I sat cuddled up with my daughter reading the ear worm of a book, Dr. Seuss's ABC's. Every page begins with Big A, little a (going through each letter of the alphabet) what begins with A? This question is followed by some ridiculous string of things that start with that particular letter. When we got to Big T, little t, what begins with T? Ten tired turtles on a tuttle tuttle tree, I started thinking about another meaning for Big T, little t which is the T that stands for trauma. 

Trauma is hard to ignore these days. The unspoken, and sometimes spoken, traumas that we all carry and have experienced over the last two years are very real and seem to be growing. The unthinkable trauma that the people of Ukraine are facing, the trauma related to an ongoing pandemic, the trauma from our past and even the trauma that years of dieting does to your body are just a handful of the traumas you and I have endured. 

What do we do with our Big and little T’s? Do we ignore...

Hey mama,

We made it to 2021! Do you feel like a champion for surviving 2020?

I wish that our reality was different, but we're still wearing masks, staying at home and watching the COVID death toll climb. I know you're exhausted and overwhelmed after a year of working harder around the house, taking in the news, worrying about your parents, yourself and your kids and taking in your part of racial inequalities in America. 

It's a lot and down right traumatic for many. 

While there's tremendous hope for the coming year, we're still "in it". In order to get through this, we're going to need all the energy, self care and health we can muster. And I'm not talking about monthly pedicures or a biweekly blowout. 

I'm talking about getting enough sleep, moving your body, practicing gratitude, having someone to talk to or connect with, laughing (start here) when you can and getting enough food. 

The diet industry knows that you're tired and your life feels out...