Doing It Anyway: Letting Go of Guilt, Stories, and Self-Judgment

How travel, motherhood, and mindset shape our health and the stories we tell ourselves

Hey y'all!

I am freshly back from a weekend trip to Utah, reconnecting with some very special and very fun friends.  We hadn't all been together in at least 7 years, but these are the kinds of friendships that pick-up in exactly the same place no matter how long it has been.  We spent one day shredding at Powder Mountain  - a place I have been dreaming about for years - and while we there I found this run while reviewing the trail map.  Of course I had to check it out and take a picture for the newsletter!

Then, as I was thinking more about it , I noticed some funny thoughts crossing my mind:  what if people think I am wasting my time and money traveling to snowboard?  What if people think it is irresponsible to be having fun and recreating with so much hard stuff going on in the world?  What if people think I am a bad mom for leaving my kids at home?  

Do any of these worries  sound familiar?  Those small (or loud) voices in our head that try to yuck our yum.  The familiar story lines and judgments that keep us from sharing our wins or pushing our boundaries.  I'm getting pretty good at fact checking these intruders and I'm getting better at "doing it anyway" - even when it feels uncomfortable.  But that doesn't mean they aren't there.   We all have stories - for better or worse - that influence our choices, keep us in our comfort zones, dictate what feels possible.  My story - that people might  judge me - is probably a little true - we are humans - we love to judge!  But, who cares?  Some folks might have a negative reaction to what you do and that is OK - practice doing it anyway :) 

I think our stories play a big role in our health - what is the story we tell ourselves about our body?   About food? About our symptoms and health conditions?  What do we believe is possible when it comes to our body?  What stories have we told ourselves about exercise, our limitations, our possibilities?  What voices, judgments, inner saboteurs are holding undue influence over our choices?  Where do those voices come from and who do they belong to?  These questions are so interesting!  I think we all benefit from naming the beliefs we hold and then interrogating them a bit?  What is true?  What is helpful?  What might be holding us back?  So much more is possible with a little curiosity ... 


PS:  More story time!  I had to miss my kids' student conferences to make this trip happen - between the 4 of us going,  there was essentially one weekend in a 3 months period where we could all make it.  But,  it meant I would have to leave the afternoon I had already scheduled conferences.  

OHHHHHH!  There are so many stories I told myself about this choice.  I almost rescheduled the conferences out of guilt!  My story being that I am the only one who can attend conference "the right way," that my husband would be annoyed about having to go alone, that my kids would be devastated to not have me there, that the teachers would wonder about a mom who couldn't make the time to attend - that "good moms" sacrifice themselves to their families  - so many juicy storylines!  

But here is the deal - there was another fully capable adult who could attend, I have attended every conference since preschool, their teachers know me well, the kids honestly didn't care and were able to bring home materials for us to review at home and, most importantly  - it is OK to put my needs ahead of the needs of my family sometimes - even if it is inconvenient, even if it is makes things less perfect and even if means other folks have to take on more.  So I fact-checked my stories, missed conferences, had a great time. Hooray! 

Workshops!!!

I have 2 new  workshops coming up at The Denver Village!

The first one is a perimenopause primer - on April 26th  - we will be reviewing the range of typical symptoms, red flags to look out for, pros/cons of hormone therapy as well other options for symptom management - plus a lot of time for a juicy Q and A  - sign-up here!

Next (and I am so excited for this one because I have wanted to offer it publicly for a  long time) - on May 24 -  there is   a 30 min parent/child partner yoga class taught by Meredith Cole, followed by a 45 minute discussion of  the menstrual cycle led by me!  I love educating girls on what to expect with their period, what is the biology behind the cycle and give them the tools they need to manage symptoms.  Average age of first menses is 11 - with many starting sooner, so it is time to get the convo going.  I think a good age range for this class Is 10-13, but I think folks of all ages will likely learn something new and interesting.  Reach out with any questions and  Sign-up here! 

Travel Tips:

Speaking of travel, the germs are out there right now!  And being in close proximity to others and moving from one ecosystem to another certainly can increase the risk of getting sick.  Add-on the stress on travel, time changes, less sleep, different food , change of routine - it makes sense that many folks end up feeling unwell during or after a trip.  

With spring break coming up - I thought I would share what I do when I travel  - including a link to grab the supplements I use from Fullscript.  It always feels a little uncomfortable linking a sales platform to my newsletter as I don't want folks to think I am being too pushy or sales-y (ahhh, here are those stories again!) Yet,  there are so many options out there and helping people figure out what supplements to take is a big part of my expertise - looking at all the available options, reviewing the research and making evidence informed recommendation.  Which is actually a great service - so here we go and if you want to experiment with the products I mention you can grab them here.

1.  Nose spray!  This is really a hidden gem of upper respiratory tract infection prevention.  Most folks can benefit from using a nasal rinse daily  - especially during cold/flu season.  I like Xlear because it has xylitol which is more hydrating (especially important in Colorado).  I will spray my nose whenever I wash my hands when traveling.  So a couple times at the airport and a couple times on the plane and then once after we land. 

2.  Throat spray  - Biocidin has a great one which increases local immunity and helps to prevent germs from setting up shop in the upper respiratory tissues (your mouth and nose essentially).  I will spray my throat - aiming for the tonsils - 1-2 pumps) after I spray my nose.  So maybe 4-6 times on a travel day.  

3.  Immune support supplements - so many options here and better to start the week before to get the best benefit.  Orthomune is my go-to and I truly swear by it - it has all the basics - zinc, vitamin C and D, as well as NAC and Quercetin - I take 2 caps most days in general though germ season - but might take it 2 times a day while traveling or if I feel a little something coming on - just make sure to take with food as zinc can make some people (me) pretty nauseated if taken on an empty stomach.

4.  Bonus!  Probiotics- these are doing double duty here - both preventative for colds and other upper respiratory illness but also good for prevention and treatment of GI bugs - so good to travel with.  Most probiotics are self stable, even if they are refrigerated - so fine to have them out of the fridge for a few days.  Again, ideally starting with 1x/day for the week before and then doubling up on travel days (and then quadrupling OR more if you get a GI illness - you can really dose probiotic very high - up to 100-200 billion units or more - when acutely ill).  

Happy trails!  

In Health, 
Dr. C