I skipped the final session and snuck away for a walk around the complex and some alone time. Though anxious thoughts riddled me for days before this retreat, it was almost time to go home and I hadn't yet experienced the solitude I craved. It's been a difficult ten...
Christian Living
Can Tiredness Affect Your Body Image? The Rest and Body Image Connection
Sputter. Sputter. Sputter. That's weird. My car's never made that sound before. I pressed the gas pedal a little harder, but it seemed to do nothing. The car bucked twice before sputtering to a stop. I pushed that pedal with all my might, one more time. Nothing. I was...
Body Image and Media: Is a Silent Killer Hiding at Your Salon
"I'll never get a pedicure again." That's what I exclaimed the first time I watched an evening news show's segment featuring women who had their feet amputated after a cuticle scrub with an unsterilized tool. Gross. But, in my twenty years or so of frequenting salons,...
Should You Keep Trying to Be Your Ideal Self?
From the other room I hear my children open and close the fridge door and shuffle through cardboard boxes in the pantry. They're hungry. Again. (It's been like a whole half-hour since they ate.) As they grab for another granola bar, I put another check mark on my...
Success Stories and My Story
In the fitness world we refer to the story of how someone went from being unhealthy, overweight or out of shape to healthy and fit as a "success story." In the church we also have a success story equivalent. We refer to how someone has changed their life spiritually...
Practical Strategies for Handling Body Image Flare Ups
The "Questions" series continues today with this great, and practical, question: Dear Heather: What are some practical strategies for handling body image flare ups -- like when you are struggling in the dressing room, or at an event where you feel suddenly...
What He Taught Me About Making Progress
I'm usually in a hurry. My motto, "Why do things slow when you could rush through them and move on to the next thing?" I'm quite certain the problem is more than just impatience. The case of "in-a-hurry-itis" that I possess should get some sort of clinical diagnosis...
When You Feel Out of Control With Body Image Issues
Technology makes me scream. Yesterday I published a new post, made a few changes to my website and, Presto, it vanished from cyberspace without a trace. Not the post. The whole website. Fabulous. And, the best part was--there was literally nothing I could do about it....
Can Average Be Awesome?
My son tested in the top 5 percent of his kindergarten class. I knew we had a child genius on our hands. I mean, how many children transcribe the Star Wars dictionary, letter for letter, meticulously writing words he couldn't even read-- like "droid" and Jabba the...
Looking Hot Versus Modesty: A Letter to a Young Woman
My Dear Girl: Where did the time go? I just saw your picture on Facebook and could hardly believe how grown up you look. You are not that precocious five-year-old girl to whom I used to sing the Dora the Explorer song. You are technically an adult now. Wow! But, as I...