When your world gets turned upside down. You can feel the cortisol (stress hormone) coursing through your veins. The insomnia strikes, the tension and heightened emotion takes over your body like a freight train. At times like these, stress is your body's protective response. It's trying to keep you away from trouble. That's great when trying to physically get away from a troubling situation. But when it's mental, emotional, the stress response can become counterproductive. At times … [Read more...] about In times of severe stress
Don’t change too fast
Everyone wants to see some change for the better over time. But don't change too fast. There's no rush to get to the finish line is there? Instant gratification so often gets the better of us (me big time!). Change that comes too fast has drawbacks. Think of that fast-growing company you may have worked for in your heyday. There's a good bet they had some teething issues. Lack of staff, warehouse space, policies and processes not nutted out. Most likely it was all a bit of a shambles as … [Read more...] about Don’t change too fast
Create a happy memories jar
This is similar to a smile file, only you write down events and memories that made you feel happy, fulfilled and loved. It could be anything.... The day you drove along the freeway with sun drenching through your windows keeping you warm on a cold winters day. Or, the lunch date with your friend filled with laughs and good conversation. Or, a comment that made you laugh..... anything..... Then add the date and year, fold it up and pop it into the jar. Keep filling the jar with … [Read more...] about Create a happy memories jar
I made a body advocacy zine
It's called Brain Love. And it's dedicated to our brain. Brain Love is the first of a zine series I've got planned about our body parts because appreciating how our body functions is an integral part of understanding ourselves more. Our brains pretty much co-ordinate all our bodily functions, and with so much to do, sometimes things can go off-kilter from time-to-time. A part of appreciating and treating ourselves with more kindness is in reflecting on how hard our brains work to keep us … [Read more...] about I made a body advocacy zine
A relapse to perfectionism
I spent today finalising my first zine Brain Love. There were a lot of finishing touches and tweaks to get done. The printing was giving me a headache with words and page numbers getting cut off. I showed my hubby, pointing to all of the imperfections. We had a funny scene when I was starting to lose it because he wouldn't give the zine back to me. He wanted me to slow down and, to remind me that the purpose of a Zine is handmade, an unpolished self-publication that is supposed to look raw … [Read more...] about A relapse to perfectionism
Pick yourself
... don't wait to be picked! Seth Godin talks about our culture of waiting to be picked. Where reality TV shows, publishers, corporations and alike act as gatekeepers to one's success. He empowers us to "pick ourselves" to not wait for the gatekeepers because we have the means to find our own success in anything we do. This theme extends to our bodies too. To pick yourself. To be your bodies best friend. Build a connection and relationship with our body respecting its needs wants and … [Read more...] about Pick yourself
Watch out for the stereotypes
During our nightly Netflix surf, hubby and I turned on a newly listed gangster movie. After 5 minutes watching we realised, we'd hit the stereotype trifecta. Racial, gender and sexual stereotypes jam-packed into the first scene. Just think, a bar filled with twerking half-naked women with big boobs and g-strings and you start to get the picture. While it seems like harmless B grade entertainment, sadly the long-term the reality isn't. From a body image perspective, the portrayal of … [Read more...] about Watch out for the stereotypes
Everyone starts at zero
I opened a sparkly new Etsy store this week. It's only got two body appreciating products in it at this stage which is a start. But my new empty Etsy store had something else that was empty about it. It had 0 followers, 0 sales, and 0 comments listed for all to see. I felt vulnerable seeing those numbers staring back at me. It was like standing in the mall starkers wrapped in flashing fairy lights. At times like this, it's good to remember that zero doesn't reflect our value, product … [Read more...] about Everyone starts at zero
Give it your best shot
In the half-pipe snowboarding X-games, each snowboarder has three shots at the half-pipe to get their best score. They fearlessly speed through the pipe taking huge flips and tricks at each side. On their last run, through the pipe, they push as hard as they can. Many times they fall while trying, landing in all sorts of precarious positions while sliding into the mouth of the pipe. Watching this is enough to make anyone cringe. And while everyone waits -- breath held in a gasp -- the … [Read more...] about Give it your best shot
Our body parts are as cute as buttons
A small news announcement today. I've been busy creating a range of button pins for the daily function characters. They're cute and colourful 1-inch pins that you can pin to clothing, handbags, school bags, pencil cases or more to show off our cool body parts with pride. They're all made by hand too. I'm a firm believer that creating anything by hand does wonders for self-esteem, stress and appreciation for our own abilities. I'll be adding them onto my web site and Etsy in the next day … [Read more...] about Our body parts are as cute as buttons