MEG BONHOMME

Hey there, Lovely Humans!

This week, a one-liner from my acupuncturist had me raising my eyebrows and giving the mirror some serious side-eye. As she placed the needles in, she mentioned that the placement of these particular ones might stir up some emotions. Then she dropped this wisdom bomb:

"Don't go looking for stories or make any up."

Boom. That one hit me square in the chest.

How many times do we go searching for explanations for how we feel? How often do we dive headfirst into the WHYs—why am I upset, why am I thinking this, why do I feel this way? For me, it’s... well, too many times to count.

A Self-Care Tip for the Week

Let’s pause this spiral of storytelling together, okay? Here's what I tryyyyy (key word) to do instead:

1. Pause and Breathe
   Whenever that urge to create a narrative pops up, just breathe. A slow inhale to fill yourself with calm, and a steady exhale to release the tension. That’s it. Just breathe.

2. Observe Without Judgment
   Notice your emotions witho

   ...

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about how 2020 has brought us closer together with this sense of “we are all in it togetherness.” Still, it’s been a lonely few months with physical and social distancing (and so much uncertainty and pivoting) as we individually and collectively navigate as best we can, trying to connect to ourselves and each other to keep moving forward.

It’s no surprise that it’s been heavy the last few months. Last week I had a moment of fear, dread, overwhelm and a corresponding WHY AM I FEELING LIKE THIS mood. 

I could feel a spiral coming and my initial reaction was I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS (lol do we ever?!).

So, I asked myself what I needed to feel better, to feel safe, and to feel loved. (If you’re anything like me, you like that reassurance and validation to come from OUTSIDE. I’ve been working on going INSIDE.) My inner response: RELEASE. 🍃

So, I put on a sad music playlist, got my yoga mat and bolster out, cried, yoga-ed, and wrote. This isn...

Since I was a kid and have always loved words (#englishprof).  Writing was a source of outlet for me since I was really young. I used to rewrite animal fun facts, provide written commentary on characters I read in books, and make up stories of lonely kids and dogs finding each other. Clearly I wasn’t the most fun child to have a play date with lol

Writing back then was a way for me to do something with my weird and often wild imagination. Writing took me to places deep within and far outside myself. As I got older, I realized I had ideas and feelings that I didn't know what to do with. Many times, writing was what saved me.💕

It was a way for me to feel less alone and to look inside for the answers rather than be confused by what advice was being offered around me.

To this day, I use journaling to see my feelings on the page and move the heaviness (or inspiration!) inside so that I can focus on better feelings.✨

I’ve truly seen the power of repeated writing (we’re t...

Ever feel the pangs of guilt when you close your laptop lid to go for a midday walk? The shame in soaking in a bubble bath and journaling while your email inbox notifications ping?

You are not alone!💕

There were so many times when I pushed through and ignored my own needs, thinking that hustling and bustling was the way to go. 

When things got overwhelming or busy, instead of slowing down, my self care was the first to go. 

☕️ More coffee for the late nights. 

🍔 More take out food as I rushed between meetings. 

This was the pattern until it wasn’t; burnout caused me to hit rock bottom, and I had to do things differently. 

So, if you’re in the same boat, I’ve got a few tips on how to never skip your self care again. 👇

🥇First thing’s first, you need to know:

• You are deserving of it. Yep, if you’ve been waiting for permission to light a candle and just jump into the bath, I’m giving it to you right now. You were born worthy of taking care of yourse...

I’m about to blow the self care social media paradigm right open. 

You ready?

Self care is not just bubble baths and face masks.🤯

Let me explain a little more… When I talk about self care, I really mean two things: fluffy self care and icky self care. 

🛁 Fluffy self care is a lot of the socially known self care: things like pedicures, massages, pouring bath salts in overflowing tubs…

🏆 Icky self care, on the other hand, is all the stuff that actually supports us and our wellbeing on a deep, soul level, but isn’t what we typically want to do. This includes looking at financials, setting boundaries, having hard conversations, reflecting and healing trauma, taking responsibility for parenting ourselves…

[Get your Recipe For Self-Care NOW ➡️ click here ]

Being the (self proclaimed) Self Care Queen, I’d like to think I lean into both equally (although history would show I tend to dive into icky self care more often--I’m a sucker for personal development!). 

 ...

There was a time when I was living from my bank account’s overdraft. Okay, living might not be the right term...surviving feels more accurate. Honestly, this was the scenario: I’d get paid on a Thursday and be in the minus by Friday. I was stretching every last dollar, racking up credit cards, and not knowing if I’d have to ask for a handout from family. 🤦🏼‍♀️

[Get your Recipe For Self-Care NOW ➡️ click here]

It was not fun. It felt really heavy. And I was really embarrassed about it. 

I was in that spot of lack, hopelessness, and wanting more until I realized I had more power over my situation than I thought. 

Enter money mindset! 🤑

After reading a few books, listening to a few podcasts, and getting clear on my budget, I realized that there were things I could do to improve my relationship to money. In Lovely Human School, I teach an entire module about stepping into our fortune and living an abundant life, but I’m going to spill a few secrets here that y...

As someone who goes nonstop most days from 5am to 9 or 10pm, I know how crucial it is to use every moment and get things checked off that ta-da list! But how often do you find yourself staring at your screen, forgetting what you were working on? Or flipping from instagram to facebook to email back and forth without actually completing a task?

Yep, been there! 🤦🏼‍♀️

I’ve read books from all the productivity gurus, taken courses from some of the best experts, and, still, I catch myself with my eyes wandering and my inbox growing. 

That is until I started using my ✨ Self Care Framework✨ to hone in on what makes sense: mindfulness as a means to productivity. 

The Framework has helped me to manage working a 9-5 job and building my self care empire without sacrificing sleep or sanity. The key is that mindfulness--the BEING not the DOING--is imperative to long term fulfilment and productivity since it creates space to have more quality work time and use--not lose--moments.

Don’t you just love those big lessons? Or the fact that you THINK you’ve triumphed over a bad habit…until, of course, something comes up and you realize the threads you thought you had all pulled suddenly lead to a tangle?

A recent incident at work had me spinning my wheels and pulling at threads that I thought had already been pulled and recycled.

The story:

I returned from a meeting with steam coming from my ears.  How could they have put this on me? Why was I blamed for someone else’s mistake? Did they all just throw me under the bus?

There was a moment where I could have just brushed off the feelings of shame and being wronged–and done one of those sly shoulder shrugs that signal, “pfff, no big D.” Yea, I could have…but I didn’t. Instead, I spiralled. Oh yea girl, I sure did. You ready for the story? Bring on the #realtalk.

Despite confidently knowing the hilarity of what had just happened at the meeting—and knowing I had truly done nothing wrong–I consciously decided to make ...