The Lincoln Park Conservatory is beautiful throughout the year but especially appreciated during the cold and dreary winter months.
Book Update with Title
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is Patience!”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Friends, I wrote a book. This morning, I sent it to my book editor. Now I wait for feedback and edits.
And I have a title! Wait for it…it’s a long one!
50 Ways to More Calm, Less Stress: Scientifically Proven Ways to Relieve Anxiety and Boost Your Mental Health Using Your Five Senses
More than 67 sources (that’s not a typo) generously shared their expertise and wisdom on 50 tips on how to calm our body and mind. 160 research studies and books are cited to support the tips and I seriously cannot wait for this book to be published and into people’s hands. I’ve learned so much and created a toolkit for myself on what works well for me. I hope it’ll do the same for those who pick it up.
As of right now, the expected publication date is August 2023 (yes, as in next year).
I sent an update to friends, family and the people I interviewed via email and if you’d like to stay abreast on any updates, please sign up for my newsletter.
In the meantime, I’d love to hear how you’re doing!
I hope you’re all having a wonderful summer so far. I’m so ready to unplug for a couple of weeks and just soak in the sunshine.
~Megy
2022 Word (s) of the Year and Book Update
Do you have a word or mantra that you want to carry you through in 2022? I have two words this year: Boundaries and Experiment.
Word(s) of the Year
Boundaries and Experiment as words of the year might seem at odds but they’re not.
I’ve learned over the year that I need to set boundaries. Not because people are steamrolling over me but because I need to do a better job at protecting my time, my resources, my mental bandwidth and my heart. That means less social media, less saying yes to things I don’t want to do (whether it’s work-related or personal) and saying yes to spending time with people who I care about and care about me.
Experiments because I want to stretch myself this year. I’m working on a full-length non-fiction book on how to calm our body and mind using our senses and backed by science. I want to try my hand at some creative pursuits. I’m completing challenges with friends (and even some strangers because, hey, why not?). I want to try new things that I’ve either postponed (because I didn’t have time, hence boundaries!) or something was holding me back.
Luckily I’m surrounding myself with close friends who are willing to be my rock, my sounding board, and my accountability masters. It’s humbling and wonderful when you find people who want to support you and help you find your best you.
Seeking Sources
Lastly, as I mentioned in last month’s blog post and sent via my email newsletter, I’m writing a book on how to calm our body and mind using our five senses and backed by science. I’m working on several chapters this month but as I’m looking ahead to chapters I plan to cover next month, I would love suggestions on either people who are practicing these activities or you have an expert who can speak on the science behind why these activities might be beneficial for our mind and body.
Sketching/drawing/doodling
Watercolor / painting
White noise
Use of floatation tank/floatation therapy
Massage
Aromatherapy
Gong meditation
If you don’t already receive my email, you can sign up for it here. This is how I hope to continue to request sources in the coming months as I continue to work on this manuscript. It’s due late spring so I need to stay focused and continue to write weekly.
Finally, because a few people have asked, I did complete my master gardener training last year! I finished my hours after completing the coursework in late 2020. Also, I am gardening this winter! With the help of some gardening friends, I’m trying my hand at winter sowing. Let’s see if they grow any seedlings to transplant come spring.
Happy new year, friends. Be well and stay safe.
Why I'm Choosing to Go With the Slow and My Winter Blues Toolkit
Fall is not my favorite time of the year, although I do love wrapping myself up in my cozy sweaters and breaking out my boots. Fall invites a slower pace, which I appreciate after a busy spring and summer in the garden, traveling to see family and friends and just enjoying the warmth of the sun and sunlight.
The limited or lack of sunlight has a strong effect on my mental health. Seasonal Affective Disorder affects about 5% of adults in the United States, according to the American Psychiatric Association, but even if we’re not diagnosed with SAD, depression during this time period due to lack of natural light is not uncommon.
I’ve been doing a lot of research on various types of ways to help calm our body and mind using our five senses since that’s the book I’m working on right now and talking to experts is helping me better identify things that might help me that I’ve never thought about trying.
One of those experts recommended I try light therapy.
I’ve written about the benefits of light therapy for Natural Awakenings magazine a couple of years ago and the idea of introducing a light for my fall and winter mornings was appealing. But for some reason, I didn’t.
This week, I spoke with a therapist who recommended those who struggle with the winter blues create a “toolkit” to help us get through these dreary seasons. The idea is if we can identify things we enjoy doing, make us comfortable or look forward to, we can reach for those things when we start to see the negative effects of those winter blues.
I started to think of things that make me happy or I can look forward to and started to jot them down. It was then I realized there are a lot of things I can do to help me get through this season. Might this be the year I embrace the cold and dreariness of Chicago’s fall and winter seasons? I don’t know but at least I’ve put together my toolkit to help me. 13 things because 13 is my favorite number. ;-)
Winter Blues Toolkit
1. Getting at least one 30-minute walk outside, no matter the weather
2. Cup of warm tea (my British cousins will love me for adding this since I’m a coffee fiend)
3. Warm bath
4. Wrap myself in a cozy blanket
5. Invest in light therapy (therapist is sending recommendations but if you have one you love, please let me know!)
6. Read my magazines that I’ve not had time to enjoy because of work commitments
7. Plan more dates with friends (schedule them in advance so I have a date to look forward to!)
8. Schedule time to visit a museum or visit the Garfield Park Conservatory (my favorite winter hotspot)
9. Clean/organize my space (generally, the idea of cleaning or organizing anything is not a source of pleasure but the slower pace of the season allows for reflection and introspection and going through my spaces and choosing to let go of things that no longer serve me or, to use a Marie Kondo phrase, brings me joy, is particularly therapeutic)
10. Plan a trip away – even if it’s to work from a different location (I’ve been spending a lot of time at Guild Row lately.), book a hotel as part of a staycation (this sounds kind of fun) or a place a couple of hours away to explore (something to look forward to in early February, for example, when the weather is really horrid and I feel like winter will never end)
11. Yoga, meditation and movement
12. Find events to attend, whether it’s an author reading, live performance or discussion I’m interested in
13. Use those creativity muscles to try something new
If you get hit with the winter blues, too, perhaps spending time developing your toolkit might help you, too. I’ll admit, it was a fun exercise to think about what I enjoy and listing them in this way.
I’d love to hear what things you do during the fall and winter months that you enjoy. Maybe I’ll give it a try this season!
Igniting Wonder with Mindfulness and Movement
Every year I use the new calendar year to identify my word of the year. My 2021 Word Of The Year is: Move. As in move my body, move the needle, move the project along, movement, you get the idea.
I also want to use movement to allow myself to observe things around me more closely. When I take a walk around my neighborhood, I want to navigate my space in a way that I can pause and take in my surroundings. Take it all in using all of my senses.
When we’re in dire need of a change of pace or scenery, to unwind or relax, we often try to escape from daily life. We’ll book a vacation or go on a hike in the woods or visit a museum. That physical space change was a welcome reprieve but as the global pandemic has shown us, some of those luxuries aren’t currently available to us right now and haven’t been for months.
"With mindfulness, you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment." - Thich Nhat Hanh
What I’ve learned over the past year is that we can ignite that same wonder we experience when we travel outdoors or out of our normal spaces in our own communities, in our backyards, in our homes. By tapping into our senses, we can appreciate the vibrant color of red berries on shrubs, the comforting smell of a hot cup of coffee in the morning, the way of body feels as we crush through the snow on an evening walk or how the soft blanket feels around our shoulders as we snuggle on the sofa with a book to read. Even the hum of the expressway or subway can be a welcoming sound to the psyche.
We’re surrounded by subtle wonders and we can choose where we place our attention. Do we hurry through our day without taking a pause and appreciating what we have or can we take a moment and be mindful of the space around us?
This is not to say we can or should abandon our responsibilities or work, obviously. That ever-consuming to-do list will still be there after we return from a calming walk. By taking a moment to honor your body and headspace, though, we can feel more nurtured, nourished and centered. And it might just give us the headspace we needed to be able to tackle something that has been particularly challenging thus far.
How are you practicing mindfulness these days? In what ways are you using your senses to invite more wonder and calm into your life? I’d love to hear from you!
On Not Living a Shorthand Life
Like many of you, I’ve begun to take a more critical look at how I’ve been using social media. I say this as someone who teaches graduate-level students about using social and digital media but also uses it professionally and personally. At one point can we walk away from platforms that have been designed to keep us engaged as long as possible, to the detriment of our IRL relationships and interested? For those of you who are unfamiliar with IRL = in real life. See? Our lives have become shorthand. I don’t want to live a shorthand life.
Earlier this year, I learned of two books: How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy and Do Nothing. Since I had a lot of time to, quite literally, do nothing once the coronavirus pandemic hit and we were forced to shelter-in-place, I began reading both.
Detoxing My Brain & Investing in Leisure
I need a break from a lot of things. I learned through Do Nothing that we often mask situations that need our attention by being “busy”. Sure, we can be busy with work but is it possible we’re adding more “busy” work than necessary? And how does doomscrolling help (hint: it doesn’t)?
Social media is a tough addiction to crack. As I said earlier, I teach on the topic, I use it for work, I use it to stay in touch with friends and family all over the world, I manage social media accounts for clients: I cannot escape it. I’m on it a lot – probably more than I need to be and I justify that because of what I do and how I use it. That’s not a good excuse. I can’t escape from using it from work but I can manage how I use it.
I started leaving my phone by my desk and not bringing it into my bedroom at night. That means I don’t wake up tempted to check email right when I wake up (or Twitter). Let me tell you, that habit has been and is still hard to break. It’s not been an easy road and this week, especially, I’ve broken my rule.
Still, I’ve been better at leaving my phone away from me during the day and evenings. When I take daily walks with my dog, I use that time to either enjoy the moment or catch up with friends by phone since we can’t see each other IRL. Talking is better than texting and I love hearing what my friends are doing to keep themselves sane during this time.
I’ve taken up indoor gardening and made new friends (shout out to Marius at Chicago Roots Hydroponics because I almost gave up on my new hydroponics garden!). I’ve been working on cleaning up our home, organizing stuff and throwing away a lot of things that needed to be discarded – and that has been more cathartic than I imagined.
As I share this, the United States has yet to announce our next president and that is weighing heavily on me and the rest of the country.
Forest Therapy Time
I don’t know what the rest of this year will bring but I do know I won’t find the answers on social media. Instead, I’ll continue to invest that time into more leisure time and spending it with those closest to me. And for those of you near me, holler if you want to take some walks in the park together. I’m planning to amp up my forest therapy sessions.
10 Things My Garden Taught My Business + July Updates
I knew gardening can be great for my mental health but I had no idea how many learnings I could take from the process and apply them to my business. Here are 10 things my humble garden has taught me and how I approach my business. Perhaps some might resonate with you, too.
Patience. I added a cattle gate to my yard and planted some jasmine and goldflame honeysuckle on either side. The idea is the vines will cover the gate and create a lovely and fragrant covering for a new sitting area. Turns out, while the vines are growing, they’re not growing super fast. When I asked my mom how long it might take for the gate to get covered, she told me it might be a couple of years. Years? I thought maybe by the end of the summer. “Patience,” she told me. “Things that matter don’t happen overnight.”
Diversity. I planted a lot of potatoes this year, mostly because I kept digging them up as I was prepping my garden and I figured, why not? I kept placing them in different spots in my garden and it turns out that was a genius idea because the one spot where I intentionally planted them and grew the plants indoors first have basically been decimated by some insect or other creature. I have no idea what’s feasting on the plants. But at least I planted some in other places as well as a ton of other types of fruits and vegetables so I should have plenty to harvest in the coming weeks and months and not have to rely on one source or plant.
Unexpected surprises! What’s really surprised me is how well my compost is growing! And by that, I mean the seeds from the compost have blossomed into tomatoes, cucumbers and some sort of squash (not sure what it is yet since its flowers are just starting to appear). We’re very active composters so I use our compost to fertilize our soil every year. This year, though, we have something like a dozen plants from our compost and I’m trying to keep them all alive. Some have begun bearing fruit so I’m excited about these “bonus” plants!
Rich Soil. Which leads me to another reminder: what we add into our work matters. In a garden’s case, the soil is so important. I knew soil was important but I didn’t realize how complicated soil structure was until this year. We took for granted that our home’s soil somehow was rich enough to grow plants well but when I started adding more raised beds, we had to be more mindful of the soil we added. Like in business, what we consume and with whom we network and associate matters. So much more than we think it does.
Experimentation. Normally, we grow what we love to eat: tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are among the staples. We always try something new (peanuts one year, okra last year) and sometimes those carry over. Last year’s okra was an abysmal failure but I was determined to try again. This year, they’re going crazy well. Which goes to show, you have to keep trying and experimenting. Sometimes you’ll fail. Keep at it. You might find yourself succeeding!
Community. Garden friends are among the best friends one can have! They’re so knowledgeable and generous. I’ve stumbled into a new group of friends who love gardening and nature as much as I do and it’s been nothing but wonderful.
Appreciation. While we belong to a CSA (community supported agriculture) and support our local farmers market, there is a new-found appreciation for what farmers go through to bring high quality and nutritious food to our table. Growing your own and seeing how much work goes into the process is humbling, to say the least.
Constant learning. Like any business, there is always something to learn with gardening. It’s never-ending. I might have some fun news to share next month (stay tuned – I’ll know more in a few weeks!) but, for now, I’m just taking it all in, asking questions and learning what I can about gardening, soil, managing weeds, dealing with aphids, etc. (see? never-ending!)
Nature therapy. During this stressful time, my garden and walking more has been therapeutic. Seriously, I needed my garden more than it needed me. I realize I may not have done as much as I did this year had it not been for the sheltering-in-place that happened and while it’s a horrible reason, I’m so grateful for my little plot of land and having the time and funds to contribute to its growth. It’s helped me reflect on my business and what I want out of life.
Satisfaction. Finally, like any good project makes you feel either during the process or when it’s done, there is immense satisfaction when it comes to gardening. From the prep stage, to the planting stage, to the harvesting stage! Heck, even weeding comes with its own set of satisfaction. (Who knew you could have deep thoughts doing this completely mindless task? It’s amazing and I highly recommend it!)
Some personal news! Starting next month, I’ll be teaching journalism courses at Lake Forest College as well as continuing to teach graduate students online at Johns Hopkins University. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity. Also, I’m working with a new humanities-based client and can’t wait to tell you more as we get past this onboarding phase. There are a few more things in the works both personally and professionally but I prefer to keep things quiet until they’re confirmed but suffice to say if these things shake out, I’ll be excited to share more details with you this fall.
In the meantime, I’m staying busy taking as many mental health break walks throughout the day as I can and listening to my podcasts. If you have any good ones you’ve been tuning into, please share with me! Two I’m excited to start listening to again because they have new episodes coming up are The Dream or Last Seen.
I hope you’re doing well and staying safe. If I can do anything to help, please do reach out.
Tomatoes Hate Cucumbers, Carrots Love Tomatoes, And Why I'm Digging Deep This Spring
Happy May, my friends!
Until last month, I’ve never heard of a potato tower. Or that tomatoes hate being planted next to cucumbers. Or carrots like tomatoes as neighbors. But thanks to a bit more time on my hands due to the coronavirus pandemic, I’m trying to keep myself busy and soak up all I can from gardening friends, old and new.
In between writing some articles I was assigned PC (Pre-Coronavirus) and handling some client work, I was getting my hands dirty, planting some seeds from a new-to-me friend from a local neighborhood gardening group. Someone in the group asked if it was too late to start growing seeds indoors (something I’d never done) and she was told not at all. That made me think — hey, why not try something new this season? So I reached out to Christine, who apparently is the seed keeper for the group, and she kindly shared half a dozen different types of plant seeds with me. Later that week, into the soil they went and I’ve been babying them ever since. Within a week, the first seedling made its appearance and I kid you not, I cried. It was the first hopeful thing I’d experienced in a long time. My babies are growing.
I decided I was going to go all-in this season. Upon my brother’s recommendation, I purchased a warming pad for my seedings. My gardening group recommended a grow light to help so I invested in one of those, too. Now, every morning, I turn both of those on and talk to my babies. I’ve learned about needing to “harden” the seedlings so I can prepare them for transplanting them outdoors. I picked up Fran Sorin’s book, Digging Deep, and participated in my first Zoom chat with fellow gardeners.
This month is my 13th year in business. Thirteen years, my friends. I’m so grateful for my family, friends, clients, editors, fellow writers, and former colleagues, who have helped me get to this milestone. Thirteen years I’ve had the pleasure to learn and grow from each and every single person I’ve met. How much my business will grow this year financially is still up in the air, but as far as I’m concerned, I’ll keep growing and learning as long as I’m able to do so. Right now, I’ve just shifted my time and energy so I can spend more time learning about my garden and what it wants and needs. Later this month, I’ll be transplanting my babies into my raised beds and hope they are hardened enough to make it so they can continue to grow and produce fruits and vegetables.
I’m going to record my progress on my Instagram account if you have any interest to follow it. I’m doing it more for myself and to see how my garden grows throughout the summer.
Do you have any good books or articles for me to read or videos watch? I’ve also been listening to a few podcasts, including The Mike Nowak Show (with Peggy Malecki), Bloom and Grow Radio, and Plantrama.
By the way, here’s a great cheat sheet list of plants that grow well together as well as a list of their garden foes, thanks to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Or, pick up Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening.
It's April. We're Here.
It’s April. Tulips and daffodils are growing in my garden. Let’s hope this month treats us better than March. I hope you’re healthy and staying well as we all do our best during this coronavirus pandemic. In case you care about what I’ve been up to during these past few weeks:
Book I’m reading or recently finished reading (what day is today?):
Plants as Therapy. This book was recommended to me by Lisa Edlred-Steinkopf, also known as The Houseplant Guru. I interviewed Lisa for a story on houseplants that published in the March issue of Natural Awakenings magazine: Channeling Your Inner Botanist. I’m reading a chapter every morning as a form of therapy and I cannot tell you how much I’m enjoying it. The book may have published in 1976 but it’s as relevant today as it was back in the 70s.
Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators by Ronan Farrow. My friend Hilary Shenfeld recommended She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, which was great. This book is along the same lines. I’m having a harder time reading this one right now just because it’s not really an uplifting book but I’m going to try and get through it because my friend Delphine and I started a virtual book club and we’re supposed to discuss it mid-April. Gotta get moving on reading it!
Podcasts I’m loving right now
Brought To You By by Business Insider. Ever knew Marlboro cigarettes were originally marketed to women? Or why red M & M’s disappeared in the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s? Or who was the woman who put Veuve Clicquot champagne on the map? If you love marketing and advertising stories, this is a fun one to subscribe to.
Poetry Unbound by OnBeing. Thanks to my friend Tracy Seglin Marks who recommended this one because I can listen to this poet/host read poems all day long. He has such a way of reading them that is meditative but I also love how he takes the time to discuss the poem he reads and asks listeners to reflect on a question that brings us back to the poem.
In Defense of Plants. I’m starting to sense a theme here.
Netflix and Chill. Man, I can’t remember the last time I’ve sat on the couch to watch anything on the boob tube since before we had kids. Or at least anything for more than an hour.
Mad Men. I didn’t watch Mad Men when the series ran from 2007-2015 but since Netflix released all seven seasons and 92 (!!!) episodes, it was a great time to binge on this series. I’ll admit, it brought me back to my agency days which was a fun reminder of that love/hate relationship between the Accounts side (where I lived) and the Creatives. While we didn’t drink and smoke as much as the characters of this show did, we did have booze accounts and there was always something cold on tap to enjoy. Gosh, I seriously miss those days. I enjoyed the earlier seasons than the latter ones and I’m glad I finally watched this series, even if was a decade behind.
Tiger King. Finally watched this monstrosity because it seemed like everyone except us watched it. What a friggin’ train wreck.
I’m taking a break from watching anything right now and going back to reading and writing. I think I’ve had my fill for a while. Unless you have a recommendation? If so, email me!
Decluttering: While most places aren’t accepting donations at this time, you can still do some spring cleaning and set aside donations for when we get out of this nightmare we’re living.A friend recently shared the Decluttr app that accepts some books, CDs, DVDs, games and other types of technology such as smartphones and computers. Instead of hauling all of these items to a resale shop, you can scan your items and it’ll tell you right then and there if it’s worth anything. I sent about 16 books and $13.06 was deposited into my bank account. It’s not a ton of money but it’s also 16 fewer books in my house so I’m happy. If you choose to try this and use my link, you’ll get $5 and I’ll get $5. I think. I’ve never actually tried to use this link since I just did this last month.
Some places like Open Books aren’t doing pick-ups of donations but are still (for now, as of April 1, 2020) accepting book donations at their drop-off locations. We might do a drive-by since we have 6 Bankers Boxes filled with book donations (and that’s not even a fraction of what we still have at home and for our Little Free Library, which has been getting a TON of use during we’re all sheltering-in-place right now).
Writing. Despite all of this, I’m writing. Not as much as I was but I’m still doing my morning journaling, which become my form of daily meditation. I’m also wrapping up a book-length project for a client (ghostwriting / book coaching) and working on another book-length project. It’s going slowly, but I’m happy to make as much progress as I can on a daily basis. And that’s fine with me.
Be well, my friends. And, as always, if I can help you in any way, please reach out.
