January 2015 Challenge Group

Guys, I am so excited for this announcement. Today, marks the debut of two challenge groups! What are challenge groups, Jess? Well, Friend. I am so glad you asked.

Challenge groups are how we, as a community, support each other's commitment to whole health just by hopping on Instagram or Facebook. Check it out!

3/30

3/30 is the only on-going challenge group. We all know why fitness matters. But just because you can't work out 7 days a week...or don't want to (<<me), doesn't mean that you can't work out at all. Even walking around your neighborhood is better than sitting on your couch. 3/30 is all about getting moving 3 days a week, 30 minutes each time. Find what works for you! Walking your dog, playing tennis, fitness DVD's or going to the gym, it doesn't matter so long as you get out there.

Start Date: December 10, 2014

Monthly Challenge Groups

MPS Health is a holistic approach broken into four parts:

1. Mental Health
2. Physical Health - Nutrition
3. Physical Health - Fitness
4. Spiritual Health

Each month, we focus on a different area, cycling through each of them three times within a year.

January 2015 Challenge Group - The 5 Things Challenge

So by following that schedule, January kicks off with a mental health challenge! This one is called the 5 Things Challenge.

When I started going to counseling, this was one of the first techniques I learned that taught me how to consistently prioritize myself. Life will always be full of highs and lows, but when I'm stuck in a low it's usually because I've forgotten to take care of myself. And isn't that true for all of us? No matter what walk of life we're in, we're so easily caught up in the tyranny of the urgent. Taking care of other people and their problems is our first nature, not our second.
So here's the challenge: Every day, write down five things that you did for you. It doesn't have to be big. Often mine include cleaning and showering, because those are my triggers. But even if it's at the end of the day, when everything is already said and done, the simple act of writing them down and mentally recategorizing those activities, trains you to think of and take care of yourself first.

Start Date: January 1, 2015

How can I join?

Ready to join? Don't worry, you don't need to remember another password! Just check in on Instagram or Facebook using our unique hashtag. Start by giving a shout out to #mpshealth and then add on the hashtag for your unique challenge group. Make sure to use both hashtags!

3/30 Challenge Group: #330
January '15 Challenge Group - The 5 Things Challenge:  #my5things

See you soon!

MPS Health ~ What It's All About!

MPS Health stands for Mental, Physical, & Spiritual Health. And although PMS Health probably would have been a more eye-catching name, I chose MPS because I've experienced how well these pieces build on top of each other to create a better quality of life.

Let me explain.

I've tried before to lose weight, to eat better, and to figure out what my relationship with God looks like: all while ignoring my mental health. And though I've had some successes, it's been like trying to gently roll over a speed bump only to slide backwards at the peak. I just never had enough oomph to keep moving forward.

Whether you struggle with depression and anxiety or not, everyone has baggage; and for me, counseling has been my place to sort through that baggage. There, I've developed a concept that I call "emotional bandwidth". #Millennial. Ha ha ha.

What "emotional bandwidth" means to me, is acknowledging that I can do anything, but I can't do everything. After all, I only have so much mental space and energy to give! But it also means that the less I have buzzing in the background, the more "bandwidth" I have available. 

 

I've been turning down that white noise by constructing boundaries that work for me. And now? As I'm practicing healthy mental habits, I've been able to put more time into my fitness and nutrition: stress-free! And after a couple months of good mental and physical habits, the door has been opening in my heart to start healing spiritually.

 

So, while MPS Health, isn't a replacement for counseling, it is here to be a resource, a support, and an encouragement as you work towards a healthier you. That's why, I'm so excited to announce...

 

 



Stay tuned...

 



My Story

I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety since my teenage years. When, I was sixteen, I put myself in the hospital with severe back pain and numbness in my limbs: all stress-induced. Although I didn’t have another major physical incident like that, the next seven years were a series of fresh starts and relapses, as I stumbled around my own recovery.

Every couple of years, I would reach a new level of improvement: Being able to walk in our apartment without tripping over piles of stuff. Cooking once or twice a week. I ran my first Tough Mudder. Trying to find a church. But while my marriage was growing stronger for all the tribulation, as individuals, Keaton and I were weakening. We were so lonely, and each fresh start sapped energy that we were quickly running out of.

By fall of 2013, I remember sitting on our bed, late at night, terrified that there was something really wrong with me. I was in tears, thinking I might need medication that I really didn’t want and that we really couldn’t afford. And I knew I wasn’t the only one. Just beyond my own fog, I could see my husband struggling to keep afloat too.

That was a year ago. Now? I’ve been in counseling for six months, and Keaton for four. Now my tears are happy ones, because we’re completely different people. We are surrounded by our beautiful friends and family. Investing in ourselves and our future, and able to laugh and play with our children. It’s hard to believe all that has happened in the past year.

My unhealthiness eclipsed my life. And as I’ve worked on my mental health, it’s made room for me to work on my physical health. And as my mind and my body are healing, it’s opening the door for me to heal spiritually too.

I’ve learned the value of putting myself first. Of living by grace, and loving myself. And I think most importantly, I’ve learned that choosing to be healthy doesn’t mean jumping from one extreme to the other. Your health must be personalized to your goals, and taken just one step at a time.

This balanced priority on my health enables me to enjoy living the life I want to the fullest. And this is what I want to share with you.

Hello World!

 



"Read critically, write consciously, speak clearly, tell your truth."

-Clint Smith 

 



As a copywriter, it's my job to fill in blanks online. Where a website needs content, there I am. I've written and edited many blog posts, filled in that "about us" section, taken abstract thoughts and made them marketable. It's been my job to share someone else's story.

And in all that writing, I never considered sharing my own story. I couldn't imagine what I would write about! But, a week or two ago, I was listening to this TED talk about the dangers of keeping silent. The speaker is a teacher and he has these four core principles posted on a board in his classroom: Read critically, write consciously, speak clearly, and tell your truth. At the beginning of each year he has his students sign the board as a pledge to honor a culture of safe sharing within the classroom.

That really challenged me! Where did I fit on that spectrum?

Did I read critically? Check. My family is big on critical thinking, and I love being a responsible consumer of information. Do I write consciously? Check. Do I speak clearly? Haha. My loved ones are perhaps a little too familiar with my clarity.

But I wasn't sharing my truth. I wasn't sharing my heart, my perspectives, my experiences. I've only ever shared someone else's truth. And that's about to change

Thanks for hopping on this crazy train with me!