Wow, my homies. It’s December. Mid December. We made it through a year that simultaneously somehow crawled and sped by at the same time. It’s been a huge one for me. Lots of growth, change and throughout the hard times, some pleasant surprises along the way. It’s felt like a year that has both stifled me (or was it me that stifled myself) in some ways but also a year that has seen me expand. Take up more space, give myself permission to be everything I am less apologetically. That’s my 2022 – full of contradictions! Anyway, it’s a time of year when everyone gets their festive vibe on and…
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What’s in a name…on the internet?
Back in the day (when blogging first became a thing), I used to write under pseudonyms. Then I wrote under a very simple but popular/common nickname of ‘Kez’ (it is also what a lot of my friends call me). I’ve always been protective of my real life. Being online can carry with it some risk. You’re putting yourself out there for anyone in the world to see. People who will like you. People who won’t. People who are good and people who are not. However, I have written professionally under my full married name too. On Facebook I recently removed my surname from my profile. I was in a lot…
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Taking Stock: May 2022
It’s been a while since I’ve written anything here. Or anything much at all. I’ve dabbled on Medium, but honestly I’ve lost a bit of mojo. Life has been crazy and sometimes it’s not shareable stuff. But I miss writing. I miss the creative side of my brain. So here I am. Trying. With some help from Meet Me at Mike’s. Basically, it’s a bunch of prompts to help me capture a moment in time. Making: the most of some quiet time to write (and just as I typed that the Little Miss must have used her spidey senses to realise I just jinxed myself and has approached me –…
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What I’ve learned about healthy habits + me.
I have blogged about my efforts in being physically healthy (and hopefully mentally healthier too) many times. There have been many incarnations of Healthy Kez over the years (you just have to click on the tag Kez Gets Physical to see what I mean)! I have learned a lot about loving myself and accepting my body in all its different sizes and states of health. I have tried to figure out what foods work best for weight loss (during a time when I probably placed too much emphasis on it). I have owned a treadmill, tried the C25K running app (couch to 5km), joined a gym, worked out with YouTube…
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Reflecting on 2020.
I’ve been wanting to write about 2020. A year in review. A wrap up of the year that was. Some reflections. It’s hard! I mean, how do you talk about a year that felt like a decade’s worth of stuff was squished into it? It’s definitely been a unique year and one we will never forget (even if we wanted to). It is one of those years that will go down in history. Our grandchildren will be learning about it. I cannot begin to imagine what that will be like for them (they might be bored of our old people stories about the time we couldn’t get toilet paper). So…
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My relationship with food.
I have written about my body image before, but this time I want to focus on my relationship with food. I posted this on Instagram just after a family holiday, recently… I decided that when we got home from our holiday, I would use the momentum created while we were away to improve my relationship with food. I had realised not long before we went away that I was using it as self harm. I mean, OOF. I know, right? I know Instagram influencer types will call food with a bit of sugar or salt in it poison or liken it to self harm (don’t get me started), but that’s…
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Surviving self isolation: circuit breakers.
I have tried to resist doing an ‘advice’ style blog post on getting through these ‘iso’ days because I feel like there’s a lot of this shit out there. But I just wanted to share something that has not just helped in the pre-isolation days (BC – Before Coronavirus) but is now helping me/my family a bit during these trying times! By no means am I saying it will fix everything, make you feel 100% better or suddenly transform your family home into a perfect oasis (ha!) but it’s something that I often have to remind myself to try when I’m feeling bogged down or frustrated or stressed by everything…
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Things I want to remember when this is over.
This has been a hugely shocking and disruptive time for all of us. We will never forget it and it will be written into history as a significant world event. While it feels relentless and never ending right now, with even the most privileged and stable of us feeling uneasy and like nothing is guaranteed, one day all of this will be over (thank goodness) and I really hope that there are some things I will remember (besides the facts that I will embellish for my grandchildren haha). What’s really important. I am privileged enough to be able to say that it won’t be money. I’m not saying it’s not…
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It’s OK to be tired.
Occasionally since the COVID-19 crisis began to really escalate, I found myself feeling really unmotivated and exhausted throughout the day. I felt frustrated that I was experiencing such a big energy and mood slump. While there was some residual stuff that contributed to this from BC (Before Corona), I probably was a little hard on myself. It wasn’t really until last weekend when my husband went out and did the grocery shopping for us, my elderly grandparents and his own parents (over 70) that I completely realised just how draining all of this really is. He had come home and about an hour after packing our own groceries away he…
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A scared new world.
What a time to be alive, right? It’s a lot to process, this COVID-19 stuff. I certainly don’t have a handle on it all right now, but I’ve told myself that’s OK. As an over thinker, I need to just accept things for what they are. Feel how I feel and not constantly be trying to make sense of it. In saying that, I definitely take it all seriously. I want not only what’s best for the health of my family, but for everyone out there who may be vulnerable. This is not a time to be selfish. I stay as educated as I can on the facts (and not…