Category: death

Poodle Science: Accepting Who We Are
blog · Change · death · depression · domestic violence · Mental Health · self care · sexual abuse · shame · suicide · trauma

Poodle Science: Accepting Who We Are

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Hey Everyone, after a year long hiatus, I am back. I’ll be sharing stories, tips, and other useful information that will hopefully leave you a bit better off than when you started reading this blog. So, on with the show.

Diet Culture

Did you know that the diet industry is a $70 billion, that’s billion with a B, industry? Did you also know that 95% of diets fail? I’ll let that sink in for a second!

People spend more than $70 billion in a year on a product that will fail more than 95% of the time! Would you buy a car that wouldn’t work 95% of the time, a house that had a 95% chance of collapsing into a pile of rubble, or buy clothes that had a 95% chance of falling apart on the first wear? Of course not! Yet that’s what millions of people in America do each and every single day when they go on a diet. They’ll spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on something that will ultimately fail them.

Poodle Science

When I begin treatment with clients who have an eating disorder, like Anorexia; Binge Eating Disorders; or Bulimia, one of things I introduce to clients is Poodle Science. I was introduced to this concept by Tianna Smith, a a wonderful dietitian based in California. For the non-dog lovers out there, a Bullmastiff is a HUGE dog that usually weighs 100 pounds or more while a Chihuahua is a small dog that usually weighs around 6-7 pounds. Because of genetics, it would not matter what kind of diet or exercise you did with a Bullmastiff, it would NEVER weigh anywhere close to the 6-7 pounds of Chihauhua. Not only that, that Bullmastiff would probably be pretty miserable from the lack of food and constant exercise. And yet, it would never come close to having the bodily figure of a Chihuahua.

When I work with my clients in therapy, I talk to them about Poodle Science because the same concept applies to humans. We have a biological blueprint based on our genetics that determines the shape and size of our body. Some people will naturally be 100 pounds while others will naturally be 150 pounds or more. Like the Bullmastiff and the Chihuahua, it’s an impossible fight for a 150-pound person to try and get down to 100 pounds. All you will do is fail, be miserable, and in some cases do incredible harm to your body.

Accepting Your Biological Blueprint

After explaining Poodle Science to my clients, I then work with them in therapy to help them accept that they are beautifully unique individuals no matter the shape or size that their genetics have given them. By accepting their biological blueprint and working with me on techniques like Intuitive Eating, my clients begin to lead happier and healthier lives! So, the next time you see or hear the diet culture in the media, brush it aside and be proud of the beautiful body you have!

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blog · cancer · death

2021 Began With A Goodbye

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The monstrosity that has been 2020 ended with the very sad passing of a childhood friend’s father. As I sit down to write, I have just returned home from his viewing. It is New Year’s Day, the day that most people create fresh starts for themselves, trying to say hello to new habits and goodbye to less desirable ones. Unfortunately, many of us from my small town have found ourselves welcoming the new year with a painful goodbye.

Death is one of those subjects that I avoid thinking about, unless, of course, I’m in the middle of a panic attack, convinced everyone around me is going to die (anxiety, am I right?!). But here I am, on New Year’s Day, looking death in the face and grappling with what it all means. My dear friend’s father was taken by cancer in what felt like the blink of an eye. This is a man who has watched me grow up, from attending all our soccer games as kids right down to the day we graduated high school and beyond. I have countless fond memories of this man, who was a tried and true cowboy until the very moment he passed.

But why did he pass? Why now? Why do my dear friend, her dear sister, and her dear mother have to say goodbye to someone they loved so much? It’s times like this when I cannot make sense of it all. There are so many theories out there about how you can “manifest” your own healing, even when it comes to cancer. I’ve ready so many stories in which people say that after they were diagnosed with cancer, they fought like hell and never accepted death; and because of their tenacity and positivity, they beat cancer, even in the most grim of circumstances.

So what gives, huh? Is it a “great spirit” that heals cancer? Because this man had it. Is it a positive attitude? Because he had that too. Do you need to be a believer in Jesus to be saved from cancer? Because let me tell you, this man loved the Lord. As a teenager, when I would have sleepovers at my friend’s house, I was always impressed by his work ethic, the perpetual pep in his step, and the way he always greeted me with a “Hey baby! How you been?! God bless, baby, god bless!” and a hug so tight you’d nearly get the wind knocked out of you. When it came to positivity, this man did not appear to be slacking one single bit. So why? Why did he have to leave now, when he still had so much left to tend to here on earth? He wasn’t anywhere close to slowing down in life! In fact, this man had more soul and spirit than could possibly fit into a secular body….

….and maybe that’s the point. Maybe he had so much soul, so much spirit, so much love to give that his time on earth had ended and he was needed elsewhere. Maybe his soul simply outgrew his physical body and therefore, it was his time to pass. I have always believed that your body is a vessel for your soul. And while your body may die, your soul never does.

While my heart is broken over the pain that my dear friend and her family are enduring in the wake of their loss, I am also acutely aware of the irony of beginning the new year with a goodbye. Jesus, God, the universe, or whatever deity you might believe in truly doesn’t care about the minute in which 11:59pm one year turns into 12:00am the next year.

Every minute matters. Every day counts. A resolution on New Year’s Day is no more special than a resolution on a Tuesday afternoon in the middle of July. And while so many resolutions tend to be centered toward weight-loss, 2021 reminds me that this body that you’re in is merely a vessel. With that being said, if you have a resolution for this year, I encourage you to make it something soul-changing, not body-changing. Resolve to be more present with your loved ones. Resolve to tap into that artistic talent you’ve always known you’ve had. Resolve to volunteer at an animal shelter or food pantry. Whatever it may be, feed your soul and the souls of others. Live so beautifully that it becomes contagious to the ones around you.

After all, that’s how my friend’s father lived. And in doing so, he has made himself an eternal light to all of us.

Rest in peace to the cowboy who was loved by all.