mental health

Turning a Frown Upside Down Takes More Than Being Able to do a Headstand*

April 22, 2012

“Hey, Charlotte! Are you okay?” My kickboxing instructor yanked me out of a my cardio stupor in the middle of class last Friday. “Wha…? Yeah. I mean, of course,” I stammered as everyone else turned to stare at me (through the mirror so it was like getting doubly stared at). “You just look so sad! Or angry!” she continued, into the mic.  ”Are you sure everything’s alright?” Why was she asking if I was okay? I checked my bra straps (showing, of course, it’s a sports bra), my panty line (again, showing, because Lycra is horribly unforgiving) and my crotch [...]

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Pretty Girl Privilege Is Real – But So is Pretty Girl Pretentiousness [The Samantha Brick Debacle]

April 9, 2012

Samantha Brick may be the most hated person on the Internet right now. And considering Tonya Harding has a website, that’s saying a lot. She makes the backlash against tragi-comic singer Rebecca Black look like mere backwash. What was her crime against society that earned her such an…honor? Trading on her looks. And then bragging about it. And then writing a piece for the Daily Mail (i.e. Daily Fail) about how all other women are just jealous of her. The article, ” ‘There are downsides to looking this pretty” – Why women hate me because I’m beautiful“, is a 1200 [...]

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Why I’m Smiling Today: The Surprising Science Behind Happy (You have to try this trick!)

April 3, 2012

Lots of videos in today’s post – click through to see them if they don’t show up in your reader or email! Trust me, you want to see these! I dare you to watch this and not laugh once.  Try this experiment: Find a funny YouTube video. But DON’T watch it yet! I recommend this one of video submissions for Ellen’s Dance Dare: (Yes it’s totally safe for work) Now, hold a pencil between your teeth. Yes, I know that’s weird. Just do it. Do it! Doooo iiit! Now, hit play and watch the video. Keep the pencil clenched between [...]

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My Depressing Anti-Depressant Story

March 15, 2012

“Honey? Have I been acting crazy?” You know it’s not a good day when this is how your wife greets you as you walk in the door, fresh off a long day at the office. (When did my life become a cliche? Don’t answer that.) Although I daresay it beats out “Both toilets are clogged and we only have one plunger!” or “I started out the day with four kids but at the moment only three are accounted for!” or even “I’M FINISHED. IT’S YOUR TURN.” All of which he has also heard. My poor husband; it’s a wonder he [...]

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Is “Fitspiration” Really Any Better Than “Thinspiration”?

February 26, 2012

I’m not against ALL “fitspo” pictures. Like this one. Nothing motivates me more to workout hard than the thought of getting dropped into a gladiator arena with a bunch of teenagers on a reality show.  The other day as I sat happily pinning away on Pinterest, a taut, perfectly chiseled six-pack caught my eye. No I wasn’t admiring the latest David Beckham ad for H&M. It was a fabulously fit woman, one whom I would love to look like. But when I clicked to enlarge the picture I saw that the text written across her stomach was not inspirational words [...]

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Do You Have Time Sickness? Take This Handy Quiz (in all your spare time!)

February 7, 2012

courtesy of the awesome Natalie Dee I had a panic attack last week. A full-fledged hyperventilating, heart pounding, must do deep yogic breathing to remedy it, panic attack. What brought this on? A death in the family? Another discipline note sent home from the school? Actual pictures of Demi Moore with a can of Redi-Whip up her nose?? Nope. A friend surprised me by taking my 3rd son (a.k.a. the one who has been insanely obnoxious ever since his sister has been born…2 years ago) for a playdate. Seeing as the eldest two were in school and Jelly Bean was [...]

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“You Sure Are Strong… For a Girl.”

January 24, 2012

Tonight after a marvelously brutal interval class that involved jumping lunges, crouching push-ups and so many skaters that my I’d get an Apollo Ohno tattoo on my butt if it didn’t already hurt so much, a male friend gave me a grin and commented, “You sure are strong. For a girl.” Well, what do you say to that? Five years ago: ”I’m strong, period.” I would have felt insulted and then challenged the guy to a weight-lifting duel. Indeed, one of my very first posts on this blog to ever cause some (minor) controversy was when I bragged I could match [...]

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Resiliency: How do you cultivate it?

January 19, 2012

“In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups. The police who investigate the crime and the District Attorneys who prosecute the offenders.” And Batman. There’s always room for Batman. DUN-DUN! Blood spatters. Rape kits. Horrific crimes balanced out by the most humane cops I’ve ever not met. (I’ve actually had dreams where I’m talking to Olivia Benson/Mariska Hargitay.) Plots twisted so far beyond reality that “ripped from the headlines” is more a threat than a promise. There’s a lot to recommend Law & Order: SVU, really. And yet: “Why are you watching [...]

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Jaw Clenching, Acupressure and One of the Strangest Experiences I’ve Ever Had

January 9, 2012

This is pretty much how I felt after an hour of having my head turned upside down, in more ways that one. Dr. Dan* was not at all what I expected. Like all good friendships and all bad screenplays, it started over polite chit-chat at a party. Somehow (probably because I am a chronic oversharer?) during the course of my conversation with a friend whom I see only twice a year at most but love twice as much when I do, the subject of bruxism or jaw clenching/grinding came up. I am an inveterate jaw clencher in my sleep. I’ve [...]

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From Sex to Sanity: The huge benefits (and one surprising negative) of being active

January 3, 2012

“I like weights. You know where you stand with them. Well, sometimes you’re lying under them, trying not to let them crush you, but you see, you know they’d crush you if they could. There’s honesty.” – One of my all-time favorite quotes about fitness (truly, nothing is more honest than weight lifting!) from my Shape.com slideshow The Smartest Things Ever Said About Fitness. One of the best things about my job, even better than getting to interview celebs like Allison Sweeney and Tony Horton, is getting to talk to all kinds of people and see how fitness has changed [...]

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