We've all been disappointed before. Our partners forgot our birthday, we didn't get that promotion, the McDonald's ice cream machine is down. We can't avoid it and it's out of our control most of the time. Disappointment can lead to some uncomfortable feelings like jealousy, anger, hate, etc. How you feel about disappointment doesn't make you a bad person, but how you deal with it is key. When you don't deal with your feelings, with disappointment, you become emotionally constipated (new phrase I'm coining now!). Here's how to get some relief for that constipation! 

(TW: Talk of suicidal thoughts.)

Season 2 is here! But it's not how I had envisioned it starting—shitting my brains out. I had these big lofty goals of how I wanted to celebrate the beginning of season 2 and the one-year anniversary of The L Podcast, but instead, I spent the first week of 2023 in the hospital recovering from a stomach virus. Does that mean I shouldn't celebrate since it's not the picture-perfect vision I had? Absolutely not. Sometimes when we get so attached to how we envision or dream things will go, that we don't see that things are still pretty great. Let's not spend 2023 blind to the greatness in front of us because we're too busy looking over at a vision that isn't going to happen. 

Today officially marks the one-year anniversary of The L Podcast! In honor of today, I'm resharing the episode that started it all, episode #1. This is a reminder of why I started this podcast: to share my story so others can learn from my mistakes and triumphs, but most importantly, know they're not alone.

Before you make a vision board or create a list of goals, you gotta listen to today's episode. If you're someone who has always set new goals at the beginning of the year and gets reinvigorated by all the hype and excitement of the new year, this one is for you. I've always felt bad looking at my vision board around this time and seeing all the things I DIDN'T accomplish. Yet I'd just make a new vision board with the exact same things on it and hope that "this was the year". It wasn't. It never will be because of these same mistakes I kept making. 

There's still time to give your input and feedback on the podcast to help shape The L Podcast in 2023! 

The end of the year is almost here and everyone is talking about resolutions, new goals, etc. But you can't bring new things into your life if you don't make room for them by leaving behind things that are no longer serving you. Here are the FOUR things I'm leaving in 2022 to make room for 2023! What are you leaving behind this year?

We gotta stop being full of shit and say we're going to finally do something, only to come up with excuses. For years, I always said I wanted to dye my hair a fun color: teal, turquoise, purple, and pink. Yet for 31 years I've been 50 shades of brown. Boring. Why? Because I always cared what someone might think about my "wild" hair. I didn't want to argue with my mom. I didn't want the interviewer to think I was unprofessional. I didn't want SOMEONE else to be uncomfortable about how I look. I've always put the fear and opinions of others BEFORE my own happiness. Once I stopped giving those fucks and dyed my hair anyways, I swear I unlocked a bonus level of adulthood: genuine childhood joy.

Holidays are seasons of joy but if we're being honest, it's also a season of stress. Picking the perfect gift, not burning the turkey, crowded airports and that uncle who won't shut up about politics. Holidays got me stressing all the way! And if you live with a chronic illness like my friend and guest on this episode Julia does, holidays can be pretty hard to get through. Managing a chronic illness like diabetes, which I've mentioned before, is a FULL TIME job. Diabetes doesn't take holidays or days off, so balancing how we manage our diabetes on top of holiday stress is really a skill we should be adding to our resume. In this episode we share what stresses us out the most about holidays, what self-care burnout looks like and how to manage our stress levels this holiday season. 

If you haven't, check out Julia's amazing books and work at missjflar.com. You can follow her at @missjflar on IG and twitter, as well as on FB at @RosieTheT1DWarrior. 

*Trigger Warning: talk of suicidal tendencies/ideation*

Living with mental illnesses like anxiety and depression is hard. It's not something we can just "shake off" or fix with just a bubble bath. Sometimes we need more help. Stigmas and misconceptions like being on medication means you've failed or that you'll turn into a zombie prevents people from getting the extra help they need and DESERVE. But you wanna know the truth? It's when we're OFF our meds that we don't feel like ourselves.

In this episode, my diabuddy Zina and I have a raw and transparent conversation about what life is like being on medication for our mental health, and why we encourage others to give medication a chance. 

Sometimes we need a little extra help, (and that's okay!) so here are a few resources to check out:

www.pridecounseling.com - safe support and therapy for the LGBTQ+ community

borislhensonfoundation.org - support, resources, and community for the Black community

NAMI.org - free virtual and in-person support groups and resources

Veteran's Tools - mobile apps and resources for veterans

Check out options for virtual therapy and online prescription refills:

Virtual therapy - betterhelp.com, ginger.com, amwell.com, 

Prescription Filling - forhers.com, forhims.com, brightside.com

If you don't have someone safe that you trust and need immediate help, please call or text the Suicide + Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8.

You are not alone. You are wanted in this world.