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

Hope. It seems like something everyone tries to hold on to. A feeling of wanting something to work out for the better so badly, but a sense that is sometimes so undeniably hard to fathom having when you are faced with some of the most unthinkable tragedies this world has to offer. But sometimes, hope is all we have to get us through. I was 37 years old when my world was flipped upside down. It was almost the end of 2018. My husband and I had been married for nine years, and I was a mother to two young children - our two precious boys were four years old and just seven months old--Babies. I was an elementary school teacher on maternity leave, trying to enjoy what was left of my time off. Then, on the night of December 9th, my world stopped. My kids were with my husband, and I was in my room changing my clothes. My left breast felt weird. Itchy. Like I wanted to scratch my skin off, itchy. It was red and inflamed, so I knew something was wrong. And that’s when I started to feel around, a...

Trying to lose weight, exercise more or start on a difficult project? As Lao Tzu says, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Sometimes that first step doesn’t even require standing up. Studies show that even 11 minutes a day of Kundalini meditation can boost mental health, promote mindfulness and increase gratitude. MRI imaging has demonstrated that meditation changes your brain; specifically, the regions involved in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing and perspective-taking. This simple daily practice, when repeated for 40 days, may be exactly what you need to reach all your goals. Why 40 days? Because it takes 20 days to break old habits, and 20 days to start new ones. There’s a reason Christians fast for 40 days during Lent, and Judaism teaches that those seeking answers to prayers should pray for 40 days in a row. Did you know that your skin cells renew, on average, every 40 days? Meditation is easy. It’s quick. It wor...

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 as a result of the pandemic. This worldwide pandemic topped with normal 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 a healthy way. 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 keeps you on your toes dur...

You’ve made the decision to get rid of the girls, bravo! This is a huge, life-altering decision. Now that you’re on your way to taking back control of your life, it’s time to prepare your body for surgery. Whether you’re an avid athlete or just starting out, I’ll be going over how getting those muscles primed and prepped, will help make recovery from major surgery that much easier. When I met with both my Plastic Surgeon and Surgical Oncologist, my first question to them was “What can I do to prepare physically for surgery?”, but I didn’t like their answer of “nothing”. How can there be nothing I can do to help make this surgery go easier for me? That seems like such a bland, roll over and surrender answer; and I’m not the type of girl to not put up a fight. I mean hello, I just came out of my battle against chemo and won! I took matters into my own hands and started to do some research on physical therapy after a mastectomy and applied it to my fitness routine before surgery. Once you...

I’ve been reading a lot of books recently on the topics of time management and productivity. In one of these books, (The Organized Mind by Daniel J. Levitin) I read that “it is important to harmonize your organizational style and systems with your personality.” This got me thinking about music and the way different voices in a song harmonize. When I was a teenager, I was a member of an acapella singing group. I sang second soprano. It was my job in this group to blend my voice with that of the first soprano so that neither of our voices stood out sharply. This thought led me to think about a different way to work with clients by letting them know how important it is to bring harmony into their homes. What exactly does harmony mean? According to the Oxford Dictionary, harmony when used as a noun is: The combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions having a pleasing effect. The different instruments in an orchestra or band or the voices in ...

  I didn't realize how winning the FCC $10000 grant helped me until I sat down to write this. See, I told Rebecca Minkoff in a DM that I would love to tell her how my life has since changed, and I put it out there, hoping we could continue the conversation. And then she replied with a yes, and I was like, "Well, now WTF do I say?  "Ok, great… I'll write something tomorrow"…and now tomorrow is today, and it hit me… wow if I didn't win that grant, I would not have been so prepared for my breast cancer diagnosis two months later. And before you think Rebecca and I have this amazing DM relationship, I had simply shared my virtual ticket for the upcoming FCC event in Texas. I went to the one in Brooklyn two years ago before the world shut down, and I just loved it. I met the most amazing women! I highly recommend you go or buy the virtual ticket! But anyway, back to the point… as a business owner, sometimes you can make unique connections from Instagram. This year...

  Ready to give that energy of yours a boost? Here are the top 5 things you can start doing today and make the shift! 1- Create a morning routine My morning routine takes just under two hours. I can't stress enough the importance of a great morning routine; it will set you up for a successful, energetic day and life. I experimented with a few different things and figured out what worked for me. You should do the same, and soon you'll know what works for you, and you'll enjoy starting your day that way. 2- Eat real, high-quality, fresh food Purchasing and eating freshly-grown fruits and vegetables is the best way to ensure there are no preservatives, chemicals or dyes added to your food. It keeps your body running on clean sources for energy and naturally you'll feel more vibrant and energetic. (try the smoothie recipe below!)                                  ...