Who is Lo?

For as long as I can remember I have always been “on the go.” Sitting down and soaking in life has never been a strong suit of mine. I have always taken on too many projects, too many college courses, too many hours at work, and now, too many kids. (Two kids feels like a hundred kids, am I right?!) For some reason I have always felt that my life is best enjoyed when I am playing full out and doing ALL the things, ALL the time.

I am a planner and a doer. Mornings are for putting events on calendars and checking items off to-do lists. (Pants are optional.) Through it all, my physical and mental health remains at the forefront of my busy life. Mindfulness, yoga, and healthy eating get me through the daily adventures I seek. I spend each day trying to be a better version of myself than the day before. Sometimes I succeed, often I fail, but I always keep going.

That is not to say that this on the go lifestyle isn’t exhausting at times. It definitely is! But I try my best to pack all the excitement I can into this sweet, precious life. Because if life has taught me anything it is that tomorrow is not promised. How we choose to spend today is what matters most.

Follow my action-packed life full of travel, home renovation, wellness, raising babies, and more!

Setbacks.

We have all encountered setbacks in life. Some of us have experienced greater setbacks than others. Computers crashing moments before uploading a final essay, running out of gas in the drop-off line at school, loss of family members, financial ruin, and crippling diagnosis. The longer we live the more setbacks we will encounter. That’s just math. But how we deal with these challenges makes all the difference.

It’s fair to say that I have had my fair share of setbacks. Especially in the way of health challenges over the past few years. At just 33 years old I was diagnosed with stage 2 invasive lobular carcinoma (breast cancer) at a time when I was set to begin my greatest adventure in parenting two littles, who were 2 and 6. I was absolutely devastated. Why me?! I was a good person. I bought organic food and natural skincare products! I wanted to just lie down and cry…and I did do a fair amount of that along the way…but I knew right away that how I reacted to this setback would make the difference in the rest of my life. I had to stay positive. Far worse things were happening to people all around the world. People were experiencing setbacks of greater proportions. I could not merely sit down and wallow in my new reality. I had to mentally prepare for battle.

And I did. I toughened up. I grew some thick skin and I KEPT ON GOING. That, I had decided, was the only option. To make lemonade out of these lemons kept my mind from all the negativity and “what-ifs” I encountered on my journey back to health.

Here are some things that helped me maintain a positive mindset during some of the darkest times of my life:

  1. Reading: I read so many books about mindfulness and positivity. I fed my mind with all the positivity I could get my hands on. I had a lot of time to just sit and be in pain after my bilateral mastectomy.
  2. Food: For a long time, I have known the healing power of food, and its connection to mental health, so I focused on fueling my body with good foods. I found Whole30 bloggers to follow.
  3. Music: Right after I was diagnosed, I asked a couple of my best friends to make Spotify playlists that I could rock out to when I was feeling down, or waiting for doctor’s appointments. They delivered on this request with some of the most badass songs that still give me chills and pump me up on workouts to this day.
  4. Being Social: It was easy to want to close myself off from everyone during my treatment. I was in pain, I looked (and sometimes smelled) terrible—I didn’t shower or put on makeup often, so I didn’t exactly fit the “presentable” bill. But I didn’t stop engaging when people reached out to me. I sent text messages, emails, had long phone calls, and occasionally let people stop by for a visit, even when I wasn’t 100% up for it. But you know what, I needed that human connection! I was isolated enough being out of work for months and spending many days laid up in bed.

These are just some of the things that helped me overcome my setbacks. How do you deal with setbacks? Do you naturally run away or do you tackle adversity head on? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments!