Lately, Life Has Felt Lighter

We’re already in the fourth month of the year, and honestly, life feels really good right now. 

Last month, I cut off my locs — all of them.

It wasn’t exactly a spontaneous decision. The thought had been sitting in the back of my mind for a long time, but I kept making excuses and putting it off. Then one night after work, I decided to just do it.

This is actually the third time I’ve cut my locs off, and of course people have asked why, or said, “How could you?” The truth is, there were a lot of reasons, but the biggest one was that I wasn’t connected to them anymore. Every day they lived in a ponytail because I didn’t want them in my face. For a while, I thought maybe I should just cut them to shoulder length, but eventually I realized that wasn’t what I wanted either.

What I wanted was my natural loose hair back.

I want to watch that grow. I want to run my fingers through it, take care of it, and enjoy it. It feels softer, lighter, easier, and more like me.

Lately, I’ve been looking for a natural hair stylist, not because I can’t do my own hair, but because I want someone who truly cares about healthy hair and wants to help me grow it. Treatments, trims, advice… all of it.

Another thing I’ve been thinking about lately is who I am outside of work.

So many people have their entire identity wrapped up in their job, their confidence, their happiness, their sense of self. Watching so many layoffs lately has made me realize how important it is to have a life that feels full outside of what you do for work.

My job matters to me, and I still show up and do my best, but I don’t want that to be my entire identity.

There’s more to me than that.

More time has been going toward the people I love, the hobbies that make me feel good, and the version of myself I want to become. New friendships have been forming, older ones have quietly faded, and honestly, that has been okay too. Protecting my peace has become more important than keeping everyone around.

As I learn new things, I want to be honest about them because maybe someone else needs to hear it too.

In my last blog post, I talked about wanting to manage my insulin resistance naturally through herbs and lifestyle changes instead of relying only on pills or supplements.

Well… small update.

I actually did end up adding a few things in: 2000mg of inositol, vitamin D, magnesium before bed, and my Hormonal Balance tea a few times a week. The blend has spearmint, nettle, red raspberry leaf, and black cohosh.

The late-night cravings have calmed down so much. Eating has started to feel easier and more natural, and I’ve gotten better at stopping when I’m comfortably full instead of continuing to eat just because it’s there.

I have more energy, less brain fog, and my period has been coming on time, which is a huge change for me. It still lasts longer than I would like, but compared to where my body was before, this already feels like such a step in the right direction.

Movement has become part of my everyday life too.

Bike rides are my new obsession. Taking public transportation more often has also helped me walk more, and most days I’m averaging around 8,000 steps without even trying. Some days end up closer to 15,000.

Everything just feels lighter.

Three pounds are gone, but more importantly, I feel healthier, more in control, and more connected to my body than I have in a long time. If I keep going the way I am, I truly believe I’ll be able to move out of the pre-diabetic range.

There’s a lot to look forward to in this next season too.

Herbs to the Hero turns one in just a few weeks, which feels surreal, and then my birthday comes right after. It feels like so much is changing in the best way.

Maybe that’s the lesson lately:

You do not have to stay the same version of yourself forever. You’re allowed to let things go, start over, change your mind, protect your peace, and become someone new.