Published in About Me Stories·PinnedSurviving a Toxic FriendshipA story of recovery and growth with actionable takeaways — As a child, I became friends with a girl who would be the most abusive person I have encountered, to date, in my life. The mental and sometimes physical abuse started in elementary school. She wanted me to believe I was nothing without her. She succeeded. The Formation of a Toxic Friendship Toxic people unfortunately don’t…Relationships5 min read
Published in In Fitness And In Health·PinnedYour Why Statement Can Be the Key to Weight Loss SuccessHow defining your why can help you stay the course after will power runs out — Every day thousands of people decide to go on a diet. The most recent numbers from the CDC measuring data from 2013–2016 found that 49.1% of adults tried to lose weight within the last 12 months. Let’s sit with that a minute, nearly 1/2 of the US population is trying…Self Improvement4 min read
Published in Coffee Times·PinnedI’m Not the Wife I Planned To BeHow my vision of marriage evolved — I grew up in a traditional Appalachian household. My dad worked outside the home and my mom was a homemaker. She always kept a clean house and had dinner on the table when dad came in from work. Their setup worked for them. They had three kids, of which I’m…Life Lessons4 min read
Published in About Me Stories·PinnedAbout Me — Dr. Sarah Lyall-NealWife, dog mom, clinical psychologist, writer How do you even get started writing about yourself? As writers, we tend to want to stay behind the scenes letting our work speak for us. Stepping out front, at least for me, requires a degree of vulnerability. When I started planning this piece…About Me4 min read
Published in In Fitness And In Health·PinnedSelf-Care is Vital for Weight LossHow to take control of your relationship with food — As a clinical health psychologist who works in a bariatric clinic, I speak with people who are trying to lose weight on a regular basis. One thing I often hear from my clients is they would like to improve their relationship with food, which is an excellent goal, but not…Health5 min read
Published in Koinonia·Apr 20Jesus Didn’t Act in HasteWe shouldn’t eitherChristian1 min readPhoto by Arina KrasnikovaJesus Didn’t Act in Haste----2
Published in The Orange Journal·Apr 11Jumpstart Your Day In One Hour Or LessThe morning routine for non-morning people — If you’ve been around the self-help scene for more than ten minutes you have seen countless articles touting the benefits of getting up ungodly early to start your day. The 5 AM Club anyone? I’ve been sucked into the aesthetically pleasing youtube videos with the soft music playing in the…Morning Routines5 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION·Apr 7Use This Mindset Shift To Confidently Say “I Don’t Know”Why you shouldn’t worry about expressing your lack of knowledge — In my early twenties, I developed severe nerve pain. The flare-ups hurt so bad nearly every aspect of my life was limited. I went to see my family doctor who was an internist. …Life Lessons4 min read
Published in Wholistique·Mar 30How To Love the Body You Have, While Working Toward the Body You WantImprove your self-confidence and boost your weight loss efforts — Would you ever look at one of your friends and say “you are a terrible person, who are you to feel worthy of love, and why are you so ugly?” Of course not, you are thinking. Who would do that? That’s just mean. Would you say those words to yourself? …Self Improvement4 min read
Published in Know Thyself, Heal Thyself·Mar 29How to Overcome a Work Failure and Come Back Better Than EverYour guide to getting back on your feet after an embarrassment on the job — Earlier this year, I had a presentation at work that flopped. I misjudged my audience and brought information that wasn’t useful for them. Making matters worse, I had planned on audience participation and it didn’t happen. Technical difficulties with Webex made it to where my slides were wonky and I…Self Improvement4 min read