Hey Kaleigh!

Tag: self care

  • You Can Do Anything for Ten Seconds

    Image from Pexels

    Sometimes I feel like I’m running out of time.

    I examine myself in the mirror, and criticize: Wow, this is my life. How do I fix this? This image of who I wanted to be never arrived. And I’m not the delicate, peaceful woman I imagined.

    So I’ve learned coming into your future is not a 2000s romcom with good lighting. It is more like an impending spiral full of looming turns, detours, and blockages. I’ve learned that Bridget Jones may be the most relatable…

    And the hardest part of moving through life is being left on hold.

    But if you can survive for ten seconds, you can usually survive ten more.

    Counting to ten has really helped me. Gripping onto myself, holding my own hand, even when the world wants me to release.

    And then, what’s ten more seconds?

    And honestly, holding on can be incredibly tiring. Especially in a world where we want everything to move fast. Figuring out who you are feels like trying to run through honey.

    So sometimes a breakthrough can look like staying with yourself even when you start to feel shaky at five seconds. Life is a dance, embrace the shakes. Breakthroughs are also letting go, even if everyone else looks like they are still holding on.

    Last month I resigned from a job I truly loved. Writing my resignation letter was one of the easiest difficult things I’ve done because it came from the heart, but breaking the news to my colleagues was a challenge. I felt like my exit meeting with my principal broke me. The meeting was quick, but even after I felt the sting.

    That afternoon I went to a sculpt class. I take this class every Friday and struggle my way through it (sometimes I swear I see Jesus), but this time was different. Whether it was a dynamic movement or static hold, I counted and persevered. I survived my meeting and I knew I would survive my class too, just ten seconds at a time.

    Counting to ten doesn’t come without some shakes (and that’s okay). 

    You know when it’s time to let go.

    And no, not everything in life is as easy as counting to ten. But paying attention is step one. Because perhaps one day I will realize I’ve stopped counting, and begun to truly live.

  • Why I Write

    Image from Deposit Photos

    I’ve always told stories.

    When I was in grade school my teachers would tell my parents that I would be an author. It was code for Kaleigh tells tall tales. I crossed out what I needed to so I could fit in with the other kids. I told stories, because even as a child, the truth never felt good enough.

    And now that I am 23, I am still curious about how to fit in.

    I’m still trying to figure out what the rest of my life looks like, and it feels ordinary, but I still want to make something beautiful out of it.

    I question all the mantras I write down.

    I both glamorize and compare everything, and thinking about how I feel brings new feelings each day. I’m consulting ways to be confident and criticizing whether I deserve that confidence.

    I write about so many things I don’t know.

    I still don’t know if anything that I share is worth reading. I scrutinize each statement I share with uncertainty.

    The bulk of our life stories are written day-to-day, but my uncertainty probes and makes me believe that my ordinary life may be too ordinary. I want to be confident, but whimsical at the same time. I want to transform into the woman who composes my personal essays.

    I want to look back on my life one day, complicated anecdotes and all, and feel content. 

    Honestly, I appreciate my writing. Much of my appreciation comes from continuing to write even when the stories I share seem a little cringe or forgettable.

    My story is worth sharing, even if I’m the only one approving. Even if no one compliments me for it. My accomplishments are still my accomplishments.

    My writing comes fluently.

    It helps me calm down when life feels like too much. It helps me give myself praise instead of searching for it from someone else.

    Writing helps me romanticize the minor details that still feel big to me.

    Writing lets me have conversations with questions that aren’t ready to be answered. I don’t know if I am pretty. But, I guess everyone feels this question out. This perception sometimes makes me feel a little more human, especially when I write it down.

    I’m not oversharing by talking about myself. I am steadily growing. Continually learning and writing is my way of blooming. I am always learning, even when everything feels all amiss. Sometimes the hardest lessons are the most life-changing. So this is how this chapter ends.

    Not every story wins a Newbery Medal. I am still trying to figure out who I am, and while writing doesn’t always give me answers, it does keep the conversation going. The pen is always moving.

  • I Thought I’d Feel Different By Now

    I’ve lost years hiding behind myself.

    I anticipate how things will end before they even begin. I measure my worth by comparing my achievements to my friends. I’ve moved through unfamiliar spaces with confidence, while still doubting each step.

    And now…I’m here at 23, rambling on about how I made it this far.

    I don’t think I have enough friends, but making new ones feels risky. I’m still too insecure to put myself out there.

    I’m still intimidated by the older “mean girl” teachers at my adult job.

    I’m afraid I don’t really know myself.

    There are so many things I still don’t like about myself. I often feel like I need to explain myself, but deep down I wish I could just be unapologetic.

    I take things day-by-day because my brain is a vast spiral. I wish I was more intentional. I hope one day I stop believing every insecurity that crosses my mind.

    I’m frightened that I am wasting my life away. That I am living without purpose.

    And yet, I appreciate my life. Much of this joy comes from realizing that the ugliest moments have turned into the strongest lessons.

    Will I ever be kinder to myself?

    Is this as good as it gets? Am I missing out?

    Is my anxiety ever going to stop convincing me that mistakes deserve a full fight-or-flight response?

    Will this ever feel simple?

    Unfortunately, not one of these questions has an easy answer. The TikTok makeup tutorials aren’t going to make me prettier or skinnier. They are going to make me more insecure.This is a lesson I’m still learning.

    When I speak about my fears, I sometimes find myself hiding behind some kind of apology. I always find myself changing. Always convinced that something is wrong.

    But it’s still coming together.

    So I guess I leave you with this:

    Not everything is going to work out.

    You are still capable, even when you make mistakes.

    You will sometimes find yourself in some disarray. It’s fine. Life goes on.

    My life feels so chaotic, but something still leads me to think I’m headed in the right direction, so I’m trying to be a little kinder to myself. You should too.

    I am still figuring it out. But I am trying to reconcile who I am with who I am becoming. 

    She’s set on being kinder.

  • You Were Never Broken

    Image from Pinterest

    In total honesty, I don’t know if I’ve ever been completely content with myself. Each phase felt unworthy until it became a past to look back on. Now, I grieve for my past selves while desiring to become someone new.

    One day, everything will align at last. I will wake up and stop cringing at my childhood photos. Stop observing my flaws in the mirror. Stop obsessing over the milestones I haven’t reached yet and start appreciating the ones I have.

    I will be proud, not just of the things I’ve endured, but of who I have lived into.

    Today, though? I doomscroll through Instagram like I am searching for insecurities I haven’t unlocked yet. I admire others because they are so different from me. I am convinced that someday I’ll sparkle brighter, laugh louder, and love myself more gently.

    But it’s hard to get there when you feel emotionally broken.

    Still, maybe I’m not broken at all.

    Maybe I’m just doubting too loudly. Sitting still for too long and realizing that every foolish version of me still deserves to feel loved.

    Someday is too far away to start improving. Now should do just fine.

  • Your Body: Has She Ever Done You Wrong?

    Image from Pinterest

    My body isn’t chiseled. I’m having an awful day full of body dysmorphia and asking myself abominable questions that I know won’t give me mercy.

    I have these despicable moments where I am anticipating failure. I degrade myself. I minimize myself for the sake of being liked by others. I stock all my self-love in this dusty attic and I reluctantly unlatch the worn out lock sometimes. Only when I feel like I have earned it.

    Sometimes I speak to my body with irritation. Other times, with  awe of all that she’s done for me.

    I’ve looked at photos and felt detached from her.

    Still, I always cut back to the interrogation room: What’s wrong with you, Kaleigh?

    My relationship with my body is inconsistent. I shape her like an object, covering who I am with who I wish I could be.

    My body.

    The last thing I allow myself to love.

    I present myself as the “girl-next-door” with bangs and glasses and balance. But the truth is I hate being seen. I totally giggle awkwardly when complemented. I quietly berate myself while loudly adoring others. I make mistakes.

    These emotions always return when they are too hard to ignore. But I wouldn’t speak this way to a friend; why can’t I treat my body like someone worthy of love?

    I acknowledge this body, but forget to treat her like somebody.

    This constant criticism follows me: judgmental and defeating.

    It holds me back each time I try to grow. This scrutiny I’ve accustomed myself to scares me.

    But it’s impossible to flourish without feeling uncomfortable.

    Maybe I should take this as my sign to be kinder to my body. Calmer when there are parts of her I can’t control. She’s never done me wrong.

    She has carried me through years I wasn’t sure I’d survive.

    She has held her composure when I tried to make myself smaller.

    She learned my patterns before I did.

    She tenses when I am afraid.

    She softens when I finally let go.

    She has endured every cruel thought I’ve directed at her and still helps me get out of bed. She breathes, moves, and keeps me alive.

    So no, she has never failed me. I’ve just mistaken control for care.

    Maybe love doesn’t look like admiration yet. Maybe it starts as neutrality. As acceptance. My body is not a problem to solve. She is a testimony.

    And maybe the most affirming thing I can do is to quit asking what’s wrong with her and begin thanking her for surviving me.

  • Let “No” Stand Alone

    Image from Pexels

    This is my reflection on boundaries and discomfort.

    There is something daunting about saying “no.” I am not referring to the anxiety that is already building or the bruxism I have had since my teens. I mean the blooming feeling that’s almost impossible to sit with. The budding fear.

    Saying “no” brings me more than just anxiety. It brings curiosity. It brings the urge to over-explain, even if I am not being questioned. To hand out a neatly prepared excuse so no one will think I’m mean or selfish or difficult. It brings the generous reflex to make myself small so someone else can remain comfortable.

    Saying “no” feels like slamming a door.

    I’ve spent years accepting that my boundaries will always require justification. That saying “no” needed to be cushioned with apologies. Somewhere along the way, I learned that being agreeable felt safer than being honest. That my esteem came from how accessible I was.

    But saying “no” is not rude. It is not defiant. It is not a rebellion against kindness.

    Saying “no” is information.

    “No” is dignity.

    “No” is choosing not to defy myself for the sake of being liked by others.

    The unsettling feeling doesn’t mean I did something wrong; it means I am doing something right. It means I am resisting old patterns that taught me love was conditional and approval was something I needed to chase.

    I am learning that “no” does not need a reason. I am learning that setting boundaries is scary, but not scarier than the resentment of always saying “yes.” I am learning that every time I ache for a quiet “no,” I feel the relief of a more honest “yes.”

    And maybe the most alleviating thing I can do is let “no” stand alone.

  • Becoming the Person I Already Am

    Image from Pexels

    When I was a child, I chose pink as my favorite color and never looked back.

    And now, twenty years later, no one questions it. They just accept it. I accept it too, without thinking. But sometimes I wonder how often we move through life on autopilot. 

    Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for yourself is to pause. To soften. To sit with yourself long enough to ask the questions you’ve been avoiding.

    Ask yourself why you feel the need to overexplain.

    Ask yourself what brings you joy.

    Tenderly, let yourself hear the answers.

    And do not worry if you change a little each day. I worry about myself more often than I admit. Sometimes I think I’m too timid, too mousy, too afraid of being misread.

    Then comes the guilt. The feeling that sweating over your small crisis is immature.

    But some messes just show that a room is lived in, not neglected.

    You don’t have to be mysterious. You don’t have to speak in riddles. You are allowed to share what feels right and keep what feels tender. You are free to have your own boundaries.

    When I was in college, I tried so hard to balance who I was and who I wanted to be. Not in some dramatic identity crisis. It was questioning what I could and couldn’t share. When I felt ashamed, I constantly challenged the validity of my emotions.

    Eventually, I learned that self-interrogation doesn’t lead to clarity. It just builds noise. And once you stop performing the character you’ve been playing for years, there’s this strange, open silence. It’s like stepping into an empty room and hearing your own breathing for the first time.

    I think that’s the weirdest part of growing up: understanding there is no singular real you ready to be uncovered. No grand prize after years of quietly curating the perfect you. There is just the you who exists in the now, the you who is still being formed.

    The real you shows up in the thoughtful choices you make when no one is watching. In the things you gravitate toward without thinking. In the hobbies you keep coming back to, even when you convince yourself it is silly. In the way you exhale around the people who make you feel seen.

    You are not a performance. You are not an aesthetic. You are more than the pink-loving child or the adult who keeps answering out of habit. 

    And here is the truth: you do not need to find “her.” You already are her. She is the person you have been quietly growing into.

  • Learning to Find Hope

    Image from Pinterest

    There are days where having hope feels like this fantasy dream that I half remember after waking up.

    I attack my thoughts of exhaustion with caffeine and pretend I’m no longer tired. Physically or emotionally.

    But somewhere in all the chaos, I am learning to find hope.

    Here is what I’m learning (gently, but surely):

    It is not enough to simply exist.

    You need to find a way to be okay with that existence.

    Not by repeating the mantras your yoga teacher preaches, though they can be lovely too, but in the way you carve time out of your busy week to meditate. In a simple, almost bland kind of self-love. The way you care for your friends without question. The way you would talk to someone, kindly.

    Ask yourself what your hopes are, and really wait for the answer.

    Ask, but don’t interrogate.

    You don’t have to be optimistic all the time. But you can be kind to yourself. And your greatest hopes start to feel within reach.

    So now, I am trying. Hoping that this practice of optimism will someday replace those moments of hopelessness altogether.

  • I’m On My Way, Just Stuck in Traffic

    Personal Photo Sept. 2025

    I always assumed I’d be there by now. Always assumed.

    I haven’t achieved everything I thought I would. But I am happy. I know what I want, I’ve joyfully researched the steps to get there, but things haven’t fallen into place yet. I cheerfully walk into rooms I don’t belong in, hoping one day I’ll find my place.

    But lately, I’m starting to doubt I ever will.

    Maybe the problem isn’t that I haven’t “arrived.” Maybe it is that I keep expecting it to feel like crossing a finish line. Like there will be some big neon sign that says Congrats, you made it! You’re enough. Instead, what I’m learning is that the hard work is the accomplishment. The trying, and showing up again even when it feels pointless, is what shapes me.

    And still, the world doesn’t always reward this kind of work. Being a teacher brings me immense joy that can’t be measured in paychecks or fancy titles. But on the harder days, when I’m exhausted and underpaid, it begins to feel like I’ve failed some invisible standard of success. Loving what I do doesn’t make the way that society undervalues it or treats teachers okay, sometimes the ache is heavier than I want to admit.

    The accomplishments are like rest stops along the way. Crucial, but overlooked if all I see is the final destination.

    A glow up isn’t always shiny. Sometimes it looks like keeping quiet promises to myself that no one else sees. Sometimes it is paying the pilates cancellation fee because I needed the rest. Sometimes it’s writing this, even after weeks of silence, and hitting publish anyway.

    So maybe I’m not lost; instead, I’m stuck in some traffic.

  • Finding My Voice

    Image from Pexels

    On self-censorship, restriction, and finally claiming the words that belong to me.

    Sometimes I amaze myself with my effortless wit, while other times I have to prove my power. The untouched canvas of my brain is actually a vacuum full of all the words I want to say, but am frightened to.

    It sounds soft, maybe even weak. But that’s the truth of it, my silence is often mistaken for poise when it’s really reluctance disguised as control. I wonder how many moments I’ve let pass because I put away my voice instead of spilling it.

    I don’t want to keep treating my thoughts like contraband, buried until someone else uncovers them. My voice shouldn’t feel like a performance or a test I can fail. It should be an extension of me, as natural as my laugh or the way I move when I am excited.

    So maybe this is me unlearning perfection, one sentence at a time. My voice doesn’t need to be shiny to be powerful.

    It just needs to be mine.