What Is Your Why?
If you read my first blog post dating back to March of 2017, you'll notice that I was incredibly fired up about politics at the time. I was an angry tree-hugger on a RAMPAGE to share with the world what my plans were to save our planet and resist, resist, resist! In fact, I had decided that my sole purpose for creating this blog was to act as a "peaceful rebellion" against the present administration's attack on environmentalism. You'll also notice that that blog post, dated March 19, 2017, was my first and only blog post for two years.
Why do you think that is? Will the blog stick this time, or will I just post this once and forget about it again the following week? I can say that, yeah, adulting became hard and life got crazy. Sure, I didn't have enough time or bandwidth to dedicate to writing a blog. Uh huh, I didn't have the money to go green quite yet. Yada, yada, yada.
Or, I could really take the time to sit with the facts and think. Why did I even want to start a blog to begin with? Why do I want to pick up where I left off today, and how is this time any different than two years ago? What is my purpose for writing this blog?
Do these questions sound familiar?
It seems like we've been hearing people asking "What's your why?" on motivational podcasts and in leadership workshops for ages. And honestly, I never really understood the importance of that question until recently. As it turns out, identifying and understanding your personal "why" – what drives you to do what you do – is an important component of your overall well-being. [1]
Over the years, studies have shown that understanding your "why" leads to the increased ability to cope with daily stressors, leading you to feeling positive emotions more frequently throughout the day, and being less likely to feel the negative physical symptoms of stress and anxiety.
So, why did I decide to pick up where I left off with Earth Momma in Training? Simple. I felt called back to Mother Earth's arms for healing, and wanted to share my journey with others who may benefit from doing the same! As you may have read in the "About" section of the Earth Momma web page, I am currently in recovery for an eating disorder. During my first month in treatment, it was very obvious to me that there was something missing in my life that was preventing me from being whole. One day, during art therapy, it donned on me what the missing piece was – my connection to Earth. In essence, I was missing spirituality.
Thinking back, my connection to nature was ever-present throughout my youth. The flowers loved my kisses, the trees kept my secrets, and the moon enjoyed my singing. However, looking over my trauma timeline I can see that I stopped being present with nature around the same time my eating disorder behaviors took over.
As a young child, I was able to cope with negative emotions using my love for nature. As a teenager and a young adult, that didn't serve me quite as well. Trees, flowers, and stones are not as accessible as sugary drinks, snacks or desserts; they don't give you quite the same instant rush of dopamine; and they definitely don't leave you with feelings of shame and guilt – feelings that your eating disorder will soon use to keep you trapped in the cycle of binging, purging, and restricting.
I'm here to share my journey in reconnecting with Mother Earth throughout my recovery and beyond. When I originally began this journey in 2017, hate and anger were my motivators. Now, self-compassion and self-love are the driving forces behind this blog – as well as a genuine concern for our environment. Remember, if you take care of Mother Earth she will take care of you in return ♥
Love & Light,
Adriana