause adrenal insufficiency, leading to a decline in the steroid hormone DHEA and disrupted output of the stress hormone cortisol. One result of this is lowered immunity. Adaptogenic plants help build the immune system, and increase resistance to stress. Look for supplemental astragalus and eleutherococcus to support the body’s inherent vitality and intention; they also contain anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and antioxidant properties.

Stimulate Your Lymphatic System

To stimulate your lymphatic system and promote detoxification and elimination, try alternating warm and cool showers: 3 rounds of cool/cold water, 30 seconds each time, ending with cool. This process enhances detoxification and elimination, while encouraging blood flow to organs, bringing nutrients, and oxygen that help to stimulate your natural, vital force.

Cold and Flu Symptom Relief:

For symptom relief if a cold or flu does strike, increase vitamin D intake to 4,000 IU daily, as it rapidly destroys the cell walls of bacteria, fungi, and viruses including the influenza virus at this dosage. Including echinacea at the first signs of illness can decrease intensity and duration of symptoms.

Always thoroughly wash hands. Make it a habit for everyone in the family to wash up as soon as they get home.

As you may know, this September I added a little extra to my schedule and I’m now working on my Master’s degree. I’m really enjoying the new experiences that come with being a mature graduate student, but I have a slight complication I wasn’t expecting. I. Can’t. Sleep.

And I really like my sleep. Correction: I like how I feel after a good night’s sleep.

It’s possible that this bout of insomnia is still about my brain building new neural pathways to help me absorb all the new information. To test that theory, I stopped doing homework at night so my dear noggin could slow down before bed-time. I don’t know if having a homework fast after 7PM has helped or not, because I. Still. Can’t. Sleep.

Like a floater on the water, I bob along the surface of restful sleep, knowing it’s there, but unable to plunge into its cool, thick, restorative depths.

And then I realized: it’s perimenopause. Yay. (She types facetiously.)

Insomnia has always circled the periphery of my life, showing up like clockwork once a month, for one night only. (Minus the fanfare.) Now that my cycles aren’t like clockwork any more, I seem to have developed a new relationship with insomnia – but I’ve decided it’s not going to work out. We’re breaking up.

When I don’t sleep, I get… um… testy. I’m not as proactive. I forget things. My face gets drawn. Over time, I know that shortened sleep will affect my waistline, and my health. (For info on the health benefits of sleep, go here.)

Now that I’ve recognized the problem, I’m on it.

I’m focused on keeping my blood sugar balanced through regular mealtimes. Exercise in the morning. No caffeine after noon. (I love tea.) No sugar (even fruit) after supper. I’m taking my adrenal support in the morning before I eat. I’m supporting my liver. I’m drinking lots of water during the day (but not in the evening.) Night-time activities will be quiet and relaxing. (Still no homework past 7pm.) I’ll let you know how it all works out.

If you have tips to get you through your sleepless nights, please share them below. I’m sure we’d all love to benefit from your experience.

Until next time,

I wish you vibrant health and blissful, restorative sleep!

Lisa

Meryl Streep, of course, is one uber famous actor. While we might actually have quite a lively debate about her talent (my appreciation of it doesn’t always match up with the critics!), I have great respect for her as a woman.

The words written by José Micard Teixeira, which have been associated with Streep, were so insightful and – dare I say – expressive of my own thoughts, I’ve taken the liberty of sharing them here:

“I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me.

I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities.

In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.” 

Except for the part about exaggerations (I’m a story-telling Leo, after all!) these words are a snapshot of where I am right now.

I’d love to read your thoughts. Won’t you share them?

Until next time,
I wish you vibrant health and a beautiful day.
Lisa

Have you ever wanted to do something but you felt you weren’t quite ready yet? Maybe you want more money in the bank first, or you’re waiting until the kids are done high school, or you have some other reason that now just isn’t the right time to do the thing?

If so, I know what you’re up to. I’ve done the same thing. But after a recent a-ha in my own life, it’s become clear to me that the time is never completely right for the things we want. (It doesn’t matter if it’s a thing you’d like to have, a relationship you’re looking for, losing weight or another health or other personal goal you plan to achieve.)

Here’s what happened for me:

A while back, my dishwasher died. Now, the dishwasher in my kitchen is very poorly situated, away from the sink, on the other side of the room. I determined that before I replaced that dishwasher, I would relocate it. But in order to move it, the cupboards and counter would have to be reconfigured so a machine would fit in a new spot, and to fill in the old spot. And before I got into cupboard reconstruction, I might as well replace the floor. So rather than simply replacing a dishwasher, I was envisioning an entire kitchen renovation. I decided to put off the purchase and do dishes by hand until I was ready. And the clock ticked.

If I’m honest with myself (and now you!), a kitchen overhaul is not in my immediate future plans. My resources of time, energy, space, creativity and finances have been allocated in other directions for at least the next few years. So here I am, with two children living with me (my newly-graduated daughter is home for a year saving for the next phase of her education) and both of them like to eat on a pretty consistent basis – and they tend to dirty a plate or two along the way. I have my clients to coach, and all the other aspects of running a business to tend, plus I have a part-time gig as my son’s chauffeur. In a few short months, I’ll begin the courses for my Masters degree. While I don’t mind the zen of doing dishes by hand, it’s a time vacuum that keeps me from doing other things that I need or want to do. (Plus, it’s a real energy zapper to walk into the kitchen and always see dishes in the sink.)

So, on the weekend, while the mountain of dishes in threatened to topple onto the floor, I waltzed into my friendly neighbourhood appliance store and picked out a dishwasher. (Stainless steel this time, because I’ve learned the hard way that black appliances show all the fingerprints!) It will be delivered and installed tomorrow.

According to my original plan, I’m not ready to buy a dishwasher. I haven’t picked a new floor, I have no idea how I want to reconfigure the kitchen cupboards, and maybe the front hall closet has to move, too. But according to my current reality, I can’t take being without one for another week. (In other psychological speak: the pain of not having a dishwasher became greater for me than the pain of changing the plan.) The new dishwasher will be going in the old spot. While it’s true that I feel a little disappointed that I don’t have everything else in place before my new appliance arrives, it also feels like Christmas is coming early for me!

I got to thinking about how often we hold ourselves back from something we really want or need because we’re waiting to get all our ducks in a row. If you find yourself there right now, I encourage you to look at whether not having or not doing that thing right now – even though you don’t think the timing is perfect – is causing you more pain in the short-term than sticking to the original plan. Id love to hear what you discover!

Until next time,

I wish you vibrant health and a beautiful day!
Lisa

PS. Yes, of course, my children help with the dishes. But maybe now they’ll do so with much less grumbling.

When it comes to health, most women I’ve met want to be fit. Most women want to be energetic; we want to feel sexy; we want peaceful, happy (read: non-hormonal!) relationships with our significant other, as well as our children, family and friends, and – especially as peri-menopause and menopause enter the picture, we want to remember where we put the car keys. Does that sound about right to you?

And it is *not* too much to ask that you have these things. In fact, you need these things at the very minimum in order to meet the demands on you that I can imagine in your life. So, if you are stumbling in any of these areas, the first request I have is for you to determine whether you have considered that you could feel any different. In other words, have you simply accepted changes in your weight, mood, flexibility, sex drive, brain power and so on as they way things are rather than something that could be different?

A lot of times, I think there is unconscious acceptance of how our bodies look, feel and respond to people, to our environment and to our food and beverage choices. What I mean is that change can happen so slowly, sometimes we don’t notice it. Let’s face it: we go through our entire lives in the same body. We get used to it. We don’t question it. I also think that, because we don’t question it, we get stuck and may not make choices that are particularly good for us.

I have a recent example from my own life: my 22-year-old daughter mentioned to me several months ago that when she eats potatoes, her throat feels ‘weird.’ I started experimenting with different potato varieties to see if that would make a difference for her. Then, the other day, after eating potatoes, I noticed a burning in my throat, followed by an immediate thought that it was probably nothing because that’s how my throat always feels after I eat potatoes. What? My throat always burns after I eat potatoes. Why had I never consciously made that connection before? Well, very simply, if potatoes have always made my throat burn, why would I question it when they make my throat burn? The answer is that I wouldn’t. It took my daughter pointing out her observation about herself that brought about my awareness for me. And now that I am conscious of it, I can determine whether or not potatoes are good for me. Make sense?

So, just as my daughter was a trigger for my consciousness, now I’d like to do the same thing for you.

Have you noticed that you are cranky more often than you’re comfortable admitting? Did you notice that your kids or spouse steer a wide berth around you sometimes? Did you notice that you’re getting forgetful? Did you notice that your favourite things don’t bring you joy like they have in the past? (Are you unhappy most of the time?) Did you notice, as you buttoned up your shorts after a season in winter clothes, that they are a little more snug than they were last year? (That one you would probably notice!) Do potatoes make your throat burn?

Know that the items in the preceding list are merely symptoms telling you that you are not giving your body what it needs in order for you to have vibrant energy; a happy, positive and confident mood; gorgeous skin, hair and nails; and great relationships with those closest to you – all from the comfort of your skinny jeans. Because you can have all these things, if you decide to make choices that support bringing them about.

For the next week, your homework is simply to notice. Several times throughout the day, check in with yourself and become aware of your body. I’d love to learn about your observations.

Until next time,
I wish you vibrant health and a beautiful day!
Lisa

If I ask you the question ‘What’s your health worth?’ I’m guessing you have some kind of pat answer ready. Like: ‘A lot.’ But if I were to push you on it, to get you to really explore the question, what would you come up with?

Here’s my Coach’s request for you: Get a sheet of paper and write down all the things your health allows you to do. Then price it out. For example: every day that you are healthy, you get to earn x amount of dollars from your job or work. This one may be the easiest to calculate. Now write down the other things that make your life worth living, like ‘enjoy your hobbies, play with your kids, grandkids or pets, be intimate with your partner, get dressed by yourself, make your own meals, etc.’ What are those things worth to you?

Don’t be surprised if many items your health allows you to do are way more valuable than what you earn from your pay-cheque. In fact, it may be very difficult to put a price tag on many of the items on your list. Some of them might even be priceless.

So, if your health is such an important commodity, why, then, do you not value it? And by ‘value it,’ I mean honour it; by ‘value it’ I mean DO something to take care of it. Why do you think things like: I can’t afford to eat healthy food. (Bunk.) I can’t afford to join a gym. (That is NOT the only venue for exercise.) I can’t afford to work with someone who can help me figure out how to really take care of my health for the long-term. (Seriously? You can’t afford not to.)

Looking at the economics of that last argument for a moment, health care costs in North America are rising astronomically. Why? Because Baby Boomers are getting older, and younger generations are being diagnosed with diseases that used to hallmark senior years. But up to 90% of the risk factors associated with diseases that we blame on aging (cancer, diabetes, heart disease) are related to nutrition and lifestyle choices you make Every Single Day and are entirely under your control. And let me ask you: do you have to wait until you have a diagnosis before you value your health? Please take a moment and sit with that one, and be honest with yourself. Because, too often, it’s the way it happens.

If you would rather get healthier, and stay healthier longer, do you know what you need to know? Are you doing everything you can? If you’re not, next week’s blog will focus on some of the reasons you may not be doing what you say you want to do.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time, I wish you vibrant health and a beautiful day,

Lisa

After my post last week in which I let it all hang out – the truth about my messy life, replete with frustrations, stagnation, uncertainty and feeling inauthentic at times because of the image I thought I had to present to the world versus my reality, I got some feedback. On Facebook, on my blog, in person at networking functions, on the phone and through private email, I got feedback. I am so grateful for those of you who took the time to reach out to me, and those of you, as well, who silently sent me good vibes.

Working ‘virtually’ as I do from my home office, I spend much of my time alone. While technology allows me to know who is opening up the emails I craft, I have wondered occasionally if the little love notes I send (which is how I truly feel about them) are read, and if they are helpful. So thank-you also for the gift of letting me know that you do read them. While it was never my intention to solicit love and support from you when I bore my soul, I received it in buckets. You all helped to fill me up last week, and I didn’t realize how much I needed that. Thank-you, again.

Where do we go from here? Well, judging from what you all shared with me last week, I think you’ll probably be open to learning what I learn as I’m on this journey of rebuilding. (I feel a little like the Bionic Woman as I type this: better than I was before; better, stronger, faster…) LOL. Actually, I’ve learned that my journey is not about being Wonder Woman, or the Bionic Woman, or any other kind of Super-Woman. It’s about becoming more fully me. We’ll call that lesson #1, and I’m sure we will revisit it often.

But another very powerful lesson I received after getting naked in front of you was that we all truly see the world through our own experiences and filters: some of you, having read my angst, described your own experience with depression and were quite concerned about my mental wellness. If you were, too, please know that I am not clinically depressed. I was sad, but not depressed. My daughter accuses me of hyperbole (I was going to write ‘all the time’ but that would be more hyperbole!) Regardless, if my colourful use of language and imagery made you worry for me, please know that it’s not necessary. When I wrote that I had a ‘break-down,’ I was not describing a clinical diagnosis – but more of a spiritual one. The walls had to come down before the light could get in.

While some of you may have worried about my mental health, others were quite defensive on my behalf, and you focused your feedback on the person whose shouting had been the proverbial straw that broke me. Please know that my story was never meant to be about the other person. I did not for a second have any anger, frustration or resentment for the ‘trigger’ that gave me the opportunity to ‘let go.’ There was no insult or personal attack in the conversation, and no reason for me to be angry or hurt. By the way, we have since had several quiet, peaceful interactions, and this person has no idea how that fateful conversation changed me. I am honestly grateful for the whole mess.

And while there was concern and protection, there was also gratitude. So many of you let me know that me getting naked was helpful for you, too. You let me know that you recognized a little bit of yourself in what I was sharing. Hopefully, you can learn from my experience so you don’t have to repeat it yourself. In other words: stop trying to be some idealized version of perfect, because you’ll never achieve it. Remember, instead, that how you are right now is exactly how you are supposed to be right now, or you wouldn’t be as you right now. That is perfection. Does that mean you don’t have to grow and change and become the best version of yourself? Absolutely not. Instead, it means that You are perfect right now. And getting better all the time. You can quote me on that. 

Going forward, in my work as a nutritionist and health coach – as well as in my personal relationships with those around me – I will remember that people see the world through their own filters, and their feedback and reactions to situations have nothing to do with me, and everything to do with their perspective. It certainly will de-personalize situations that might get heated or uncomfortable.

As always, my sweet, I’d love to know your thoughts!

Until next time, I wish you vibrant health and a beautiful day,

Lisa