Comfort Food for the Soul Recipe #HAWMC

Yesterday’s HAWMC topic was to share a comfort food recipe—and  we all know that I have plenty of those recipes, but I wanted to approach this topic a little differently because I struggle with emotional eating.

Food for comfort. We all do it, but it can be a dangerous road to travel if we begin to turn to food for comfort regularly instead of coping in a healthier way. It is most certainly the reason I am overweight, and it’s a difficult habit to break.

So today, I’m sharing a recipe for Comfort Food for the Soul.

Ingredients:

• Unlimited Hugs
• Handful or two of special kisses from a loved one
• 1 prayer
• 1 Walk outside to enjoy nature
• 1 Book (a good one)
• 1 Blanket (the warm and fuzzy variety works best)
• 5 of your favorite songs
• 2 cups of coffee
• Sprinkles of laughter
• As many tears as you need
• A box of tissues
• 1 journal & 1 pen
• 1 phone call to a loved one
• 3 texts to a friend
• Count your blessings and toss them in
• Smile until you feel happiness bubbling up inside

 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients as needed and rest until done.

 

What would you include in your Comfort Food for the Soul recipe?

Overcoming Challenges #HAWMC

I don’t want to repeat a lot of the things I have been talking about lately on the blog, so I thought I would just share some good Pinterest inspirations about overcoming challenges. Enjoy!

Things Remembered #HAWMC

I never got around to posting yesterday for HAWMC so I will go ahead and post two HAWMC posts today.

Today’s topic is to blog about an item I’ve kept that reminds me of a time in my life, whether good or bad. I went with the first thing that popped into my mind—the dogs pictured above.

They remind me specifically of a woman named Ethel, who was always old to me, when I was a child. These dogs always sat on a shelf in her living room. My mom did a lot of things for her like running her errands, taking her to doctor’s appointments, going shopping, picking her up for our church meetings, and just checking in on her to chat. I loved to tag along with my mom anywhere she went, so during the summers and when I wasn’t in school I would go along with them.

While my mom helped out or chatted, I remember loving to look at all of the things on her shelves while I listened to them chat. She had so many trinkets and interesting things, but I especially liked these dogs.

She would also hire me to come over and clean for her and that made me feel pretty important as a child. To this day, I cannot dust my living room without feeling guilty for not dusting the legs of my coffee table. She taught me the proper way to dust—which was to remove every single item from the surface, dust each item, and dust the table. You must not forget to dust the legs of the tables. The same concept applied for the shelves in her living room and so I dusted these dogs many a time. She was a far better housekeeper in her day than I am, that’s for sure!

Sometimes she would invite us over for a dinner that she labored hard over. She made the most delicious pies—chocolate, lemon merengue and I remember a red velvet cake before they were popular. She would have homemade rolls, jams, fresh berries and veggies from her garden, fresh canned pickles, and home style foods. Her food always tasted good.

It was from her that I learned of growing old. I remember finding a butter wrapper in a piece of pie when she got to the point where she couldn’t see well and my mom telling me not to say anything but to simply complement her on how good the pie was. There was the time she used cayenne pepper instead of cinnamon in her famous cinnamon rolls, or the time she used salt instead of sugar. I remember feeling incredibly sad in these moments.

And then she had to go to a nursing home and when we visited she wasn’t really Ethel anymore. Her mind was gone. Instead of the smell of freshly baked bread that so often filled her home, her new home smelled of stale coffee and urine—and it was heartbreaking. I remember asking her for the recipe to her chocolate pie and she told me the most absurd ingredients—so I never got that recipe, but she felt special for being asked.

I saw my mom comb and braid her hair for her and pull the whiskers from her chin so that she could maintain a sense of pride. She would lay a blanket over her shoulders for her because she was cold. She would spoon feed her broth to try to get her to eat.

And then one day, my mom asked if there was anything that I wanted from her house to remember her by—and I chose these dogs. Her family didn’t want them, so they were mine. Every time I see these dogs I am reminded of Ethel, but I am also reminded of the lessons I learned from seeing my mom take care of a friend.

World Health Day #HAWMC #highbloodpressure #postpartumdepression

Today is World Health Day and so the HAWMC writing prompt is all about health and nutrition and how that changed for me after a diagnosis.

When I began my weight loss journey back in 2008 and lost almost 90 lbs., I was inspired to do so after a high blood pressure diagnosis. My doctor scared me into making a lifestyle change when she told me that I could suffer a stroke if I didn’t change my lifestyle. I was only 23 years old.  Another doctor told me that she didn’t recommend I get pregnant because of my blood pressure. I remember feeling ashamed and discouraged after these doctor’s appointments and it took me some time to accept it and move forward, but I did.

Fast forward to 2014 when baby girl was born. Not long after she was born, I made a commitment to get healthy and lose weight again. However, no matter the program, I continued to struggle. I felt overwhelmed, anxious, irritable and exhausted. It was everything I could do to get a workout in. If I worked out, I could pretty much count on that being the only thing I did all day. It wasn’t that I didn’t try or that I didn’t want to get my life back in order—it was just that I simply could not find the energy to do so. And so instead of losing weight, I gained weight.

I spent 10 months living like this until finally realizing that the way I was feeling wasn’t normal. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with moderately severe postpartum depression. It took about 6 weeks until I had a day where I felt like myself again (just recently).

During that time, I allowed myself to stop stressing about weight loss and to spend the time resting. It wasn’t that I never went for a walk or didn’t eat healthy foods—it’s just that I didn’t stress over it. I know that the experts recommend a good diet and exercise for depression, but for me it just overwhelmed me. It was too much to think about.

But now that I have started to feel better, I have found my motivation again and I no longer feel overwhelmed and exhausted. I can workout and still have the energy to do other things to keep the house running. Last week, I started with trying to get 10,000 steps per day and this week I joined Weight Watchers. I still have days where I become exhausted and anxious again, and I accept that and allow myself to rest. When I feel better, I immediately get back to it again. I am confident that I am moving forward and that I made the right decisions in my journey.

Did you receive a diagnosis that inspired your journey to better health? Tell me about your experience.

My Hero #HAWMC

Today’s prompt:

It didn’t take me long to choose who I was going to write about for this prompt. My mom is pretty much one of the most amazing people on this earth. She has a lot of qualities that I admire and I was able to appreciate her goodness even more when she came to help out while I was in the worst of my postpartum depression.

My mom lives four hours away in another state, but she came to stay and help out during the weekdays for five weeks. I truly believe she was a very important part of my progress. She picked up the slack when I was exhausted, listened to me pour my heart out, reassured me when I broke down in tears, and cheered me up when I needed it the most. Baby girl is simply in love with her and she thoroughly enjoyed having her here too!

My mom just has a way about her. She is kind, thoughtful, generous, and always puts herself last. She is always encouraging and always pleasant to be around. She truly is a virtuous woman!

One of the things that I can appreciate most about her is that she knew how to set her children free and let them fly. She is never overbearing and nosy. Even when she stayed with us, she was always faithful in giving me and hubby our space when he got home from work—even though we didn’t expect her to do so because we enjoy her company.

In my teenage years and before I moved out of the house and got married, my mom and I were good friends. I have a lot of good memories of time spent with my mom. It was wonderful to be able to experience that again while she stayed at our place and helped us out. My mom has always been my best “girlfriend” and always will be!

I love you mom—you are my hero and I hope I can be just as gracious as you are.

The Past Five Years #HAWMC

Today’s writing prompt is breaking news all about me—my proudest accomplishments in the past five years.

1. I completed my first 5K in 2010

 

2. Earning a Bachelor’s in English Language and Literature in 2011

   

3. Taking swimming lessons with my husband and learning all of the strokes in 2012

   

4. Having my work published as a reporter for a newspaper and as a content author for a corporation in 2013

   

5. Adding this little bunny to our family in 2014

   

A lot has happened in the past five years and it’s fun to look back on the blog to see it all in pictures. I look forward to the next five years and hope that I can get my health and fitness back on track.

Habits of the Mind #HAWMC #Postpartumdepression #ppdchat

Today’s prompt is titled “Creature of Habit” and inquires about any habits that I have that are either good or bad. I do have some good habits, like drinking a big glass of water first thing in the morning. We generally think about habits as being an action, but I think that we can also form habits of the mind.

I have a really bad habit of putting myself down in my thoughts and sometimes out loud. I can’t look in the mirror without finding something about myself that I hate. I tend to think more negatively about myself than positively. Perhaps it comes from perfectionist tendencies. I have been doing this for years and it really is a habit that is hard to break—although I am confident that it can be done with a lot of hard work and mindfulness.

When you have been thinking negatively about yourself for years, you might not even realize that you are thinking negative thoughts. Habits are often done without any thought simply because they are so ingrained in your routine that you don’t even have to think about it anymore. This is the same with negative thoughts—you start doing so without even realizing it.

My negative thinking came to a head with postpartum depression. The thinking became much worse and all consuming—so much that it interfered with my day to day life. I was afraid to go outside because I felt like everyone was judging me as a bad mother and as fat and disgusting (which also made me a bad mother). I thought the neighbors saw me as a terrible mother and I wanted to close the curtains. I thought that I would never be able to get it all together and to be a good mother—I felt like I wasn’t capable. I still struggle with these things but lately they have been much less impactful since my medicine started working and I have gone to counseling.

I recently blogged about the advice my psychiatrist gave me—don’t wait for negative thoughts to arise before you practice positive self talk, practice positive self talk every day and all of the time.

I am currently working on this and it’s hard for me to do. I only see the negative things about myself. My husband helps me out and when I say something negative, he will ask me to say a few things positive about myself. It always shocks me at how long it takes me to come up with something I like about myself. When I am really struggling, he tells me things that he loves about me. It’s a good idea to ask someone close to you to help you with this endeavor.

Thinking negative thoughts becomes habit, as will thinking positive thoughts. It’s a choice you have to mindfully make.

What’s a habit that you have that is either good or bad?

Good Samaritans & Kind Words #HAWMC #postpartumdepression

Today’s writing prompt is to write about a time I benefited from the kindness of a stranger or a time when I was the one extending a helping hand as a good Samaritan.

Have I ever done something kind for a stranger? I’m sure I have, but not in a big way—just little things that every human being should do without keeping score.

The good Samaritan is unique in that he helped a stranger. I’m sure all of us try to do kind things for those whom we know and love, but reaching out to help a stranger requires another level of selflessness.

Acts of kindness by a good Samaritan don’t always need to be big acts.I believe that one can be a good Samaritan by simply giving the gift of a kind word. In some of my most overwhelmed moments as a mother with postpartum depression, strangers have said some of the kindest things to me and it encouraged me, probably more than they know.

You’re doing good, mama.

I have a grandbaby and I understand.

Why don’t you check out before me, I know standing in line with a baby is hard.

I remember specific moments when women have stopped to say something kind to me and I can’t even remember their words—but I remember how they made me feel. Some of these women offered kind words and a smile when I was almost ready to break down and cry and their kindness strengthened me. I am grateful for those moments.

I don’t know that the opportunity to help a stranger arises all that often—but we know that it does. Sometimes I have seen a stranger and felt compassion and have wanted to help or offer a kind word, but I didn’t because I have questioned whether it’s the right thing to do or not, because I didn’t know how the recipient would react, and sometimes just because I was too scared to do so. If it is safe and reasonable, I want to be more willing to extend a helping hand or offer a kind word without fear—and I think we know when these times arise.

The important thing about being a good Samaritan is that we do so without expecting a reward or any recognition for it. Is there anything more tacky than the person who does something kind for a stranger and then posts about it on Facebook? In my opinion, a good Samaritan does good things simply because it’s the right thing to do and he/she is moved by their conscience to do so—not because he/she is crafting the perfect social media post in their head while doing the kind act.

Be kind. You never know who you might strengthen.

One of the Many Keys to Happiness #HAWMC #postpartumdepression #ppdchat

I don’t think there is any one single key to happiness, but I believe there are many of them. I am choosing to write about one of the keys of which I am currently struggling to find, but that I believe would bring a greater sense of personal happiness.

Self-worth.

Struggling with postpartum depression brought me to a very low place. My counselor, and most recently a psychiatrist, told me that I need to work on loving myself and growing my confidence. And I absolutely know that they are right.

I have had a perception of low self-worth in the past, so it’s not totally new to me. I was able to change that by doing things that made me feel better about myself, specifically with diet and exercise. Those two things opened many doors for me—I lost almost 90 lbs. and gained a more positive self-image, I ran many 5Ks, I was able to shop in “normal” stores, even chronicling that journey on this blog helped me grow my self-worth.

When we learn to accept ourselves, we acquire happiness. We stop worrying about what everyone else is thinking about us and the judgments they may be making. We become confident; not in a vain way, but confident in that we are happy being ourselves.

If we value ourselves, we will do things that make us feel good about ourselves. That could mean taking the time to exercise, eating right, and forming healthy habits. It could also mean wearing clothes that make us feel good, getting a pedicure, getting a massage, reading a good book, or taking the time to do something that we love to do. Maybe we put everyone else before ourselves most of the time and end up neglecting ourselves. To value ourselves, we have to learn that it’s ok (and healthy) to take time “me” time.

Both my counselor and the psychiatrist have told me that I need to practice positive self talk. I explained to the psychiatrist that I have been working on that but this weekend, I realized hours later that I had been thinking negative thoughts—at the time, I didn’t even realize I was doing it, but it was affecting me and my husband could tell something was wrong even though I didn’t know what was wrong. And what she told me was helpful.

Don’t wait for negative thoughts to come to practice positive self talk. Positive self talk is something that can be done all of the time, especially if you’re in a place like I am—struggling with self-worth, especially as a result of postpartum depression. Think positively about yourself throughout the day.

I am a great mom. I am talented. I look good in this outfit. I am making great strides in becoming more active by taking this walk. I am pretty. I am a wonderful wife. I am smart. I am thoughtful.

Hit up the comments with something positive about yourself!