Reality Bites

But your spring self-care doesn't have to...

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring?

Happy Spring.

I told my bestie today that I’m gonna try really hard to enjoy this spring.

Yeah, I know, I know…

Spring flowers! Sunshine! Longer days! Renewal!

I get it.

I do.

But…

Spring can also have a frantic energy, at least for me.

It involves fast-paced movement, ideas, and activities that I’m not always great at handling.

So, I’ve created a list of reminders for us, with a nod to one of my favorite movies ever.

Remind me to dig up my unfortunate Winona Ryder Reality Bites haircut I tried back in ‘94.

It makes me laugh just thinking about it.

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7 Ways to Embrace Your Spring Self-Care

1. Reality Bites: Hormonal fluctuations turn your energy into a wild guessing game
   But: This daily unpredictability is actually teaching you to listen when your body’s whispers (before it has to scream—ask me how I know)

2. Reality Bites: Creative inspiration feels unpredictable—it shows up at 3AM or in the middle of washing dishes
   But: These unexpected creative bursts often carry deep wisdom, lean in, go with your flow

3. Reality Bites: Your capacity for noise, light, and general sensory overwhelm has shrunk dramatically
   But: This heightened sensitivity lets you notice spring's quiet magic that you might not have noticed in the past

4. Reality Bites: Your relationship with time in midlife feels like someone rewrote the rules without telling you
   But: This shifting perspective frees you to question the "hustle harder" messaging that is a big bunch of b.s. anyway

5. Reality Bites: Physical changes might have you feeling stretched to your limit or confused
   But: Choose curiosity and connection—you are your body’s best friend

6. Reality Bites: Mood shifts can make spring's cheerful brightness feel like it's mocking your inner winter
   But: Honoring these emotional tides creates space for authentic expression instead of forced positivity

7. Reality Bites: The identity you carefully built over decades is transforming in ways you never anticipated
   But: This midlife metamorphosis—this unexpected cocooning and emerging—often reveals the parts of yourself that have been quietly waiting for decades

   

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A poem + playlist

Lately, she's been feeling
overwhelmed
overjoyed
overextended
overexcited
overstimulated
overcommitted
overdelighted
overloaded
overconfident

Spring, with her oversaturated energies, eclipses, colors, birdsong, and birth.

Lately, she's been feeling everything all at once.

The boom and shake of a Carolina thunderstorm.
The sheer ecstasy of March sunshine on her face.
The awe of witnessing fuchsia blooms burst forth.

And the subtle, internal shifts of a life, her life, cracking open once again.

To welcome spring, I made us a random (really random) playlist.

No need to worry, every song is from the 90s (maybe a few from the 80s and then a 2012 Robbie Williams song).

Of course I threw in a few of my favorite songs from the actual Reality Bites soundtrack. Happy listening!

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New things springing up…

Exciting changes are coming to Flourish&Flow in April!

After hearing from many of you about your midlife creative journey, I'm creating new ways for us to connect more deeply. Stay tuned for all the details!

Vanessa 🦋