Health – Page 2 – Melissa Schlies

Five of Our Favorite Meal Planning Tips

About three weeks into our marriage, Tony and I had a serious conversation about how our life together would go. It was about food. And it happened when a lot of these types of discussions occur; not when we were refreshed and happy, but when we were both tired and hungry. We’d just gotten home from work. I did not have the will to cook. He was willing to cook but didn’t know what we should make. And, for what was probably the second time that week, I suggested takeout. That is when Tony decided to draw a line in the [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-05-16T19:43:59+00:00May 17th, 2021|Categories: Balance, Habit Making, Health, Marriage, Practice, Routines, Self Care|2 Comments

The Routines Women Struggle With Most

Yesterday was Mother’s Day here in the US. This means, last week, I was out looking for cards to send to some special women in my life who are known to a few as, “Mom.” And at the store, there was an entire aisle full of pink and flowery cards to choose from. Some were simply stated. While others thanked mothers for all the ways they’ve sacrificed for the sake of their children. Giving of yourself for the sake of others is beautiful. Though I’m not a mom myself, I can appreciate the incredible things parents do for their children. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-05-09T16:24:18+00:00May 10th, 2021|Categories: Adulting, Balance, Body Image, Habit Making, Health, Loneliness, Practice, Routines, Self Care|Comments Off

Five Routines Worth Revisiting This Season

Sometimes, when I talk about routines, I feel what I imagine my mom must have felt when she used to tell us to eat our vegetables. Like I am encouraging you, my online friends, to finish your spinach. I’m so the life of the party. Routines can feel as interesting as eating broccoli, but I have to tell you—when I find myself in a good daily rhythm, life feels more like cake and ice cream. There’s less pushing through. Instead, when I am practicing the right routines, there is more time savoring my life. Like when Tony and I are [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-05-01T11:16:39+00:00April 19th, 2021|Categories: Change, discipline, Faith, Food, Habit Making, Health, Mental Health, Practice, Routines|4 Comments

This Season, Be An Amateur

"When did we stop doing things just for fun?” —Annie F. Downs For my birthday last week, Tony and I made pizza for our stay-at-home celebration. As I shared a few weeks ago, I’ve been learning how to make sourdough bread, and pizza felt like the next step. I made the crust from my sourdough starter. I followed the directions so carefully. And still for most of the process, I felt like I was holding my breath. Trying new things feels scary. I am still so new at working with fermented yeast, that I always have this little touch of [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-03-28T21:34:56+00:00March 29th, 2021|Categories: Anxiety, Balance, Creativity, Failure, Fear, Habit Making, Health, Practice|Comments Off

When Self Care Isn’t Enough

I used to think being strong meant nothing bothered you. Like Wonder Woman, you were able to deflect all that tried to bring you down. Or similar to body builders who keep telling their spotters to add more weights to their barbells, people could continue to place their burdens on your shoulders and you’d never break a sweat. For years, I tried to be this person. To carry responsibilities that weren’t mine when others were struggling. To hold the grief, heartache, or pain of those I cared about. To keep the world from falling a part (as if I could). [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-03-14T15:00:15+00:00March 15th, 2021|Categories: Adulting, Depression, grief, Health, Hope, Mental Health, Self Care|Comments Off

When the Rules Are Still Unknown

Last week, I shared that this season I am making sourdough bread. What I didn’t tell you though is on my first try at making my starter, I failed. I’m pretty sure I killed all the yeast I’d brought to life. What I didn’t tell you though is on my first try...I failed. After making bread so many times, and reading up on the sourdough process from two different cookbooks, I went into this endeavor rather confident. Only when I finally made my starter, I didn’t read far enough to realize how important it is that your water is warm—but [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-26T20:11:17+00:00March 1st, 2021|Categories: Anxiety, Conflict, Fear, Health|Comments Off

What Sourdough Bread is Teaching Me About Growth and Loss

This past December, as I stared down the social distancing winter we’re all in the middle of, I knew I had to take up a hobby. Sure, we still have a house that’s not fully decorated or furnished, but I needed a creative outlet where I could just play. Something with very little risk, and very little cost. So at the beginning of January, I started cultivating my first sourdough starter. I know it was very spring 2020 of me. But while everyone else was making bread during the first phase of the pandemic, we were buying our house. Now [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-19T19:14:12+00:00February 22nd, 2021|Categories: Courage, Food, Freedom, grief, Health, Hope, perseverance, Self Care|2 Comments

No One Prepared Us for Married Life in a Pandemic

"You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the person you cannot live without.” — P.S. I Love You For longer than any of us have been alive, there have been movies about love. For centuries before that, there were plays. Acted out stories that have made us think and even dream about romance. Ones that have shaped the way we view relationships and marriage. Only, None of them prepared us for marriage in a pandemic. For almost eleven months, Tony and I have been working from home together. Not only that, but we’ve moved into our first [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-02-06T21:19:35+00:00February 8th, 2021|Categories: Adulting, Change, Conflict, Health, Hope, Marriage, perseverance, Relationships, Social Distancing|2 Comments

What I’m Returning to in 2021

Unless we’re talking about the return of our favorite TV show, the word “return,” doesn’t always feel good. For example, if you’re returning home to move back in with your parents, because you don’t have your next step in life, it may sting of defeat. “Returning to the scene of the crime” doesn’t only refer to a bank that’s been robbed, but also to places where we’ve messed up. Maybe even places where we’ve been hurt. And, “Returning to the gym” isn’t often a very promising phrase either. In many situations, Returning doesn’t have a victorious ring to it. It [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-01-22T21:49:00+00:00January 25th, 2021|Categories: Balance, Habit Making, Health, Mental Health, perseverance, Routines, Self Care|Comments Off

Finding What Feeds Us As the Pandemic Lingers

A few Sundays ago, Tony and I had a bad mood day. I’d had a terrible dream the night before, waking up with this awful feeling I couldn’t shake. And, as we work from home, we hadn’t left the house in too many days to count. We wanted to get out and do something—only because of the Pandemic and cold winter weather, our options were basically shopping, or shopping. Whenever we used to feel like we needed a break from life, pre-pandemic, we always hit the road. Though we knew our dilemma was basically champaign problems, we felt so discouraged [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2021-01-18T16:13:59+00:00January 18th, 2021|Categories: Balance, Change, grief, Habit Making, Health, Loneliness, Mental Health, perseverance, Social Distancing, Travel|Comments Off

Five of Our Favorite Meal Planning Tips

The Routines Women Struggle With Most

Five Routines Worth Revisiting This Season

This Season, Be An Amateur

When Self Care Isn’t Enough

When the Rules Are Still Unknown

What Sourdough Bread is Teaching Me About Growth and Loss

What I’m Returning to in 2021

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