At times it can feel like telling your story, protesting, donating, crying, yelling, making phone calls, educating, and earnest conversations don't make enough of a difference. Some days you feel worn down, heartbroken, and helpless. No matter how you're feeling right now, you are valuable and deserve care. Today, and especially on days when it feels like nothing is in your control, please do one good thing that reminds you that your well-being matters. One of these may be

I recently got sick traveling home from a great trip. I ended up with a weird combination of the flu, strep, and an ear infection, followed by a ruptured eardrum and laryngitis. I was so sick that all work and most other responsibilities, including those that had already backlogged while I was traveling, had to be put on hold. I’m grateful that I was able to get the support I needed and that I was able to ask for and receive help. There was a time when postponing meetings,

Have you ever done a social media search for the term "self care?" The search results tend to be dominated by fancy bath products, essential oils, and beautifully photographed meals. To a passerby, it might look like self care is pretty luxurious. I'm not saying that face masks and $8 smoothies aren't good ways to nurture yourself. They can be pretty great even if the effects wear off in a couple of hours. However, the self care that has the biggest impact on our daily liv

As 2017 seems to rush to an end, I'm steadying myself in an intention that feels grounding when it seems like time is flying. (Because wow, wasn't it just Halloween?) This intention is also a solid first step to offering myself compassion when things get heavy and I'm teetering on the edge of overwhelmed. It's really simple. Take a breath and ask, "What am I willing to notice?" This question isn't meant to withdraw us from participating in the world, but to engage a lit

It’s hard to believe that holiday season is right around the corner! That happened fast, huh? You might be excited for really fun family time, a “friendsgiving,” or a relaxing break from work when you can finally catch up on Stranger Things. Or maybe holidays tend to bring with them a bit of stress. You may even be dreading some really hard stuff. Maybe you’re bracing for rough conversations with family or anticipating Aunt Susan railing on about her diet and giving you th

I've been trying to write this for days. Although I want to write about why it's ok to risk imperfection in our actions against injustice rather than doing nothing, in all honesty I've been scrutinizing every single word to the point I've considered just sending you a list of links. I've softened the language. I've made it more direct. I've scrapped everything and started from scratch, then edited again. Bear with me as I now try to walk my talk. I may still put my foot in my

Over the weekend I came across this headline in the Charlotte newspaper: “Boomers ready to retire from holiday hubbub, but their kids won’t let them.” Oh boy. There was definitely a time when I was guilty of putting pressure on my poor parents to relive old holiday traditions! Giving people the nostalgic holiday experience that they want can become overwhelming if it’s directly at odds with your own self care. In my last blog post, I shared my one holiday eating “rule”:

For years I've been practicing something that even as I write it I know sounds silly. When I chat with companion animals, I make an effort to compliment them on the quality of their character. Bear with me here. Yes, Legs (our little tuxedo cat) can curl up into cute positions, but what matters more is that he's very friendly. He greets us at the door and cuddles himself under my chin when I'm sad. My brother's Great Dane, Athena, is a gorgeous creature, sure. But more impo