Self Care | Grit and Grace Life

Behind Her Struggle With Alcohol With Lindsey Encinias – 161

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreIs social drinking just a glass of wine at dinner (the answer is yes), or can it become something else (the answer is also yes)? Current statistics show that many women find themselves in a struggle with alcohol, experiencing a significant upswing after the stress of 2020. With this knowledge in hand, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender interview Lindsey Encinias, writer for Grit and Grace, who bravely shares her battle overcoming alcoholism. In this personal story, she recounts contributing factors- her family history, the tragic loss of her father while she was a teenager, and wrestling with her identity after leaving an exciting corporate role after becoming […]

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You Don’t Have to Stay Stuck Anymore – 160

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreLife ebbs and flows. Some days are filled with excitement and hope. Then there are others where you feel just plain “meh.” When the mundane feeling lingers beyond a few days, it’s time to ask yourself if you’ve become stagnant. Since we all face these emotional roadblocks, we wanted to tackle them. The first thing Darlene Brock and Julie Bender share is a simple way to determine if you’re in an actual rut. Then, if so, how to begin the battle forward, reminding you to give yourself much-needed grace as you determine why you’re feeling this way. Next, they suggest an exercise you can use today to

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self care is a radical act of love for mommas

Self-Care Is an Act of Radical Love for Mommas

By Caroline Beidler / Motherhood

When I was six months pregnant with twins, I talked my husband into getting an L-shaped sectional as an act of self-care. My cute, little micro-suede sofa from my single life no longer cut it. I needed something heftier, sturdier—something to hold all of me up. After he said “yes” to my new couch, I was ecstatic because I knew my life was going to dramatically change. No longer did I have to twist and turn like a manatee on a rock. All of me (well, almost) could fit when lying down and I could even bring my extra favorite body pillows (yes, there were two) to wedge just below my tummy to hoist it up as I enjoyed eating all of

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How To Make Self-Care Part of Your Life With Dr. Zoe Shaw – 155

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreSelf-care. Sound good? Or do you feel guilty even thinking about it? Perhaps it’s okay for someone else, but you don’t have time to take care of yourself? Dr. Zoe Shaw joins Darlene Brock and Julie Bender to explain what self-care is (and isn’t) and how it is an essential part of your grit and grace life. Society tells women, “you can do it all, and you have to,” but at what cost? Often, Christian women wonder if self-care is biblical, feeling they must always put others first, especially if they have a husband and/or children. Is this true? In her new book, A Year of Self-Care, Dr.

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Is There Anything More Important Than Self-Love?

By Emily Valentine / Faith

Have you ever been told, “You just need to learn to love yourself,” after pouring your heart out to a friend about how discontent you are with yourself? I was recently talking with a couple girlfriends about real life aches and pains that left us feeling inadequate and empty, when one friend offered up the self-love philosophy as sincere, heart-felt advice to the other. She had personally experienced the crippling impact of self-hatred, and she was determined to make her outlook more optimistic and uplifting by exchanging her self-hatred for self-love. Since intentionally changing her thoughts to be more loving and accepting toward herself, rather than harsh and disapproving, she began to improve her own mental state, and she believed this could

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10 Truths I Found to Lose 75 Pounds

By Eve DeBardeleben Roebuck / Faith

I’ve discovered a pandemic phenomenon: The Covid-19 10 is a 10-pound weight gain that creeps on in quarantine. In my defense, let me say that the fear of not being able to get my beloved treats at some point during quarantine had me pack-ratting Dove Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Promises and Moose Munch as if they might become as scarce as toilet paper. The question then became, what do I do with the stockpile? Just eat it? These extra pounds prompted me to consider how I lost 75 pounds 20 years ago without dieting and kept them off since then. I want to remember the steps. It’s what we do when we try to lose weight. On paper, it makes sense. Eating

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Why Journaling Is the Best Tool for Self-Discovery

By Jennifer Schoonover / Life & Culture

What are some things that come to mind when you think of the word journaling? Do you think of your teenage self, lying on your bed scribbling the names of your BFFs or current crush in your diary that has a little lock on it? Maybe you think of sitting down every evening writing out the events of the day in chronological order. Perhaps it’s a list of your hopes and dreams. Journaling is something I have done for many years. In high school it was a tool I used to sort through all of the chaos happening in my family, school, and social life. Journaling helped me process the reality of my unhealthy environment and gave me a sense of control

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Need More Rest? Try These Tips for Better Work-Life Balance

By Molly Dockweiler / Life & Culture

Every weekday around 11 a.m., I take my class out for a few minutes of recess. Most days, as a class, they play tag. The other day I watched as a girl (let’s call her Sally) chased a boy (let’s call him Johnny) to “tag” him. While she was closing the gap between them, Johnny called out, “timeout!” and Sally backed off. He needed a break. She respected the rules of timeout enough to let him have it. It got me thinking about times in my life when I wish I could just call, “timeout!” and watch as everything that is pursuing me backs off… gives me a break… and lets me catch my breath. In Johnny’s case, all he needed was

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It’s Time to Stop Saying These 7 Things! – 106

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreIsn’t it true that there are some phrases we find ourselves repeating? We do it without realizing we say them over and over again. Whether we have spoken to ourselves or even to others, there are certain things we say that may do way more harm than good! There may be more than seven, but on this episode, co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Graham admit these particular ones they say far too often. Since they want to change this unhealthy pattern in their own lives, they’re sharing why and how to do just that. If you’re “sorry for,” “worried about,” or wish you “should have” done something

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20 Things Moms Can Do (With a Little Extra Time)

By Clare Marlow / Motherhood

Oh, the things you moms can do… When the kids go back to school! I know there are some of you mamas who absolutely love summer. You relish having your kids with you every minute of every day and doing all the fun things you don’t have time to do with them during the school year. Others of you are pulling your hair out from trying to keep the littles so busy that they don’t end up beating on each other or crying “I’m bored” every 20 minutes. Working women, you’re just ready for a break from the endless parade of summer camps… And the hefty bills for those, right? Whatever your feelings about the kids going back to school, one thing

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Ask Dr. Zoe – Help! I Can’t Do It All!

By Dr. Zoe / Ask Dr. Zoe

‘Exhausted Juggler’ Asked: I have frequent days that I feel as if I’m center stage juggling family, work, home life, the needs of every human in my life all dependent upon my next move with the entire audience waiting for me to drop the ball. I want to prove them wrong, that I can handle every demand placed upon me with a smile on my face never breaking a sweat. But I’m tired. Of the demands, expectations, and fear that I may not be able to do everything everyone expects. I need time for me. But am I being selfish? Is it wrong to think of myself, what’s stopping me? Will everyone survive if I step off the stage even for just

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3 Simple Secrets to a Great Night’s Sleep

By Molly Dockweiler / Health & Beauty, Life & Culture

I’m a teacher, which means my mind is on my students, the problems they share with me, the grading I need to do, and the next day’s lesson more than I would like to admit (but if you’re a teacher too, you get it). That being said, I have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night because my mind is always racing. Over the last few months, I’ve come across some things that have really helped me fall asleep quickly when I lay down at the end of the day… Scent There are a couple of different things I use to make my room smell like I’m ready to go to sleep, but the shared factor is always lavender. Diffuse Essential

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This Is Why You Need a Self-Care Day (And What to Do)

By Marlys Johnson Lawry / Health & Beauty, Life & Culture

My husband, Gary, woke me up one pre-sunrise morning. “Feels like the flu,” he said. We’d been here before. I threw on my clothes and hurried to the emergency entrance of the hospital. Because when you add flu-like symptoms to chemotherapy, it adds up to serious infections. After five hours of infused antibiotics, I brought Gary home, prepared something for him to eat, ran out to pick up his prescription…(wait for it)…and then reported to work. Exhausted in every imaginable way. Because if I didn’t do my job, it would land on someone else’s desk. In Gary’s declining months I didn’t listen to my body. I didn’t care for my soul and spirit. Because self-care sounded so self-centered. But it’s not. Self-care

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To the Mom Who Feels Guilty for Sitting on the Job

By Meaghan Dawson / Faith, Motherhood

Last week I found myself in a unique predicament. It was a typical weekday afternoon. Nothing special or noteworthy, and if I’m completely honest I’ll admit that I don’t even remember what day it actually was—could have been Tuesday or Thursday. I have no idea. Regardless, on this afternoon the kids were all home, homework and chores were done, and the messy after-school routine (and the whining that goes along with it) was long over. My daughter was happily jumping away on the trampoline, my son was playing basketball outside, and my oldest had gone to a friend’s house. They didn’t need me. My house was quiet. My pressing daily chores finished long before, and there was still an hour or so before dinner

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Ask Dr. Zoe – In Love with a Narcissist

By Dr. Zoe / Ask Dr. Zoe

‘In Love With a Narcissist’ Asked: How long do I stay in a marriage with a narcissist who continually emotionally and verbally abuses me? Can he be treated/healed through counseling? I love this man with all my heart and have since middle school. (I’m in my mid-forties.) I left and divorced him once and then after 18 months apart, we reconnected and went to counseling weekly for 8 months. We remarried and it hasn’t even been a year since our wedding and I’ve moved out again. I do not want another divorce but can he be healed from narcissistic traits? I cannot stay in an abusive marriage, no matter how much I love him. In Love With a Narcissist Dr. Zoe Answered:

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When I’m Worn Out, I Think About Who Planted Me

By Cherie Shaw / Faith

His name was James. He planted the blueberry bushes in our yard years ago, when our yard was his yard. I only spoke with him twice. During our first conversation, he introduced me to this yard I love, the yard he loved. He struggled through the effects of Parkinson’s as we walked the property on a cold January day. His plants were his heart, his love, and he wanted me to know where they slept under the snow. I followed his labored steps, listened, and took note of his descriptions and instructions. It was our changing of the guard, James and me. We sat around a table filled with contracts the second and last time I spoke with James. As we closed

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2 Ways to Break Free From Self-Sabotage

By Ashley Johnson / Purpose

In a podcast episode of This Grit and Grace Life, Julie and Darlene talk about ruts that women fall into. (You can listen to that episode here.) You know, those tricky little potholes we run over from time to time… Unfortunately, they often take us much longer to get out of than we’d care to admit. If you can relate and are currently stuck, I’d like you to know one thing: You’re not alone. Just because you’ve got company, though, doesn’t mean you should settle in. So, as our dear co-founder would say, “What’s a girl to do?” Let’s start by looking at two trenches women fall into… 1. The all-or-nothing mindset. It sounds good and noble to say, “I’m just an

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