Mental Health Awareness

Posted on by JC Rizk

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart and soul. May is Mental Health Awareness month, which fits me perfectly. My Master’s degree is in School Counseling and mental health is something I am truly passionate about; I believe that everyone should speak with a therapist/counselor at some point {yes, even if nothing is ‘wrong’} to gain a better sense of self. I could speak about it forever, but I will hop down from my soap box to discuss self care. If you want to gather more information about mental health awareness or counseling, please comment below or message me — I would be happy to talk privately to anyone interested!

Something I learned from therapy, and understanding mental health better, is that self care is critical to all of us. I cannot be the best mother, wife, friend, human, if I do not take care of myself. For me, as you know, self care comes under the guise of reading, yoga, writing, meditating, organizing, and cooking, to name a few. Recently, my self care really is seen through my reading; I’ve been enjoying so many new books and actually just listened to my first audio book this past week. I’ll review the book more thoroughly in a later post — book club is tomorrow and I wouldn’t want to give anything away — but the whole audio book experience was astounding! I was able to finish laundry, dishes, food prep… all while enjoying a book! Only took me two days to finish it too, listening during the kids’ nap time and in the evenings. This means that I may be able to continue reading, even during my especially busy weeks! I am floored! Now I want to know about all the amazing audio books out there — which audio books do you recommend?

Even though my reading game is strong lately, I’ve let go of meditating and yoga, which I really want to get back into, along with running. I used to run a lot before kids and I would like to get back into it; I am still searching for a decently priced double jogging stroller — wish me luck with that! Lately, I’ve been doing a little calming, self awareness routine with Bird before bed, because she’s started to have meltdowns when we leave the room. We play some zen music and we practice a breathing meditation {only about a minute long since she’s two years old}. I think she gets so excited about her day that it takes her longer to settle into sleep mode, despite her exhaustion. It’s been working well this past week, and it’s encouraging me to do more with her during the day, and maybe it will help the tantrums and meltdowns that come — also, it will help to calm mama down, which will make quite the difference, I think! My goal this week is to meditate more with Bird throughout the day — Lulu too — and to do some yoga in the morning. The other day in her crib, I put on the zen music, which she associates with yoga, and she did a modified tree pose… on her own! We haven’t practiced yoga together since Utah — I was stunned — and then immediately felt guilty that I stopped practicing with her. To rectify that situation, my plan is to start practicing and I’ll put out an extra mat, where she can practice what she wants. Although I love a long practice, I’ll probably start with just a ten or fifteen minute routine first; very exciting!

Today, I also tended to my self care by finally tending to my garden. Still a minimalist container garden this year — I don’t have the time or energy for a full vegetable garden — I chose my favorite herbs, including: lavender, basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, spearmint, and chives. Heading to the farmer’s market in the morning to see if I can find sweet mint and rosemary. The only veggies we are planting this year are two grape tomato plants — I bought two because last year Bird ate all of our cherry tomatoes and I am positive Lulu will enjoy them just as much — and a jalapeño plant. Sometimes I get overzealous with my gardening and plant a ton of herbs and veggies only to waste them and that makes me sad. I think I planted the perfect amount of herbs to cook with and also to dry for cooking, tea, and infusing water. I am excited for the herb garden, yoga, and getting back into a healthy self care routine.

How are you going to care for yourself this month? This week? Today? Take care and enjoy!

Yoga and Emotions

Posted on by JC Rizk

Namaste//


The divine within me honors the divine in you.

I absolutely love this word. I hear it at the end of every yoga class and I think it is profound and moving. Essentially, namaste means that we are all equal — I see, and honor, the light and divinity within you, with all the light and divinity within me. It truly fills me with happiness and a feeling of acceptance, which, let’s be honest, is what yoga is all about – accepting yourself exactly how you are throughout the practice, and life.

Love this yoga mat by Gaiam!

I think I found my favorite yoga classes at Cradle Your Soul and they couldn’t be more different! After trying out a bunch of classes, I am now going to the Sunday Vinyasa Flow class, which is challenging, nonstop, and helps unite breath with movements. In addition, I tried a new class today and plan to go weekly for the rest of the month, called Living Lighter Yoga, which is all about slow movements, taking your time in the discomfort of certain positions, and allowing your body to breathe through the pain to find a natural release. The idea being that when we are upset, instead of hiding our feelings away, we can sit in them and work through them, allowing our body to release them naturally rather than holding emotions hostage.

This really resonated with me this week especially as my hubby and I work with our daughter on her tantrums and meltdowns. For a while we would try and calm her down, but the more I read and the more we discussed, we realized we want her to understand a healthy range of emotions and to work through it, knowing that we are here to support her and comfort her with hugs and kisses when she is ready. Is it loud? Yes. Is it sometimes frustrating because we are trying to do something fun and she freaks out because she’s overwhelmed, confused, or unsure? Definitely. That being said, letting her take some alone time to cry it out, or scream, really seems to help her work through it quicker than us hovering and telling her that she is okay. Big surprise there, right?

I do not have to imagine my response when I am upset and someone tells me to calm down or that I am okay — completely invalidated and even more upset. Also, when I push my emotions down to make others more comfortable, it always leads to a blowup, which is always much bigger than me just working through my feelings then and there. I found the above children’s book called, In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek, which mirrors this thought — it is super sweet and goes through all the emotions that we can feel in a language that speaks to children. Plus, the art is super cute too!

How about you? Any favorite yoga classes or books or anything that is really speaking to you lately? Let me know!

Light Behind the Dark Days

Posted on by JC Rizk

There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of those lights, the light of all lights.

– Bram Stoker

This quote was on my mind quite often this week. Unfortunately, we had some losses in our lives this week, one a friend and neighbor who was killed on deployment, way too soon in her young life. Although these individuals are physically gone, their spirits live on in our memories and actions. I continue to think about the light they brought into this world, with their kindness, creativity, and their laughter. This light is what helps me cope: I know that by sharing light with others I can truly honor the individuals we lost. I feel inspired by my neighbor and all she did in her life – she was constantly creating, working hard, yet having fun with her family and friends, and always reaching for more. I feel more motivated than ever to accomplish some goals I have held on to for years.

This week, however, is about coping. I took time to meditate, to explore my thoughts and feelings, really taking stock of where I am at this moment in my life. I find that being in Utah, away from home, allows me the benefit of focusing on the simplicity of life and on what I hold most important. Not sure why, but at home, I feel like I am constantly busy, not taking the time to breathe and meditate on the truly important things: family, friends, love, and happiness. Since I do not have all the distractions here that home brings, I am focusing on self care, my husband, and my children, and taking the time to notice the simple things that make me happy. My intention is to bring this self-awareness home with me, help us to simplify life when back on the east coast, and enjoy the moments that make life so beautiful.

This week’s happiness and cathartic activities included making Valentine’s Day cards with the kids; yes, I know it’s a commercialized holiday, but one thing that especially hit home this week is that it is always a good time to share your love for others.

‘Life Journals’

In addition, I made time to update the kids’ scrapbooks. In fact, they are more like ‘life journals’, with pictures, stickers, and many memories {first steps, words, as well as trips taken and people visited}! I am very fortunate; my mom loves to take pictures and I have many albums loaded with pictures from my childhood. I decided to combine my love of writing with my obsession of taking pictures of the babies to create these journals.

I also found it absolutely necessary to go to the two yoga classes I signed up for this week. Yoga really helps me to center myself, as well as allowing me to delve into my thoughts, feelings, and acknowledging how that affects my demeanor and physicality. If you’re ever near Draper, Utah, please check out Cradle Your Soul! It’s a smaller studio, which I love, and has different classes for individuals of all levels. I especially appreciate the more intimate setting; I practiced for about 10 years, but am significantly out of practice. The smaller class sizes allow me to focus on where I am physically and emotionally. I am passionate about yoga because I love that it is all about the individual; it’s not a competition between you and someone else, only you against yourself.

The days have been difficult knowing that these individuals in our lives are gone, but I am committed to focusing on the light. Remembering the amazing qualities of these individuals inspires me to be more true to myself, which is my intention for the foreseeable future. Stay safe and see you next week!