I was reading your responses to this week's community spotlight and one of you shared that you're scared of getting massages. And oh honey, you've met your match. My husband, god bless him, surprised me with a massage the night we got engaged. We were scheduled to have dinner, and he booked me one right before. Because what else would your date want other than to ruin her hair and makeup right before going to a fancy restaurant? I walk into a room in the middle of the mountains overlooking a forest, and the masseuse is standing there as I walk in. After some awkward silence, I thought asking where I should undress would be enough to prompt her to step out. To which she replied, “Here at {insert spa name} we stay in the room with you as you undress.” Oh okayyy. |
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I had never received a massage and thought this was just part of the lovely experience I was dreading all night. I stripped all the way down into my birthday suit and awkwardly hopped on the leather massage table. Ten minutes in and I'm confused why she's massaging EVERYTHING. I'm failing to see how a complete stranger groping your naked body is supposed to be relaxing. And then I started to wonder if her back hurt from standing all day, and was worried if her arms were tired. And then I wondered if my body was normal or gross to touch and if my face looked weird while I was laying there. Do normal people think these things while getting massages? Or is your mind a complete blank? Needless to say, I failed to reach a state of relaxation. And once it was over, I was relieved. That night at dinner I made my husband promise never to do that to me ever again. Two wine glasses and a proposal later, I had temporarily forgotten about my experience. But ask me to get a massage today? No thank you. I'd rather schedule a root canal. |
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Weekly fun fact you didn't ask for |
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Weekly Community spotlight |
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I asked you to share something that scares or intimidates you that you think most people do without a second thought. I've shared some of the most repeated ones below. |
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I came across a video on Instagram this week that I found really powerful--especially if you're someone that experiences occasional anxiety. It's a therapist holding a rainbow telling you to imagine that it's all the layers of your life. “Let's say you start to get anxious about big social events like weddings, so you start to avoid them (removes layer of rainbow) then the anxiety arrives when you're out with friends so you start avoiding that (removes another layer). Then being in restaurants, supermarkets, the gym, public transport, then answering the door and even speaking on the phone (removing many layers). Now when you avoid all the things that make you anxious, before you know it, your life starts to shrink. And it feels like you'll never be able to cope doing all those things again. And it's true if you try to do it all at once you most likely will feel overwhelmed and give up. So instead, you take one thing that feels most manageable at the time, and you start challenging yourself to take that piece of your life back (brings back layer of rainbow). Then you take the next thing (continues to add layers), then the next thing. And you don't have to flood yourself with fear. You take your life back, layer by layer.” I found this incredibly inspiring. |
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Tweets/threads that made me giggle |
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What you missed on Instagram |
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*thank you to everyone that always likes and comments on my posts, it helps me immensely, and I'm incredibly grateful. |
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Other things I loved this week |
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*This section contains affiliate links. That means, while it's the same price for you, I get a very small commission out of it that helps my family and me. |
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If you're new here, I love it when you respond to these emails. I feel less like a robot. And if you missed last week's email, I've shared it HERE. |
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If you missed the meaning behind “Merci Ktir," click here. |
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