Golda Poretsky's Blog, page 12
December 4, 2012
Support Body Love Wellness Just By Shopping At Amazon!
Hi there!
Did you know that you can support Body Love Wellness just by shopping at Amazon.com?
When you shop by clicking an Amazon link on our site, we receive 4-6% of the purchase price of your order, at no cost to you!
We can then use that cash to buy better podcasting and video equipment, programs that make our site sing, and so much more.
Here’s how!
Just CLICK THIS LINK (http://tinyurl.com/BLWAmazon). Then shop all you want. That’s it!
Easy peasy! And again, there is no additional cost to you to do this, but you get to support Body Love Wellness with your purchases.
Thanks for checking this out. Happy shopping and thanks in advance!
xo,
Support Body Love Wellness Just By Shopping At Amazon! originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on December 4, 2012.
December 3, 2012
You Won’t Wear A Bikini To The Office
Image courtesy of someecards.
So, pretty much every week, I’m here, writing a post about why loving your body is TOTES AWESOME (as the kids say).
I may be writing about Health At Every Size® or diet industry lies or handling the holidays as a fat person, but underneath it all, I’m saying that loving your body, loving yourself, approving of who you are and the wonderful corporeal package that you come in is the key to a happier more empowered life.
So, this week, I want to address what might be holding you back. I want to talk about an underlying fear that you may be encountering in your pursuit of body love.
Wearing A Bikini To The Office, And Other Fears
That underlying fear is that you will love and approve of yourself and your body so much that you will lose all sense of propriety. The fear is that you will be so guided by doing whatever will make you happiest, that you imagine yourself doing really outlandish, embarrassing things like wearing a bikini to the office. Or wearing an all spandex outfit to the office.
Thinking about it rationally, it doesn’t really make sense, but I often find that just scratching the surface reveals this fear, and the “bikini to the office” and “all spandex outfit to the office” images come up a lot when I talk about this with clients.
And I don’t want to make light of that fear. Humans have a deeply ingrained desire to fit in somewhere, and a deep fear of alienating the people around them. Even if your identity is centered around being different or non-mainstream, you usually want to be different or non-mainstream with some other people. It goes back to a time in our collective history when being an outcast really meant death, when being part of your community was the key to physical survival.
I think the modern version of not fitting in with your community group is not fitting in at work. Banishment from the working world and an inability to financially survive can feel like death and could mean death since the social services safety net is often so meager.
So, I think it’s important to get clear on your fears about body love, so that you can look at them rationally and keep moving forward. If you never look at your fears about body love, you can never assess their validity.
Click to tweet:
“If you never look at your fears about body love, you can never assess their validity.”
Handling The Fear
I want to share something with you that will hopefully allay some of your fear–in the past 5 years I’ve worked with hundreds of women on loving their bodies, and not one has worn a bikini to work or anything similar. Not one has seen their deepest, darkest fears of being massively inappropriate come to fruition as a result of body love.
The truth is, when you start to love your body more, you’re still you. You still realize that certain clothes are appropriate for the office and certain others may not be, but you also begin to put yourself and your body first. You may add more fun and color to your work wardrobe because it makes you happy. You may set more boundaries at work with coworkers who talk derisively about their bodies and encourage you to diet. It is possible that loving your body more will make you realize that your present job is in conflict with self love and body love (as I once did) but if/when that happens, the empowering side of body love will actually help you through it. (You may have to trust me on that, but I’ve found it to be true for myself and my career-changing clients).
Getting Clear On The Fear
What are your fears about loving your body more? Take a few minutes to think about or free write about your fears. Feel free to share them below, too!
Then ask yourself, are these fears real? How likely is it that they will come to fruition?
Once you’re clear on the likelihood of these fears actually happening, decide to take some steps toward loving your body more. Check out my Body Love 101 resource page for some ideas.
Get great body love tips and more when you subscribe:
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Email:
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.
(Listen to this post here, or subscribe on itunes.)
You Won’t Wear A Bikini To The Office originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on December 3, 2012.
November 26, 2012
Body Diversity Is Really A Thing + How It Can Help You Feel Better About Your Body
In news that you may have missed, a recent study showed that showing women pictures of fat bodies made them like fat bodies more.
In other words, those images of very thin women that you see all day long are messing with your head and making you hate your body more.
Although this study had a relatively small sample size of young, heterosexual women in the UK, it does tell us something about how the images we see all day every day affect our perception of our bodies.
How You Can Eat What You Want And Still Lose The Body Shame
This study shows me that the one “diet” that I’ve recommended to my clients over the past few years is still a really good one. So I’d like to recommend it to you too, and it’s called, The Media Diet.
With the Media Diet you will:
• Lose your self doubt about your appearance
• Reach your goal of liking yourself and the way you look
• Melt away your resistance to feeling good about yourself right now
GUARANTEED!
Here’s how you do it:
For the next week, as much as possible, limit your exposure to images of:
1) Ultra thin women and men
2) Advertising of diets and diet foods
While on the Media Diet, use your “willpower” to avoid the following:
1) Typical fashion magazines (it’s tempting to peek in the line at the grocery store but distract your attention with something else)
2) Internet fashion sites (except as described below)
3) Daytime television (this is the time when diet ads are most prevalent)
4) Primetime sitcoms
5) Ads in general (check out extension like adblock plus to keep your web surfing ad free).
Click to tweet this:
“The only diet I need is a media diet.”
There’s No Need To Go Hungry For Media
Now, there is no need to starve for media on the Media Diet. Take this time on the Media Diet to replenish your system with healthy alternatives:
1) Check out some really fun online plus size magazines, like Volup2 from Velvet D’Amour, Plus Model Magazine, and Venus Diva Magazine.
2) Check out plus size fashion groups, like Facebook’s Fatshion! community and Fattoo Anonymous. Enjoy all the pictures of fabulous fat women of all shapes and sizes dressing up in their favorite clothes. Post your own too. And for more gorgeous photographs (which may be NSFW), check out Adipositivity, and Fat From The Side. And for cool drawings, go to FatPosiDoodles!
3) Read great Fat Acceptance blogs, including mine!
4) Pinterest is becoming a very body positive place, if you know where to look. Check out my fatspiration board for some body positive imagery.
5) Check out shows starring fabulous plus sized women and men, like Huge on ABC Family on DVD.
6) Read fat positive, image-heavy books like Fat!So? and The Full Body Project for their wonderful imagery.
I guarantee that after a week spent on the Media Diet, you will look and feel better about yourself! Let me know how it goes in the comments below!
Get my body love tips, and start to see your body in a whole new way!
Name:
Email:
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Her new free teleclass, How To Feel Empowered, Gorgeous & Confident Every Single Day At Any Size, is happening next week. Click here for details!
(Listen to this post here, or subscribe on itunes.)
Body Diversity Is Really A Thing + How It Can Help You Feel Better About Your Body originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on November 26, 2012.
November 24, 2012
HAES® Master Class Small Business Saturday/ Cyber Monday Special!
This is just a quick note to let you know that I’m running a very special Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday deal on the HAES® Master Class!
Now through midnight Eastern on Monday, November 26th, you can get the whole HAES® Master Class for just $47 (more than half off the normal price)!
You don’t need a special code or anything, so check it out and get your 16 recordings now!
Click Here To Get All The Info + Buy Your Ticket!
HAES® Master Class Small Business Saturday/ Cyber Monday Special! originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on November 24, 2012.
November 19, 2012
The Non-Dieter’s Holiday Survival Guide
It seems that every year around this time, I get gazillions of emails from folks who are nervous about the holidays.
Explaining to your family that you don’t want to know the number of calories in pecan pie, that you’re not interested in that new diet book that worked for your nephew’s former roommate, and that, yes, you have put on a little weight, and it’s totally OKAY, may not be your idea of a fun holiday.
Over the years, I’ve written many blog posts and done a bunch of talks on this topic, but I want to distill all of it down into a handy guide.
The Non-Dieter’s
Holiday Survival Guide
(click each tip for more details)
Breathe, Deeply & Often
Set Boundaries
Enjoy Your Food
Follow The Fun
You Are Not Crazy
Feel free to print it out and stash it in your pocket.
I’m a veteran of those aerobics classes where the teacher constantly tells you, “Don’t forget to breathe!” I remember finding that advice kind of annoying and yet strangely helpful when a deep breath was really what I needed.
How It Works: As you probably know, taking a breath that’s a little deeper than normal is an important way to reduce anxiety and relax your body. It also helps you to enjoy your food.
Pro Tip: Instead of taking a really deep, 100% full type of breath (which can actually be a little stressful to your body if you’re not used to it), take a 75% full breath. Just try to fill up your lungs about three-quarters of the way, hold it for a few seconds, and breathe out. Do this whenever you think of it, and especially if you’re feeling anxious. This will relax your body and allow you to engage with the 4 other tips.
This one is so important but often so hard to do. For a more in depth post on how to set boundaries, check this out, but I want to give you my handy formula for setting boundaries right here:
1) Acknowledge The Other Person, Their Feelings & Positive Motives
2) Make Your Request Clearly
How It Works: Let’s say you have an aunt who always comments on your weight, and you’d really like her to stop. Here’s how you can use this formula to set a boundary:
“Aunt Ethel, I know you comment on my weight because you think it’s helpful, but it’s not, and I need you to stop doing that.”
Pro Tip: You may need to repeat yourself a lot when setting this boundary, and it’s possible that Aunt Ethel is never going to get it. However, by setting the boundary, you get the benefit of standing up for yourself and acknowledging what you need, which is quite empowering.
Click to tweet this: “Get the Non-Dieter’s Holiday Survival Guide from @bodylovewellnes!”
Enjoying food can actually be quite difficult during the holidays, even if you love holiday food. If you’re feeling stressed and anxious, it’s likely that your body is in fight or flight mode. This means that the blood is in your arms and legs, rather than the core of your body where you need it to digest and assimilate your food.
How It Works: So it’s especially important during this time of year to focus, as best you can, on actually enjoying your food. As much as possible, take time to breathe, go a little slower, and engage all of your senses. One of the nicest things about this time of year is the special food that we don’t normally eat, so take time to really enjoy it.
Pro Tip: If you start to feel your inner critic going on and on about how you shouldn’t be eating this or that, take a moment to think, “I approve of my food choices.” Use this as an affirmation that will calm your mind and allow it to get on board with the fact that you are enjoying your food.
Sometimes the holidays can feel really demanding. You may have endless shopping lists, way too much food to prepare, or social situations that require seeing people you usually avoid. So I think it’s important to find the fun where you can.
How It Works: Finding the fun in not so fun situations is an art and it takes practice, but if you look for it, you can catch it and amplify it. Turn on some music and make cooking into a dance party. Tell jokes, laugh, move your body whenever possible. The moment you start feeling stuck is the moment it’s time to change things up and follow the fun.
Pro Tip: If the fun is not happening indoors, get outside as much as you can. Someone has to pick up the tree? Volunteer to do it. No one got a present for the neighbor? Run by the store. Giving yourself time and space to get outside, move your body, and play some music that you like is often a nice counterbalance to a stressful holiday.
Being around people you love who diet can make you feel positively nuts, so it’s important to remind yourself that choosing not to diet is actually a sound choice.
How It Works: It’s hard enough to operate in a world where facts about fat and health and the reality of diet marketing is an unfamiliar subject. So it’s important to have some backup. Call a non-dieting friend when you get a moment alone. Look at body positive pinterest boards. Bring my book with you so you can remind yourself that going to your Mom’s OA meeting over the weekend is not the answer.
Pro Tip: You don’t have to convince anyone that you’re right. Doing so will just leave you frustrated.
Get a handy printout of my holiday survival guide here! Just enter your info and you’ll receive an email from me in a matter of minutes!
Name:
Email:
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Her new free teleclass, How To Feel Empowered, Gorgeous & Confident Every Single Day At Any Size, is happening next week. Click here for details!
(Listen to this post here, or subscribe on itunes.)
The Non-Dieter’s Holiday Survival Guide originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on November 19, 2012.
November 18, 2012
The Non-Dieter’s Holiday Survival Guide
by Golda Poretsky, H.H.C.
www.bodylovewellness.com
It seems that every year around this time, I get gazillions of emails from folks who are nervous about the holidays.
Explaining to your family that you don’t want to know the number of calories in pecan pie, that you’re not interested in that new diet book that worked for your nephew’s former roommate, and that, yes, you have put on a little weight, and it’s totally OKAY, may not be your idea of a fun holiday.
Over the years, I’ve written many blog posts and done a bunch of talks on this topic, but I want to distill all of it down into a handy guide.
Feel free to print it out and stash it in your pocket.
1. Breathe, Deeply & Often
I’m a veteran of those aerobics classes where the teacher constantly tells you, “Don’t forget to breathe!” I remember finding that advice kind of annoying and yet strangely helpful when a deep breath was really what I needed.
How It Works: As you probably know, taking a breath that’s a little deeper than normal is an important way to reduce anxiety and relax your body. It also helps you to enjoy your food.
Pro Tip: Instead of taking a really deep, 100% full type of breath (which can actually be a little stressful to your body if you’re not used to it), take a 75% full breath. Just try to fill up your lungs about three-quarters of the way, hold it for a few seconds, and breathe out. Do this whenever you think of it, and especially if you’re feeling anxious. This will relax your body and allow you to engage with the 4 other tips.
2. Set Boundaries
This one is so important but often so hard to do. For a more in depth post on how to set boundaries, check this out, but I want to give you my handy formula for setting boundaries right here:
1) Acknowledge The Other Person, Their Feelings & Positive Motives
2) Make Your Request Clearly
How It Works: Let’s say you have an aunt who always comments on your weight, and you’d really like her to stop. Here’s how you can use this formula to set a boundary:
“Aunt Ethel, I know you comment on my weight because you think it’s helpful, but it’s not, and I need you to stop doing that.”
Pro Tip: You may need to repeat yourself a lot when setting this boundary, and it’s possible that Aunt Ethel is never going to get it. However, by setting the boundary, you get the benefit of standing up for yourself and acknowledging what you need, which is quite empowering.
Click to tweet this: “Get the Non-Dieter’s Holiday Survival Guide from @bodylovewellnes!”3. Enjoy Your Food
Enjoying food can actually be quite difficult during the holidays, even if you love holiday food. If you’re feeling stressed and anxious, it’s likely that your body is in fight or flight mode. This means that the blood is in your arms and legs, rather than the core of your body where you need it to digest and assimilate your food.
How It Works: So it’s especially important during this time of year to focus, as best you can, on actually enjoying your food. As much as possible, take time to breathe, go a little slower, and engage all of your senses. One of the nicest things about this time of year is the special food that we don’t normally eat, so take time to really enjoy it.
Pro Tip: If you start to feel your inner critic going on and on about how you shouldn’t be eating this or that, take a moment to think, “I approve of my food choices.” Use this as an affirmation that will calm your mind and allow it to get on board with the fact that you are enjoying your food.
4. Follow The Fun
Sometimes the holidays can feel really demanding. You may have endless shopping lists, way too much food to prepare, or social situations that require seeing people you usually avoid. So I think it’s important to find the fun where you can.
How It Works: Finding the fun in not so fun situations is an art and it takes practice, but if you look for it, you can catch it and amplify it. Turn on some music and make cooking into a dance party. Tell jokes, laugh, move your body whenever possible. The moment you start feeling stuck is the moment it’s time to change things up and follow the fun.
Pro Tip: If the fun is not happening indoors, get outside as much as you can. Someone has to pick up the tree? Volunteer to do it. No one got a present for the neighbor? Run by the store. Giving yourself time and space to get outside, move your body, and play some music that you like is often a nice counterbalance to a stressful holiday.
5. You Are Not Crazy
Being around people you love who diet can make you feel positively nuts, so it’s important to remind yourself that choosing not to diet is actually a sound choice.
How It Works: It’s hard enough to operate in a world where facts about fat and health and the reality of diet marketing is an unfamiliar subject. So it’s important to have some backup. Call a non-dieting friend when you get a moment alone. Look at body positive pinterest boards. Bring my book with you so you can remind yourself that going to your Mom’s OA meeting over the weekend is not the answer.
Pro Tip: You don’t have to convince anyone that you’re right. Doing so will just leave you frustrated.
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Her new free teleclass, How To Feel Empowered, Gorgeous & Confident Every Single Day At Any Size, is happening next week. Click here for details!
Follow Me! Hi From Golda! Search Search“I scheduled a session with Golda because I thought she could really help me explore my body issues and learn to love myself how I am. I anticipated spending some time talking about my current body image and some past experiences that have affected it, as well as my goals for the future. Golda helped me map out what my ideas were for how I would like to see myself and treat my body. It was nice using her methods to imagine my future self-image and get some ideas on how to take small steps toward my goals. Anyone who has dreams of having a positive body image, a healthy relationship with food an…”
Support Us When You Shop! The post The Non-Dieter’s Holiday Survival Guide appeared first on bodylovewe.
November 16, 2012
How To Feel Empowered, Gorgeous & Confident Every Single Day At Any Size (FREE TELECLASS)
Every day, you (and I) get the message that we are not enough.
You’re told that in order to be what you want and do what you want and have what you want, you need to change your body and more.
As women, we’re constantly trying to fit ourselves into someone else’s idea of what we should be. We obsess over food to try to be thinner and obsess over our bodies because we’re not “supposed to be” this size. We’re too loud, or too quiet, too bossy or too permissive, too sexy or not sexy enough, too much or not enough.
We keep trying to win a game that has us set up to lose.
But there is another way to live in our society and stop playing that game. It takes courage, but I know that you have it to spare. It means connecting with that part of you that knows, in your heart of hearts, that who you are, how you look and the way you take up space is not only perfect just as it is, it is needed in the world.
Golda Poretsky, HHC Body Love Coach
In this 60-minute teleclass, Golda Poretsky, H.H.C. (founder of Body Love Wellness and leading authority on Health At Every Size) will share her top techniques for feeling empowered, gorgeous and confident no matter what your size, age, or anything else that you feel holds you back. These are the same ones she shares with her private coaching clients.
You’ll walk away from this body love centered call with Golda’s surprisingly powerful, yet simple techniques for being the woman you know you were meant to be.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
Golda’s special six-step Body Love strategy
The biggest mistake that women make in trying to feel more confident
How to get clear on what you really want and go for it without holding yourself back
Why food and body image issues are really gifts in disguise
And so much more!
No matter how you feel now, you’ll get at least 3 BIG insights into how to feel more confident and secure in who you are!
Note: Everyone who registers will receive a link to listen to the recording of the class, so you should still register if you can’t make it live!
Just enter your info in the boxes below, and you’ll receive the complete call details via email.
Yes, Golda, please sign me up for this exciting
FREE 60-Minute Teleclass on
“How To Feel Empowered, Gorgeous & Confident
Every Single Day At Any Size”
on Tuesday, November 27th at 8PM Eastern/5PM Pacific.
Send me the details at my email address below.
Name:
Email:
Please note, upon registration, you will also receive a complimentary subscription to the Body Love Wellness Newsletter. We will not share, rent or sell your information to any other organization.
Please check your spam folder if you don’t receive a confirmation email.
How To Feel Empowered, Gorgeous & Confident Every Single Day At Any Size (FREE TELECLASS) originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on November 16, 2012.
November 12, 2012
Plus Sized And Allergic At The Mall (or Why Many “Shoulds” Are Choices In Disguise)
Exhibit B
This is how I apply mineral makeup if I don’t want to sneeze it off. (Image by Golda Poretsky.)
A few weeks ago, I found myself at the Queens Center Mall, killing time before my chiropractor appointment.*There isn’t all that much for me in this mall. There are no plus sized stores at all, other than the plus size departments in Macy’s and JCPenney’s, and the tiny plus sized area at Forever 21.**
I eventually wended my way over to the Bare Escentuals store and decided to check out their products and get a makeover.
The Dangers Of Trying To Be “Normal”
But here’s the rub–I’m allergic to a lot of makeup. Makeup has never sent me to asthmatic rattles that last a week (cats, you know who you are) or near death experiences at dude ranches (horses, I’m looking at you) but makeup has been known to puff up my eyelids til they looked like they would burst, and make my skin break out horribly.***
My makeup routine for the last umpteen years has been eyeliner, clear mascara on my eyebrows****, and a little liquid makeup to cover anything wonky. Maybe lipgloss and/or mascara if I’m feeling like doing it up. But lately, I’ve been desiring more of a “grown up” makeup routine, and I’ve really wanted some eyeshadow that wouldn’t create undue eyelid agony.*****
Exhibit A
My made-up face looks suspiciously like my non-made-up face. (Image by Golda Poretsky.)
I had my makeup done, and it felt okay. My eyes felt pretty normal. I left there feeling pretty good, and I had a Macy’s gift card burning a hole in my pocket, so I went over to Macy’s and tried on some clothes (Exhibit A). I kept looking at my eyes in the mirror, looking for signs of puffiness or itchiness. No signs appeared.I went back to the Bare Escentuals store and got their basic foundation kit, reserving judgment on the eyeshadow and some other items until the following day.
Shopping And “Shoulds”
I ended up not getting their eyeshadow, because my eyes did feel very weird the next morning, despite careful makeup removal.******
But here’s the larger issue, and the reason I’m bringing up buying makeup at the mall. I’ve been feeling like I should have more of a makeup routine. I’m in my mid-30′s, and I feel on some level that there are things I should be doing. I should be better with makeup and use it more. I’m supposed to be using moisturizer on a regular basis. I’m supposed to know what to do with eyeshadow and wear it well.*******
You’re probably thinking, “But Golda, you of all people are not supposed to worry about what you “should be doing” and doing what everyone else does! Didn’t you write blog posts on giving up the dream of being thin and letting go of the “have to’s”and fitting out rather than fitting in?! What’s all this about?”
You, blog reader, are so right! I’ve spent a lot of time working on my thinking about all of the things I’m supposed to do and be. If I really was all of the things society tells me to be, I’d be married and have kids and still be practicing law and I’d be thin.
I’m happy to tell you that I walked around that mall that day not feeling bad about my body because I couldn’t fit into the clothes at nearly every clothing store. I didn’t even think about it, except to think that there was something wrong with the stores, not with my body. The makeup thing is just a red herring!
Changing “Shoulds” Into Choices
I think it’s important to remember that most of our “shoulds” are really choices in disguise. A really small example of this is that I have found that I really like wearing mineral makeup, but it makes me sneeze if I don’t put cotton balls in my nose (Exhibit B). It is rather ridiculous that I have to do this, and there may be a point where the cotton ball thing feels ridiculous enough that I make a different choice to go back to wearing less makeup (or finding a liquid I like better or whatever).
Click to tweet this: “Many ‘shoulds’ are really choices in disguise.”
Similarly, how much we decide to fit in or fit out should be recognized as a choice too. Even if you have certain requirements (like a dress code for your job) you often can do more within the confines of those restrictions than you realize. And I find that really embracing things about you that others might find “weird” is often the key to getting more acceptance or finding that acceptance matters less than you originally thought.
Dieting fits into this category too. If you’re dieting to fit in better (and I think that dieting is often about this) realize that this is actually a choice, not a requirement. In other words, you can think about dieting and whether the benefits, if any, outweigh the negatives. Maybe, right now, it’s a bargain you’re willing to make. And that’s okay, because it’s your choice. But if the benefits aren’t stacking up, you can make the choice not to diet.
What “shoulds” of yours may be choices in disguise? Let me know in the comments section below!
Get my body love tips, and start to see your body in a whole new way!
Name:
Email:
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Registration is now open for her group program, The Big Beautiful Goddess Academy. Click here for details!
Notes
*******Those of you who are my facebook friends know that I googled “Rachel Maddow makeup tutorial” last Tuesday. :)
(Listen to this post here, or subscribe on itunes.)
Plus Sized And Allergic At The Mall (or Why Many “Shoulds” Are Choices In Disguise) originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on November 12, 2012.
November 6, 2012
Being Transparent
Some of the many signs by Rebecca Targ for Abundia
I never thought I would make it to the Abundia retreat last weekend.
I never thought LaGuardia airport would open on Thursday. I never thought my plane would be one of the first ones to leave, essentially on time and smooth as can be.
I had no clue that the Abundia women would be so kind and caring and supportive.
This past weekend I had the absolutely wonderful experience (and reminder) that you can soldier on AND be transparent about your feelings. That you can lead and teach and support all the while experiencing what you need to experience and sharing what you need to share.
One of the hardest things in the world to do is to maintain the facade of normalcy when things are not normal. I once worked with a coach who described that phenomenon as “fine disease”, where you tell everyone you’re fine but you’re as far from fine as you can be. Sometimes it’s so important to be really clear that you are not fine. Sometimes that transparency is the most beautiful thing in the world.
When you’re able to be transparent with your feelings and not hold it all in, you can actually feel things start to shift. Hope can break in through the cracks. Gratitude can seep into the moldy basement of your thoughts and begin to clear things out.
Click to tweet: “When you’re transparent w/ your feelings & don’t hold it all in, things start to shift.”
I’m so grateful that I had the space this weekend to do so many things I love, like teach about body love and HAES®, cry by the water (not the ocean, but close), and laugh with new friends. I’m grateful that my parents’ house is no longer flooded, that my sisters have been in touch via text, that my grandma’s house now has power and heat, that my friends and relatives are alive and well and safe, that FEMA exists, that the Red Cross exists, and that Occupy Sandy exists.
Do you find it hard to be transparent about your feelings? Let’s talk about it in the comments below.
Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. Her group coaching program, The Big Beautiful Goddess Academy, starts this month.
Being Transparent originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on November 6, 2012.
October 29, 2012
Not Your Typical Blog Post
Hello, my loves!
I’ve been working on so many projects that I decided to take a little break from blogging this week.
However, I think you’re going to really like my free web training on some of my most unorthodox (and powerful) body love methods!
Check it out here: http://www.bodylovewellness.com/freetraining/
xoxo,
Golda
Not Your Typical Blog Post originally appeared on Body Love Wellness (http://www.bodylovewellness.com) on October 29, 2012.
