http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blogBLOG RSSSun, 09 Oct 2022 21:32:07 GMTSun, 09 Oct 2022 21:32:07 GMThttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/pivotFrom a young age, I learned quickly how to pivot. How to go with the flow as they say. I like to think that I am rather good at it. Until I hit a road block and things take a sharp turn in directions I have never been. Mostly, when something happens that physically impairs me. When I feel physically strong, I also feel mentally strong. So, when one part is suddenly taken down, the other goes with it.This happened recently where I was physically taken down. Something that should have been quiteMon, 11 Mar 2024 18:54:09http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/pivothttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/lessons-i-learned-for-practicing-the-pauseJanuary has come to an end. Our focus at Tank Tops and Sweaters for January has been practicing the pause. Today I took a few moments to look back at this month and think about what I have learned from practicing the pause. Here are a few:1. Pausing helps regulate my nervous system, keeping me out of fight or flight.  I have noticed that when I feel my anxiety rise in a situation or I feel myself stuck, all I need to do is pause. When I pause and breathe, move my body, or close my eyes andMon, 05 Feb 2024 19:13:27http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/lessons-i-learned-for-practicing-the-pausehttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/pauseOh January, the month of fresh starts, decluttering, new planners, new routines, and new goals. It sounds great in December, but once January hits its actually quite overwhelming for me. I feel like I need some recovery time after the holidays (the week in between Christmas and New Year wasn’t enough). I have this vision in my head the come January 1st my house needs to be clean and organized, my days planned out perfectly in a new planner, and my new routines flawlessly in place. Wow, I don’tFri, 12 Jan 2024 13:09:27http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/pausehttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-rollercoaster-has-begunTime was ticking away and I felt my waist growing with each minute passing. That is literally how I felt. The time had come to put on the swimsuit I bought during the summer in the one size bigger. It was too tight. I wanted to scream every curse word that was running through my brain! Along with the thousands of questions of how I even got to this point! Instead, I took a deep breath and reminded myself that this is part of the ever changing process that every woman has to go through. We eitherMon, 27 Nov 2023 20:36:15http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-rollercoaster-has-begunhttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-broken-sand-dollarIt is a beautiful morning to walk on the beach. The beach is nearly empty, the breeze is cool, the saltwater waves sing a beautiful tune as the waves crash on the shore, the sky is blue and the sun is shining. To me a walk on the beach is a healing walk. It’s a time to let my mind wander and to take in the beauty of where the land meets the sea.This morning I came across a broken sand dollar. It brought up so many memories and emotions in a quick moment. I literally had to stop and pause. ATue, 14 Nov 2023 12:32:12http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-broken-sand-dollarhttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/suffering-in-silenceToday is World Mental Health Day. It has been on my mind a lot lately. Can this day really raise the awareness we desperately need in this world right now? How can I be part of raising awareness? Can I really change anything or make a difference? Why is it such a stigma? All those thoughts were racing through my head last night as I tried to go to sleep. I have been working on my own mental health for years and I am so grateful for the support of my family and therapist. But it wasn’t alwaysWed, 11 Oct 2023 09:44:23http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/suffering-in-silencehttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/belongingPicture this: You walk into a room full of people you know for a formal dinner, as you look around most of the people are wearing black, white, dark blue. You look down at the hot pink dress you are wearing and you think “do I belong here?” You know the views and opinions of some of this group do not match up with yours. This is where the worry loop starts, should I have worn black, should I nod and agree even though I really don’t? You know, the list goes on. But if I fit in and belong to thisTue, 26 Sep 2023 19:08:03http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/belonginghttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-pressure-is-realI’m going to go into parent mode for a moment. The pressure that our kid’s generation is facing is unreal! It is seriously no wonder why their mental health is in crisis. And that perfectionism is so high! It is incredibly present in our household, because our high school senior is getting ready to apply to colleges.What I have noticed is that it is all about the perception that is “floating” out there about having to ‘check’ off all the boxes and making sure that you are what’s called ‘wellWed, 20 Sep 2023 11:41:48http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-pressure-is-realhttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-struggle-is-realI’m gonna be honest, the struggle is real over here. August is hard. Not only is it as hot as hell here in Florida, but with back to school, college move-ins, and delusions of a perfect organized house and an efficient schedule, the expectations I put on myself can be a tad overwhelming.Waking up this morning was hard. Wednesdays are long busy days so Thursday mornings I really just want to stay in bed. I have a morning with no appointments or clients but a list so long I dread even lookingMon, 21 Aug 2023 16:05:09http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-struggle-is-realhttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/sitting-in-the-uncomfortablenessWe have all been there. Dealing with something we don’t want to, or being forced to deal with it. Either way, we do anything and everything to avoid it. Distractions, ignoring, trying to push it off to the side or to the deepest depths of our minds. Yet, at some point it pushes back and smacks us upside the head. Fear, anxiety, doubt, guilt, dread, heartache, loneliness, a sense that you are not worthy, etc. can come flooding in. And it can be very painful, and very uncomfortable.But what ifWed, 19 Jul 2023 16:57:53http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/sitting-in-the-uncomfortablenesshttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/living-in-the-moment-but-howI am always flustered by the quotes I see about living in the moment and being present. It sounds so amazing and yet unattainable.“Where ever you are be all there.” “The art of life is to live in the present moment.”Yes! I want to do that! I want to soak up every moment, take in every ounce of joy and sorrow, be completely focused on what is happening right now. It sounds like such a gift that comes easily to most people. I have not found it easy. Living with anxiety means my brain is in aSat, 08 Jul 2023 15:35:09http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/living-in-the-moment-but-howhttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/letting-goLetting go is something we all do in different ways. It can be emotions, situations, drama, plans that you made, a favorite thing, or a narrative that plays in your head, etc. We do this act many times over, but it doesn’t mean that it gets easier. Especially when there is a narrative that plays over and over in your head. Some minds don’t want to let go. Sometimes there is too much emotion wrapped up in it. And sometimes we just believe in that narrative.I found myself caught in a narrativeTue, 13 Jun 2023 18:37:17http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/letting-gohttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/lessons-in-letting-goWhen we talk about letting go it brings so many things to mind, like letting go of the past, letting go as your children grow and fly, letting go of anger or toxic emotions, letting go of possessions that no longer serve you, letting go when someone leaves us. There are always a lot of emotions that come with letting go from joy to sorrow, relief to pain, and everything in-between.May seems to be a time when letting go comes to the forefront of our minds. The ending of a school year andMon, 05 Jun 2023 16:47:37http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/lessons-in-letting-gohttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/changing-into-springI know Spring is starting, when I take a walk outside and the air is not so cold. The smell changes from crisp to earthy. And I can see buds on the trees and bushes. Suddenly there is growth pushing up from the ground, and before you know it color starts to come to life in little patches here and there. It’s as if nature is giving us glimpses of hope and what is to come.The daffodils and tulips are abundant this year, and they are spreading color everywhere! They truly amaze me every time. TheSat, 29 Apr 2023 15:21:44http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/changing-into-springhttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/springSpring always comes so fast, especially here in Florida! Not that we mind, it really is the best time of year here. We all just wish it would last a little longer. The evenings are a beautiful time to sit outside and enjoy the warm, but not yet steaming weather. The trees seem greener, the flowers are blooming, the bees and butterflies are flying around, and anticipation for summer is in the air.Every time I hear about spring it’s “Spring Cleaning” or “new beginnings”. We talk about cleaningSat, 08 Apr 2023 15:41:53http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/springhttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/changeFrom a young age, I learned pretty quickly that I had to go with the flow to keep life moving. And control was not something I tried to master. Life experiences and situations came and went and I needed to either flow with them or be stuck by them. I hated the feeling of being stuck, so going with the flow was something I embraced.Change can be exciting, growth, new perspective, moving forward. Or it can be overwhelming, terrifying, and uncomfortable. Really, it is up to us to decide which wayThu, 23 Mar 2023 22:33:17http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/changehttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-words-we-carryOur self talk, that chatter that runs through our minds, impacts us every day. It not only impacts ourselves but those around us too. I think about the words I carry in my head, the consistent words that stick out in my self-talk. The negative ones that seem so much more powerful than the positive ones. They hang around like heavy baggage.A few words that have stuck with me for so long are “You are not enough,” “Do More,” and “Who do you think you are?”.Those negative words have been with meTue, 07 Mar 2023 15:44:47http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/the-words-we-carryhttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/my-heart-journeyWhen I was 17 years old I was dancing at dance camp when I leaped across the floor and landed with my heart beating uncontrollably out of my chest. I couldn’t breathe and collapsed to the floor. It was my first “attack”. The ride in the ambulance to the hospital was life changing with my heart full on stopping and the blackness of unconsciousness taking over. When my heart started to beat once more and I took a big breath of oxygen, I thought I was over it and would be fine. No one at theSun, 12 Feb 2023 21:35:49http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/my-heart-journeyhttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/life-is-not-an-instagram-post​We all know life is not an Instagram post. Yet, for some reason we tend to compare life experiences by them. We all know that Instagram posts show pretty much the best moments of our lives. Why would we want people to see the hard times, the frustrating moments, or the really embarrassing things? We know this but we still often compare and find ourselves coming up short. Instagram posts are only small snapshots of the bigger story.Our most recent story was a college tour with our youngest,Mon, 30 Jan 2023 01:37:05http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/life-is-not-an-instagram-posthttp://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/new-years-perspectiveAs the countdown begins, I feel myself pulling the covers over my head and sinking down into the solitude of my blanket fortress. For some the New Year is exciting and a fresh new start! For others, it can be stressful and anxiety filled. It signals that change is coming.Looking back at the year can cause much stress at the fact that you did not accomplish all the goals and resolutions that you made. So, why are we setting ourselves up for a perfectionist point of view? And instead of lookingSun, 15 Jan 2023 18:11:16http://tanktopsandsweaters.com/blog/new-years-perspective