We're Sweating. We're Cleansing. We're Changing.
Maybe not always in that order?
Annnnnd we are sweating. We made it to late-June before it set in, but there is now officially no time of day you can “beat the heat.” I’m a windows down, music up kind of girl - until my leather seat becomes a slip’n’slide.
Now, windows are up and the country music (really the only thing to listen to in the summer months) competes with the sound of a full-blast air conditioner as I pull my car into the Sonic drive-thru for my favorite summertime drink: Coke Zero with vanilla.
Grab your own sip-worthy treat and lean in with me for a minute…
What To Know
Our NOTM Beauty Contributor, Sarah Cain, is giving us the science behind a double cleanse. And by science, I mean she’s equipped us with an IG video to explain why we double cleanse.
I’ll be honest - I’ve heard the advice…and I’ve ignored it. I mean - the effort - when all that stands between me and my pillow is a finished skincare routine. But, now, I can’t unsee this orange with all the make-up still in its crevices. (Does that word make you feel weird? Crevices. Yep. It sure does.)
I use Clinque Take the Day Away Cleansing Balm - which costs a pretty penny. I’ve almost cleaned out my stash, and I’ve heard tell Pond’s Cold Cream is a less expensive, but effective option. So maybe I’ll give it a whirl next and report back. Maybe. Change is hard.
What To Ignore
The belief you’re bound by your emotions.
I’m a compartmentalizer. If there’s a feeling I can’t act on or do anything about, it goes in a box and is shoved into the back corners of my mind. The most frustrating part, though, is when that feeling fights its way back out - stirring up other feelings until they’re just having a big ol feeling party and I, honestly, want to figure out a way to pull the plug on their disco ball.
I was listening to a podcast this week, and they spent time dissecting thoughts vs. feelings. Dr. Gordon made a couple distinctions that surprised me:
Our thoughts drive how we feel.
Our feelings drive our behavior.
See, I always thought my feelings defined my thoughts.
I’m a big feeler. I can be overwhelmed by my own, and by yours. With overwhelm comes paralysis. Decisions are put off, conversations avoided - all in the hopes the feeling will just…go away. See there? I had a thought, the led to a feeling, that led to a behavior.
Feelings are bigger than thoughts. So they get all the attention, but what if we backed up and looked behind the feeling to the thought?
What thought is triggering the anxiety? The anger? The bitterness? The frustration?
I’ve been waking up with some low-grade anxiety. It just ebbs and flows right beneath the surface. And I can shove it away, stuff it in a box, but in the quiet moments…
The feeling: Anxiety.
The thought: I haven’t done what I’m here to do. I’m missing it.
The thought, drove the feeling, which fed the action.
The action: Replace His promise with my performance.
Try harder, do more…prove something.
It starts with the thought. And Scripture tells us to take our destructive thoughts captive.
The Truth: He designed me. He is the Maker who equipped me for the purpose He determined. The only way to miss it is to replace it.
We replace it every time we want our kingdom more than the King.
We replace it every time we want what we can create more than the Creator.
We can create the perfect home, climb the work ladder, get the position/title, take the best photos, order the right clothes, parent our babies like the books say…but the low-grade hum will still echo through our days.
Sometimes my big feelings are too big to pick apart, my thoughts are swirling at a pace that makes it impossible to pick just one out and then my days begin feeling chaotic.
Can I just lean over right here, and tell you what I’ve started praying?
In God’s kindness, I came across Psalm 107 during my morning time with Him last week. The refrain throughout the passage is simply: “Lord, help!”
I want to know I’m getting it right. Whatever “it” is. The desires of my heart for the future trample each other to get to the front of the line. There’s so much I want to do. And, if I’m honest, I’m scared I’ll miss out on doing any of it.
Lord, help.
He knows my heart because He made it.
He knows where I want to grow because He planted the seeds.
I take the thought rooted in scarcity, and take it to the God of abundance.
Take the thoughts that stir the feelings that lead to the actions - all rooted in you being the main character of the story - and remove them. Pluck them right out of the train running through your mind.
Lord, help.
It’s more than just words, it’s release. You won’t miss a thing when you’re living a life rooted in holy expectations instead of limiting questions.
What To Try
Okay, you’re going to think this is weird. But in an effort to shift my thoughts, etc., etc. - I’ve changed how I start my day.
I began this back in the spring - I think a podcast guest mentioned it. Maybe. We know my memory is similar to that of that cheese with all the holes in it that I cannot think of the name of right now. You get it.
Anywho, when I wake up, before I set my feet on the ground, I intentionally open my hands, palm up, and pray: “Jesus, today, whatever you place in my hands I’m grateful for, and whatever you remove, I’m grateful for. I trust You.”
My mind goes back to that moment multiple times throughout the day. The crazy train of thought jumps tracks when I remember my open hands.
He’s good. I promise. Let’s live like we believe it.
Cheering you on! In the big and small.
