Dr. Libby Weaver, where have you been all my life?

I have such a girl crush on this woman, she makes me wanna make out with the computer screen. If you watch this video I guarantee it will be the most empowering 18 minutes of your year. I know, I’m making huge claims on the blog today! Watch and then keep reading.

From here on out, this video is going to be required watching for every client who comes through my virtual doors. It is so relevant for women everywhere who are just trying to keep up.

Soooo….we’re not good enough, skinny enough, tall enough, pretty enough, smart enough, rich enough – not enough period. This is an unacknowledged crisis. Not only because this way of living is epidemic, but because we somehow think everyone else has it all figured out while we struggle to get through each day. Our society teaches us that vulnerability and asking for help is weak. It’s for people who can’t keep up. No one wants to see you complaining on Facebook right?

I am the first to admit that I have struggled with every one of those “enoughs”. The story that plays in my head began when I was younger. My dad died in a plane crash when I was 11 and my mom struggled mentally, emotionally and financially for years. My sister and I practically raised ourselves and we felt constant scrutiny and judgment in our small-island community. There was never enough money, there were no family vacations, I was never cool enough..blah blah blah – a great big pity party. But that shit stuck with me and it has been a beast to shake.

“If you don’t feel like you are enough, you will never feel like you have enough”

What do we do when we carry around a story like this? We over-give, over-provide, over-work and over-consume (food, clothes, boys). Yes?

This leaves us: exhausted, anxious, overwhelmed, depleted, stressed out, frazzled, frumpy, PMS-y, tired and wired, unhappy…{insert the next best adjective here}.

Which has created a full-blown crisis in modern women’s health! I am on the front lines and I see it every day. And it breaks my heart.

Dr. Libby describes it so well in her video so I will just summarize, because I’ve also talked about it here, here and here!

Our bodies function the way they functioned 32,000 years ago. Our 50 trillion cells still think we’re cavegirls. They don’t have any idea that we’ve gone and gotten all modern. When we’re running a marathon, they think we’re running for our lives, or running to find food. And when this happens over and over again, our bodies think we’re in constant danger. So cortisol and adrenaline go up, and our sex hormones go down. Our bodies think they are protecting us by preventing us from ovulating and getting pregnant. Unfortunately this creates a huge disconnect between our modern selves and our cavegirl selves.

We are literally under siege. Dr. Libby calls this Rushing Woman Syndrome.

Do you have Rushing Woman Syndrome?

Don’t even tell me you don’t, cuz I know you do! 🙂 Women say to me all the time, “Nicole, just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” They’ll change their diets, take the supplements and herbs and even cook more….but, slow down? Hell no, how could I possibly do that? I’ve got way too much to do!

In most cases, all we have to do is step off the roller coaster. It’s so easy yet we resist it like crazy because we’re too busy trying to check off the boxes on our perpetual to-do lists. It’s a relentless pursuit that will only continue to steer us away from our true purpose, our essence, our truth.

Let’s talk about purpose and happiness and how to start re-discovering both…

Start with this analogy: Put the oxygen mask on you first. You simply cannot be the human you want to be without addressing your own needs. What does a “well taken care of you” look like? Do you have any idea? It’s probably been quite some time since you saw that person. I encourage you to resurrect her.

The first way to do this is to please please practice saying no. Creating and maintaining healthy boundaries is THE biggest challenge for women today and leads to complete burnout in all areas of our lives. Start with my Yes & No list.

That’s all for this week – I’m not trying to add to your TO-DO list woman! 🙂