Hello lovely humans! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted anything. Exactly a month actually. Definitely not my intention–there’s been a few hiccups. For starters, I had to move. And then unpack. And then grumpily stare at boxes hoping they’d unpack themselves while I sip on wine. (They didn’t.) And then my computer broke, and wouldn’t turn on, and I grumpily stared at it hoping it would turn itself back on. (It didn’t). And then I wanted to have a life–there’s no grumpiness there, that part has been wonderful.
My point is, life got in the way. It’s fully my intention to come back and post fun and healthy recipes. But since I’m going through some really major life changes, I thought I’d share a few things that I’ve learned, because to be honest, I haven’t really thought much about creating recipes. I’ve had so many other things on my mind, because I’m human and complex and have feelings. In the last year, I’ve discovered a lot about myself, how I operate, what I want from life. These realizations have brought on a lot of changes–namely a breakup, a move, and a lot of introspection. In fact, I’ve had to reevaluate a lot of my assumptions on love, relationships and my core values. It’s been exciting and terrifying, and I’ve learnt some things that I thought might be worth sharing!
How To Deal With Big Life Changes
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It’s Okay To Let Shit Slide.
This one was a hard one for me. I like to have a lot on the go and I’m constantly juggling different projects. Going through a major life shift means that in order to avoid burnout, I’ve had to let a lot of things slide. I’ve had to say no to projects, I’ve had to reschedule deadlines. And it sucks. But sometimes life gets in the way, and it gets messy and hard, and you have to be flexible. It might mean disappointing people, or disappointing yourself. But you know? I think it’s okay–it’s temporary. Try your best.
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Go Easy On Yourself.
In a similar vein, be kind with yourself. You’re allowed to hurt and feel sad. Or maybe feel happy and relieved. You’re allowed to take time to process or jump into the next thing. I really don’t think there’s a right way to handle new things. Go with what feels good, and try not to hurt other people in the process.
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Love Isn’t Just Romantic.
This has been a huge thing I’ve learned over the last year. We put a lot of emphasis on romantic relationships–they tend to be what define us. “When are you getting married?” “Do you live together?”. We put a lot of pressure on people to find The One. “Oh, you’re single? Don’t worry you’ll meet someone!”. As a society we put a lot of emphasis on romantic love, but it isn’t the only love. And I truly don’t believe that any one person can complete you or make you whole or happy. You need a network of loving humans in your life–of good friends and family.
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You Need A Support System.
Which brings me to my next point: you need a support system. Whether it’s someone to cry to, watch movies with, drink too much wine with or go to the gym with, you need those people in your life to help you get through it. I have been so lucky to have amazing friends and family that keep in touch daily or listening to me cry about something yet again. Friends that immediately take my side and defend my choices, and friends that challenge me and ask me to think more critically. And we need that. And it’s not just about them being there for you. When I’m feeling anxious or feeling like I don’t know my place, it helps to help someone else. It makes me feel like I’m equally part of this support system.
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Healthy Isn’t Just What You Eat.
While I’d love to say throughout this whole thing that I managed to keep up with meal prepping and working out, that would definitely not be true. And that’s totally cool. It’s been an intense time period, and taking care of my health has looked radically different. For me, it’s meant being around friends and family. It’s meant getting out of the house. It’s meant having fun. It’s meant writing out my feelings in my diary. And not checking my social media. Getting my hair done. Having a (gluten-free) cupcake. Healthy is so much more than eating kale salads.
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..But Make Sure To Take Care Of Yourself.
With all that said, it’s also been really important to me that I do eat healthy for the most part, and avoid eating a lot of processed foods. For me, that’s looked a lot like ordering healthy items off of ubereats, or going to a friends house for dinner. And while I haven’t been able to work out as much as I’d like, I still try to do a 20 minute workout at home a couple times a week, or use my Classpass. Part of taking care of yourself also means looking at your life and figuring out what you want from it. What do you hope to gain from these major life changes? What good can come out of it?
That’s all for now! I hope to back to regular posting soon, but in the meantime I’m embracing this downtime and this new chapter of my life.
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