self-confidence

Childfree? Motherhood? You’re a Woman Either Way

| Gayle Katz

Childfree? Motherhood? You’re a Woman Either Way

childfree-or-motherhood-struggle

Whether to take on the challenge of motherhood or go childfree is a big decision. Scratch that. It’s the biggest decision of your life.

When I was younger my mom always told me, “When you grow up, you’ll get married and have a beautiful little girl just like I had.” Despite my mom repeating those words like a broken record for decades, I never felt passionate about having kids. I didn’t sweat it too much though.

 

Deciding whether or not to have a baby was something I would deal with later.

 

Honestly? I thought my feelings toward having kids would change as I got older or when found a good man to share my life with.

Well, when I got married to the man of my dreams in my late 30s, decision-time was upon me, well, us. Every time we would visit with either of our parents, the talk would eventually turn to having a baby.

 

I was well aware that my biological clock was tick, tick, ticking away.

 

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Starting Over Isn’t As Scary As You Think

| Gayle Katz

Starting Over Isn’t As Scary As You Think

Starting over. Caterpillar changes into a butterfly.

Nothing is going right. It seems like the world is against you. You can’t get motivated. And it’s just depressing.

Whatever you’re struggling with and however you’re feeling is mudding your state-of-mind, your body, and your life.

And it’s not an isolated incident. The rain cloud follows you every minute of every day and it’s consuming you.

When things get this bad, so bad that you have a tough time getting out of bed or you feel the need to fake happiness with your friends and family, you may need to step back for a moment and consider another way forward.

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Before Having a Baby to Please Someone Else – Read This Post

| Gayle Katz

Before Having a Baby to Please Someone Else – Read This Post

HavingABaby-WomenOnPhoneListeningToSomeoneElseTrust Yourself! Stop Making Decisions Based on What Other People Say

Having a baby is a big deal. It’s a decision that will impact your life in every way possible forever. Everything will change once you get pregnant so make sure you go into it with your eyes wide open.

Before having a baby because someone else or society says you should, think again. While you might believe you’re pleasing someone else by getting pregnant, remember it’s your life and your decision.

Will that person help you when you’re nauseated from morning sickness, in labor, and up at 4:00 AM with your baby?

Those are just some of the things that a new mom has to deal with on a daily basis. If you’re not ready for that type of commitment and 110 percent excited to have a baby, you might want to rethink your next steps.

Let’s look at it logically.

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No Motivation? 9 Ways to Get Your Groove Back in 20 Minutes or Less

| Gayle Katz

No Motivation? 9 Ways to Get Your Groove Back in 20 Minutes or Less

Cat lacking motivation

Sometimes you pop out of bed like toast, right? You got enough sleep or you’re excited about what’s planned for the day. These are the days I love because I feel productive and engaged.

On the other hand, there are other days when it’s tough to even fall out of bed. Maybe you didn’t get enough restful sleep, you ate something that disagreed with you, or you’re just lacking motivation. I know I’ve felt this way. How about you? Have you ever felt like you couldn’t even make it to the starting line let alone even think about the finish?

How do you get past your sluggishness? Or do you just drag yourself through your day? I’m not judging, but just slogging through your day, while it might be effective, won’t get you charged up and you’ll be counting the minutes until your day is over. That’s what a lack of motivation can do. I know. I’ve done it.

Instead of watching the clock click the seconds away, try something else to get yourself motivated and ready to tackle your day.

Here are the 9 ways I motivate myself into getting my day started, even if I’m not in the mood.

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You’re Fat! 7 Scary Effects of Fat Shaming Your Daughter

| Gayle Katz

You’re Fat! 7 Scary Effects of Fat Shaming Your Daughter

Fat shaming person on scale

This week’s post is a letter to all parents who have little girls. Don’t call your daughters fat. Don’t even think about it.

When I contemplate my childhood, the thing that stands out the most for me is my father criticizing my weight.

He didn’t just call me fat. I’ll give him credit. He was more creative than that. He called me names like “thunder thighs” and told me boys don’t date girls who are heavy. Not only that, but also he made me mow the lawn in the dead of summer in sweats so I would get exercise.

Equating exercise with mowing the lawn was a bad move. Building that connection between exercise and mowing the lawn only served to make me hate exercise even more than I already did. Have you ever mowed a lawn in the summer in sweatpants? It gets hot.

 

Dealing With My Weight Was a Nightmare

For a little girl blossoming into a young lady, dealing with my weight was a nightmare. And my father never truly understood the impact of his words and actions.

To be honest, I was so young I couldn’t even articulate how his criticisms made me feel. I just knew it wasn’t good. Plus this was the time before the concept of fat shaming was introduced into society.

Just so you know, I’m not going to whine through this entire article, but instead give concrete examples of why telling your daughter she’s fat – even if you think you’re being constructive or helpful – is not the right way to go.

I’m also going to end the article with a more positive way to get your daughter to lose weight without directly or indirectly fat shaming her.

 

What Happens When You Call Your Daughter Fat

With that said, here are 7 scary things that may happen to your daughter when you tell her she’s fat.

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Frustrated? 7 Ways to Kick It to the Curb & Feel Better

| Gayle Katz

Frustrated? 7 Ways to Kick It to the Curb & Feel Better

Frustrated girl screaming

You know that frustrated feeling.

Your alarm clock didn’t go off, had a fight with your significant other, spilled coffee on your new shirt, and you’re late to work because no one knows how to drive. You just want to scream!

And that’s only the half of it, right?

First, I want to share a little secret with you. You’re not alone. We all get that way sometimes and I’m here to tell you, it’s okay. Feeling frustrated is a bad feeling, but it’s still a feeling you should try to face head on or else it’ll fester inside you and make you feel worse, at least that’s been my experience.

 

Frustration is born out of helplessness and lack of control

 

While feeling frustrated doesn’t feel very good, probably because of the helplessness and lack of control that goes along with it, try your best to funnel your frustrated energies into something positive, constructive, and practical you do have power over.

If I make this sound simple, that’s not my intention. Breaking out of your frustrated funk is anything but easy although with some practice, you can make your frustration work for you instead of against you.

Typically when you’re feeling frustrated, you put all your energy into banging your head against the wall. Not literally of course, but, if you’re anything like me, you’ll keep thinking about it, internalize it, and keep dwelling on it until you’re beyond exhausted. I don’t know about you, but that seems like a waste to me.

 

Take your frustration and channel it into something positive

 

Instead of doing what you normally do when you’re frustrated, here’s what I do when I’m feeling frustrated and want to make myself and the situation better.

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Job Search Depression: 5 Ways to Prevent It or Recover From It

| Gayle Katz

Job Search Depression: 5 Ways to Prevent It or Recover From It

 

Woman experiencing job search depression

If you’re reading this article, you might be suffering from job search depression. If that’s an accurate assessment, I know how you feel.

Right now you’re at a job you don’t like, you’re underemployed and need another one to pay the bills, or you’re unemployed and searching for your next gig.

Maybe you’ve sent out resumes and cover letters like crazy or you’re selective on where you apply and nothing is happening no matter what you do and, let’s face it – you’re uneasy or maybe you’re depressed.

First of all, I hear you loud and clear and, believe it or not, I’ve been where you are right now on more than one occasion. It’s not easy, but you can pick yourself up, make some changes, and take control of your life.

 

How can you get the job search depression monkey off your back?

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9 Exciting Ways to Spice Up Your Relationship

| Gayle Katz

9 Exciting Ways to Spice Up Your Relationship (And Your Significant Other, Husband or Boyfriend Will Love Them Too!)

Loving couple - Spice up your relationship

Spice up your relationship. Haven’t thought about it in a while, have you?

As a result, you’re married or you’ve been dating for a while and the sizzle in your relationship has cooled off. You’re still attracted to each other, but something seems to be missing.

First of all, it could be that work is zapping your energy. Or maybe your parents are driving you crazy. You might not be eating the right foods or drinking enough water.

Consequently, with being on the go all the time and the stress that comes with pleasing everybody else, you might forget about your significant other, husband, or boyfriend, and that’s not good.

If this describes you, you definitely want to spend time reconnecting with your partner and rekindling the spark that brought you two together in the first place.

How? Good question. Keep reading and I’ll let you in on the secrets my husband and I use to spice up our own relationship.

Here are 9 things you can do today to spice up your relationship:

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4 Simple Ways I Built Up My Self-Confidence (and You Can Too!)

| Gayle Katz

4 Simple Ways I Built Up My Self-Confidence (and You Can Too!)

 

Woman working on her self-confidence.

Self-confidence is important. It’s one of those qualities that sustains you during the tough times and propels you further in good times. If you don’t have self-confidence or maybe you don’t have enough of it, everything can seem more daunting and scary, especially when things aren’t going your way.

Life is a bitch sometimes. People can be challenging. Your boss is disappointed in your work. Your mother just yelled at you. And your significant other is being difficult. Whoever or whatever you’re dealing with in your life, I get it. It’s not easy.

With all of these things happening, how are you feeling?

Are you struggling with self-confidence? We all do.

Do you doubt yourself? It even happens to the best of us.

What can you possibly do when it feels like nothing is going your way?

Instead of freaking out, being negative, and complaining about your lot in life, take a step back and refocus yourself on things that will help you take back your power and supercharge your self-confidence.

Ready to see the secrets of how I improved my self-confidence?

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