*Just to let you know… There’s a discount code for you! Also, this post is sponsored by two of my favorite companies – prAna and Stonyfield. All opinions are my own.*
My younger dancing days.
One of the positives to aging and becoming officially “over the hill” is the fact that I have been able to embrace the whole me much more each year. As a young twenty-something, I constantly saw the flaws in myself and rarely appreciated myself for who I was and who I was becoming. Nearly 20 years later, I see my grey hairs, wrinkles and soft belly as signs of a well-lived life.
I’ve been striving to love and appreciate every part of me and that has made this an interesting year thus far. I’ve realized that I probably put my foot in my mouth more often, but I’ve become quicker in admitting my mistake and apologizing. I’m not so ashamed or embarrassed to own it and take responsibility – I’ve definitely allowed myself to be a flawed, but authentic person who is still learning.
Part of my learning process has led me to discover these three ways that I can be the whole me. I hope it will help you be #TheWholeYou, too!
pc: Stonyfield yogurt
1. Eating right. Those late nights of eating ramen, buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks during college are long gone. I’ve noticed that when I haven’t been as mindful about my eating, I don’t feel so great and my body feels all out of sorts. Every once in a while, I still have my burgers and buffalo wings. Now, when I make anything with sour cream or want to have a dipping sauce, I use plain Greek yogurt. Stonyfield has a great whole milk Greek yogurt and when I want a little bit of sweetness, I choose their strawberry (my favorite) whole milk Greek yogurt. It’s a nice boost for my body on those busy days that I feel I don’t always make the best choices in what I eat.
pc: prAna The versatile prAna cali dress is prepared to take advantage of a spring day.
2. Looking good. Sounds vain, doesn’t it? I’ve recently realized that I tend to put myself last on the list – for haircuts, scheduling doctor appointments, buying new socks, etc. When I came to that realization, I asked myself why. Was it because I didn’t feel worthy of it? If I did things to look good, would people think I was being selfish? As a mother, I have internally embraced self-sacrifice as my burden to bear. Parents are always sacrificing, but I really felt that, as a mom, I should be the one doing most of that sacrificing. I felt guilty for getting my eyebrows threaded, buying that lip gloss, going for haircuts every six weeks and buying clothes for myself. I didn’t feel like I deserved to have anything that was a part of taking care of myself as an individual person. But embracing the whole me meant that I had to embrace ALL of me. Not just the mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend part of me, but also the individual me. Part of that is looking good – not for others, but for myself. I want to see my beauty and if getting my hair cut and eyebrows threaded helps me to do that, then I should do it! And my body isn’t the same as it used to be, but I want to look good in my clothes because it helps me to feel confident, too. I am grateful for brands like prAna who make clothes that look good and are super comfortable.
By the way, I want you to look good, too. Use this discount code for 15% off anything at prAna: WHOLES17TNH. I just got the Cali dress and can’t wait to wear it when it gets a little warmer in Boston. Go! Treat yourself!
3. Try something new. See that picture of me in my tap dance recital outfit? I just found that picture while cleaning and packing up my parents’ house. I forgot that I used to have dance moves. So, I’m going to look into taking a dance class and trying something new – again. There are so many layers to us and sometimes, we forget to nurture and coax out all those undiscovered layers. I get scared to do anything new or even try a new food or new restaurant because I like being comfortable and going with what I know. Sometimes, though, when I do try something new, I discover something new about myself. I add to my experiences that remind me of who I am and all the different roles I embrace. What new thing will you try? Share with me and maybe we can try it together!
Let me know how you embrace #TheWholeYou and also what you decide to get for yourself at prAna! I can’t wait!
