Welcome

I am a mom and registered nurse with a history of disordered eating. By writing about my experiences and struggles, I hope to encourage a more nuanced, compassionate vision of health.

@caringhealthjournal

Health Toolkit Part Five: The Last One

Health is different for every person. I view being “healthy” as the ability to engage in and enjoy my life. While being “unhealthy” is...

Health Toolkit Part Four: Healthcare and Medical Professionals

Being healthy is a nuanced process that requires a variety of practices and not a single solution. The healthcare system and medical...

Sometimes Our Heroes Make Mistakes

I’m taking a short break from my Health Toolkit series to share something else that has been on my mind lately. Brené Brown has been of...

Health Toolkit Part Three: Lifestyle factors

What comes to mind when you think of a healthy lifestyle? Do you imagine a restrictive diet and a rigid exercise routine? Eating less,...

Health Toolkit Part Two: Health and Weight are Not the Same Thing

The narrow image of “health” that mainstream culture promotes did not work for me. Instead, I have discovered a health which allows for...

Health Toolkit Part One: My Personal Toolkit

What is health? Is health a problem to be solved? Is health a standard to be achieved? Is there a correct way to be healthy? Or is health...

Being a Mom is Hard- Revisited

While searching an old computer for important work documents, I found some of my writing from early motherhood. Each piece was short,...

Obligation, Passion and Purpose

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about obligation, passion and purpose. As this global pandemic continues to rage, I have decided to...

Too Extreme?

Sometimes when I talk about diet culture, intuitive eating and health at every size (HAES), I feel like I’m too radical or too extreme....

Three Things I Avoid Saying to My Kids

My journey as a mom has been a challenge. My first kid taught me to let go of my expectations and to stop trying to get everything just...

Dumping Diet Culture and "The Patriarchy"

My tenth wedding anniversary was this summer. During our ten years of marriage, we moved five times, had three kids and rescued one black...

Health is Weird

Health is weird. There are so many different opinions and definitions of health. It’s been over 10 years since I first went to counseling...

Taking Antidepressants Made Me a Better Mom

With each kid there was a new lesson to learn. With my third and most recent son, I learned that taking antidepressants allows me to...

Discovering True Self-care- and It is not Weight Loss

I wrote this piece after the birth of my second son as I struggled with self-care and body image. I am so grateful for Scary Mommy for...

There is No Right Way to Parent

After my first son was born, I struggled with an overload of information and pressure to be perfect. I wrote the following article as a...