Lifted, By My Girls! — The Archives — Formerly Vented Uplift

  Well, it’s January 12th…did you fail at your New Year's resolutions already and you feel like shit about yourself? Or is that just me for like the past 30 years of my life?? Except for this year…because at 3 in the morning, an hour after I went to sleep, I woke up with a thought…New Year, New Me is complete shit! I call these little moments of thought my download from God. It's the things that I need to hear and understand to become a better version of myself. And this thought was just what I needed to break those crazy ideas in my head that have been placed there by society, TV, and the perfect people on Instagram...oh and let's not forget the number one guilty party...me! So the thoughts continued in my head as I tossed from side to side. Who came up with this crazy notion that once we wake up on January 1st that we could be a new person??? Like WTF? (And no, I didn’t give up cursing for the new year.) First off, most of us will be slightly hungover or tired in the morn...

  Hi, I am Meredith Van Ness, founder of Balanced + Well Counseling, a therapist, and a life coach. I support and empower women to overcome their stress and anxiety, release the limiting self-doubt holding them back, and build confidence so they can focus their energy on what matters most.  We’ve all experienced more stress than usual in the last couple of years.  So now normal and everyday stresses may be putting you in a constant place of feeling out of control or overwhelmed. Although some stress is a natural part of life, we must learn to handle it in healthy ways so our stress does not always spiral into anxiety. Being in touch and admitting that we are stressed is a great place to start. It’s when we’re honest with ourselves that we can begin to do the work. Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When it is working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. Stress can also help you rise to a challenge. It’s what ke...

I was speaking with a friend the other day and she told me about a promotion that came with a hefty raise she got at her job. Another $30,000 a year in her paycheck sounded really good at the time she accepted the offer. But the workload sucked and the time away from her family was taking its toll, and she was so damn focused on getting that promotion that she lost about 3 years of her life working for it. With tears in her eyes, she said, “And $30,000 more sounds like good money, but it’s still not enough. We are struggling to make ends meet and the difference in my actual paycheck after taxes, it’s already spent.” My heart broke. Oh how I know this feeling. And oh how I know that what we feel is a direct mirror into our own hearts. Was my friend, while on the surface struggling with work overload and the money sinkhole, actually feeling like she was not enough herself? Another friend was offered a dream opportunity. She tentatively said yes, but inside was scared. She didn’t feel rea...

Note: the following blog was written in 2021, but holds a wealth of truth for us today, in 2022! “Have you thought about what your inspirational word is going to be for the new year?” asked my therapist Dr. A. I didn’t hesitate. I had a perfect inspirational word in mind. It came to me easily. There were signs all around signaling my new inspirational word. And now with the state of our country — between the mounting cases of Covid-19 and actions on our Capitol last week, I believe in this word even more. Cultivating compassion “It’s compassion,” I said to Dr. A. “Compassion with a big C." The world needs more compassion so we can heal from our losses of the past year and the divisions that are creeping into this one. My family and friends need more compassion so they can continue to manage through this raging pandemic and ease into a new normal once it passes. Celebrating another sixty-something birthday last week made me realize that I too need to practice more compassion toward...

  I have neglected to tell you all my results of my breast biopsy that was taken a few days after America’s Big Deal. How I went front being glamorous one night choosing fun outfits to choosing what to wear to meet with your doctor at Sloan to discuss your results..makeup? No makeup? Do I do my hair? Wear something cute? Something comfortable?  There was just one thing I knew I would be wearing and that was my #fuckcancer bracelet. All these years of gifting cancer patients, people asking me why I do what I do, interviewing so many woman, raising money for different breast organizations, for saying it was for Norman and so many family members on this Friday the 17th I wore it to say #fuckcancer for myself! On that day I was meeting with my breast surgeon to hear what kind of breast cancer I have and at what stage it is, what my options are and make a decision. I had already received a phone call in the middle of a Holiday party on Monday night and was told that I have at lea...

FENG SHUI & MANIFESTING YOUR GOALS IN 2022 Want to know everything there is to know about the expected energy in 2022 so you can set achievable goals and more importantly learn how to manifest them?   Good! You're in the right place at the right time. And hang on- it's going to be a ride! Let's start with some information about the word Manifesting. It's popping up all over.  The word Manifest isn't actually what you think. It's actually to provide clarity, to see. To manifest is to be perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight.  Things thought to be manifested are to be easily understood or recognized by the mind by way of seeing with the eyes. To clearly see.  Essentially, manifestation is bringing something tangible into your life through your attraction and your belief system so you can actually see it, touch it, taste it, smell it and feel it.  The principles of Manifesting people, places and things into existence is based on your attr...