• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Whole Smiths
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Recipes
    • Cooking Method
      • 5 Ingredients or Less
      • 30 Minutes or Less
      • Easy-to-Make
      • Instant Pot
      • Make Ahead, Keep on Hand
      • One Dish, Pan, Pot or Sheet Pan
      • Weekend Living
    • Dietary Guidelines
      • Dairy-Free
      • Gluten-Free
      • Grain-Free
      • Paleo
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Whole30
    • Meal Type
      • Breakfast + Brunch
      • Dinner
      • Lunch
      • Soups, Stews, + Chilis Too
      • Vegetables, Sides + Salads
      • Smoothies + Beverages
      • Dessert
      • Snacks + Appetizers
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Good Food Cookbook
    • Real Food Every Day
  • Podcast
  • About
    • Meet Michelle
    • Food Philosophy
    • Michelle This Month
  • Resources
    • Discounts
    • Shop
    • Cooking Staples
    • Better Beauty
  • Contact
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
The Whole Smiths

The Whole Smiths

Whole Eating + Happy Living

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Recipes
    • Cooking Method
      • 5 Ingredients or Less
      • 30 Minutes or Less
      • Easy-to-Make
      • Instant Pot
      • Make Ahead, Keep on Hand
      • One Dish, Pan, Pot or Sheet Pan
      • Weekend Living
    • Dietary Guidelines
      • Dairy-Free
      • Gluten-Free
      • Grain-Free
      • Paleo
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Whole30
    • Meal Type
      • Breakfast + Brunch
      • Dinner
      • Lunch
      • Soups, Stews, + Chilis Too
      • Vegetables, Sides + Salads
      • Smoothies + Beverages
      • Dessert
      • Snacks + Appetizers
  • COOKBOOKS
    • Good Food Cookbook
    • Real Food Every Day
  • Podcast
  • About
    • Meet Michelle
    • Food Philosophy
    • Michelle This Month
  • Resources
    • Discounts
    • Shop
    • Cooking Staples
    • Better Beauty
  • Contact
    • Work with Me
    • Contact

Michelle This Month – September 2020

It seems like before we knew it summer has come and gone. In it’s wake we still have high temperatures but it’s not lost on me that the days of sun and popsicles are soon to be replaced with turning leaves and everything pumpkin spice. 

If I’m being honest, I have mixed emotions as I look back on these last three months. While I have nothing but gratitude for the warm days we were able to enjoy playing in our pool and work on our tan those days were also marred with the days of heightened emotions, stress, smoke, grief and other less than desired feelings. I guess you could say that’s been pretty on par for 2020 at this point. 

2020 has tested us all.

As someone who tends to thrive in stability and predictability, it’s been a rough go. I used to believe admitting things were hard was a sign of defeat. I’ve come to realize that vulnerability is an asset. It means your ego has moved out of the way and you can have a clear picture of what is in front of you. In truth, admitting things are hard helps you grow.  Growth happens through awareness and adversity.

It takes a stronger person to drop the (fake) smile, say things are hard, ask for help and grow than it does to continue to post happy, happy, happy photos all over social media and judge those that are struggling. You have to acknowledge the muck to be able to move through it. If you cannot identify a problem, you will never move and grow from that problem. It’s like, the law of humans or something. 😉

It’s not a pain competition. 

We need to make room in society to let people have their struggles. One’s struggles will be unique to them depending on their life experiences, support system and capacities. It is not our place to judge. We cannot deem one’s struggle worthy or not based on our own rubric and life experiences. We’re all in agreement that we need a stronger mental health system available but in that same breath, I see a pattern of invalidating another’s struggles by proclaiming them to come from a place of unimportance, privilege or ignorance. 

While those components obviously exist in our society, the truth is the vast majority of people still live in a situation that we are not immune from the struggles of being human. It’s not our place to judge another human struggle against our own. That doesn’t create a space for mental health support to do so. You have to understand, it is not a pain competition.

You cannot say you support mental health if you are in the next breath invalidating another’s.

Another’s struggle does not take away from your own or make yours better. 

Now that we’ve acknowledged we all have a wide array of human struggle we deal with on a daily basis (that has obviously been exacerbated in 2020), where do we go from here? 

Don’t get stuck in the muck.

We cannot get stuck in the muck. Whatever you do, do not get stuck in the muck. The longer you are in the muck, the harder it is to get out of. The quicker you realize where you are in that muck, the easier it will be to emerge from it. 

The first step is of brutal honesty. Confronting where is it you are struggling, accepting your struggle is not bigger, better nor harder than others (although it may be, its irrelevant to your own situation) and identifying where the change needs to be implemented and grow from those changes. 

Personally for me I have been struggling with “doing it all”. I do not have the capacity to be a full-time mom, part-time teacher, full time business owner, starting a new business, stay fit, cook healthy meals and maintain a home that doesn’t look like a tornado hit while we are all home, working, eating, sleeping, schooling etc. from it.

Human design doesn’t account for this level of persistent stress.

I, as a human, was not designed for all of this. None of us were. Add to that, our instant access to the woes of the world, the ability for anyone to reach us at any time and we’ve all become increasingly susceptible to the external chaos around us. It’s why so many people are struggling with anxiety, depression, etc. 

So what to do? We’ve acknowledged what’s broken but now it’s time to implement actual change that will make an impact. For me personally, I need to tighten my world up a bit and pare things down to a manageable level. Not just in what I am able to accomplish in any one day but from a communications perspective as well. Meals need to be simpler, systems need to be put in place to manage work and my schedule needs to be rearranged to facilitate my new role as teach and distance learning aficionado. I can’t be on email, social media and text all day and need to slot that into a specific time. Setting boundaries within that are key. Identify your non-negotiables and stick with it.

Pick two things right now you can implement and commit to it. 

It takes a bit of discipline to make those changes and set those boundaries. It will feel strange and take a bit of effort in the beginning but it will take place. In truth it takes strength. Mental resiliency needs to be part of health and wellness for all of us. That’s not exactly the “fun” Instagrammable moments of health but it exists and we all need to address it.

Acknowledge, implement and discipline. 

So cheers to what I hope will feel like a lighter season this Fall. May me make the space in our life to accommodate for the outside stresses we cannot control. 

0 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
Previous Post: « Cauliflower Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese
Next Post: Chili Lime Watermelon Salad »
Note: I only work with companies and products that I feel passionately about and that align with the Whole Smiths’ views and that this post contains sponsored content. While I am compensated for the work I do, my opinions and bad jokes are always 100% my own.

you might also like

  • Michelle This Month - August 2020
  • pineapple broccoli slaw
  • Hello world!
  • Heirloom Tomato Salad
Real Food Every Day Book

available now

my new cookbook

  • 100 simple recipes designed to keep things easy in the kitchen
  • Health and wholesome, family-friendly recipes labeled for your dietary needs
  • Chapters such as 30-Minute Meals, 5-Ingrediends or Less and Meal Prepping

take a peek

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

available now

my new cookbook

Real Food Every Day Booktake a peek

welcome!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet, I’m Michelle and welcome to the Whole Smiths. These days I’m a mother to two smiley girls, a happy wife to one fantastic dude and we live in the San Francisco Bay Area.

don’t miss a recipe!

Keep your kitchen tasty with a new recipe delivered to your inbox each week as well as our latest cooking tips, event information and favorite food finds.

REAL FOOD FOR REAL PEOPLE.

don’t miss a recipe!

Keep your kitchen tasty with a new recipe delivered to your inbox each week as well as our latest cooking tips, event information and favorite food finds.

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
These Lemon Pepper + Parmesan Brussels with Caper These Lemon Pepper + Parmesan Brussels with Caper Aioli are one of the December recipes ready for you! Fancy enough for Christmas dinner, easy enough for a Wednesday evening. Bada bing, bada boom.Grab the recipe at the link in my profile. ✨
GF Egg Nog Sheet Pan PANCAKES! Sneak peek at jus GF Egg Nog Sheet Pan PANCAKES! Sneak peek at just one of the recipes coming to you next month.Can I suggest these may be *the* perfect Christmas morning breakfast? No flipping, no batches, no time at all! Not to mention, NO COLD PANCAKES WHILE YOU WAIT FOR THE OTHERS TO COOK! 😳Join us at the link in my profile to get the recipe.
#thankful 📸: @angelaspillerphotography 🤍 #thankful📸: @angelaspillerphotography 🤍
Regular sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving? BO-RING! Regular sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving? BO-RING!CHAI SPICED Sweet Potatoes?? Way cooler.Seriously, chai anything just sounds way cooler than plain anything. Not to mention obviously tastier too. Recipe on www.TheWholeSmiths.com, use the search bar to search “chai sweet potatoes”.
I love these guys so much. That’s it. That’s t I love these guys so much. That’s it. That’s the post. #sundaysnuggles
Obsessed. Let’s talk...🛌🥱 In early 2020 I Obsessed. Let’s talk...🛌🥱In early 2020 I polled my audience because we were on the hunt for a new mattress. You overwhelmingly recommended @avocadogreenbrands. And then we all got locked down and I put our mattress hunt on hold. I bought a cheapie mattress online instead since we couldn’t try things out and none of us had any clue what was happening. Big mistake. HUGE. It was the worst mattress ever. So earlier this year we decided it was time to get a PROPER GROWN UP MATTRESS and went with @avocadogreenbrands.I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous about ordering online and not being able to “test” it in person. I’m here to tell you it’s one of the best things in my life. It is THE MOST comfortable mattress I have ever laid my pretty little face on. And Brad agrees.Not to mention is green and environmentally friendly.Legit, slipping into bed at night feels like a hug from heaven and I can’t even handle it. I told Brad that, God forbid, we ever divorce I’m taking the mattress with me. So, if you are on the hunt go with @avocadogreenbrands. We went with the Avocado Green mattress with pillow top. And I just looked and they’re having an early cyber/Black Friday Sale. Anyways. Obsessed and eagerly awaiting my next nap. ✌🏼
Gluten-Free Cranberry Bars Personally, one of my Gluten-Free Cranberry BarsPersonally, one of my fave desserts ever is pumpkin pie. I wish it was a year ‘round thing. BUT! If you aren’t pumpkin crazy, not into pies and need something DIFFERENT to bring to Thanksgiving this year, let it be this. Think a lemon bars more festive friend. In fact, it’s great for a Christmas too. It’s available now to my community a the link in my bio. ❤️

© 2023 · The Whole Smith · Privacy Policy · Website Design by Anchored Design