Lifestyle Enchantments

I have seen my writing take a turn over the past few years. I love it so much and this blog was meant to be a place I could openly express my unexplained mentalities while being able to hold on to my own reality. I keep finding myself in a place where I have been filtering myself for the sake of reputation and my children, but... they are a part of my story I will undoubtedly be in theirs. I am back to share the things I see, do and personally experience. I am not writing for anyone to understand, but to collect and organize all the components of my manic existence.  I love who I am, accept who I was, and want to remember myself along the way to who I am becoming. You are welcome to witness, learn or grow with me, but the journey is mine, and I hope others feel a love to express their true selves as well. XoXo Elizabeth

I am inviting everyone who may struggle like I do with mental health and/ or addiction to join me as I share my journey and what I do to maintain a stable home with my family and how I take responsibility for my personal wellness as a mother of three. I released a memoire of sorts last year and have decided to revise it and create a workbook to easily share he process I have come to rely on to keep me healthy and productive. I'm not sure to label this as some sort of free workshop, cause I'm not really trying to teach anyone , just offer the tools and mindset I use in my own life. No matter, I will be doing my best to host this wellness journey for whom ever is willing and wanting to participate. I hope you will join me by subscribing to Lifestyle Enchantments for the newest posts and free printables I will be providing for you to plan, organize, or journal along with me. Here's a cute autumn mood tracker to color! A freebie I just created for myself.  October M...

As cooler winds blow in and the daylight lessens, we can see the end of summer upon us. It is time to say goodbye to the solar energy that radiates over the Earth during the light half of the year. The same should be done for the energy in your home and personal spaces. The foggy and crisp part of the year brings a calmness still enough to make you confront the skeletons in your closet. Clean & Declutter Smoke cleansing and smudging are my top choice for natural cleaning. I also like to use a sage or rosemary essential oil with a simple vinegar/water solution to cleanse my surfaces and things around my home, work, and spiritual spaces. Ritual Detox Bath A deep physical cleanse of the body through a rich bath of salts and bentonite clay can pull out toxins and stagnant energy. In preparation of this introspective season exfoliate with intent to remove the dirty parts of yourself you no longer wish to carry. Purge Negative Influence If ...

We all know the old playground rhymes, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” How about, “I’m rubber and you’re glue. Whatever you say to me, bounces off and sticks to you.” These were defense mechanisms against teasing when I was little. I’m sure they still are. I am very sensitive to how much input my brain is getting at one time. Noise is my biggest trigger. “I can’t hear myself think!” is a common declaration I make on a regular basis. Even a happy atmosphere can become overwhelming; joyful children’s music alongside their screams of excitement and giggles of delight, can quickly turn into chaotic desire to scream “SHUT UP!” to the world. But the only ones to hear this cry of anger are the children. They will process it as them being the reason for your misery, since they cannot see inside your mind and wouldn’t understand it anyway if they could. It pains me to admit, being verbally cruel to my children, even unintentionally, has been an ...

              Correcting bad behavior, however you have decided discipline takes form in your home, must be consistent. Administering empty threats and endless ultimatums to our children will lead them to believe we’re lying about the consequences of their actions. For it is the parent’s behavior which is unstable and unpredictable. Especially if you lose your cool frequently. Towering over your toddler yelling is only going to make him/her zone out wondering what's wrong with you or frighten them to tears. Either way, they're not learning anything from the hysterical rantings of your meltdown.                 Always get yourself calm back down first. Take a minute before you react to catch yourself: count to 10, drink some water, walk around the house, take deep breaths. Whatever you need to do for emotional preservation, do it. When you are able to peacefully interact with your child, go to them to i...

              At times when I have lost my temper, the shame and guilt prevent me from taking responsibility and discussing the situation with the girls. I convince myself that they hate me, and I have failed them as a mother. By the time I get out of self-loathing, I lie to myself that the time has passed to make amends and I should just ignore it. But know this... It's never too late to apologize to your child.  Admitting when you were wrong in your actions and behaviors teaches your child that it is okay to have intense feelings, but to also take responsibility for those feelings when they affect others. The mother and child gain some experience in humility and a greater understanding of each other that can help straighten out future entanglements. It is of utmost importance that we remember to take care to show and remind our little ones how much we love them. This love should be unconditional and infinite, extending beyond their lif...

            Growing up, I know my family did their best to understand and be of any assistance to me and my unstable emotions, but at some point, all options run dry.                Today, my partner is willing, understanding, compassionate, and always wants to know how I’m feeling. If he observes me getting distracted in a new project, he supports me by keeping the kids busy, freeing me to indulge in a craft or project. If depression is creeping up, and I've become distant with the girls and lame in my housekeeping, he’ll wash some dishes and laundry then ask if I want help with the rest of our home. I’m blessed that this is who he is. But sometimes it may be necessary to let your family know what kind of support you need. Many of us have probably reached the point where family and friends no longer know how to help us even if we were to reach out. The help may be simply unavailable, people have t...

It is no secret to those that are around me on a regular basis, that my love for Instagram and capturing everyday moments and turning them into beautiful digital keepsakes is a hobby and obsession of mine. I have wasted countless hours surfing the many social media platforms, willingly brainwashing myself with way too much information to discern in the time it is absorbed. Always searching for scientific or metaphysical evidence of the information I am being fed and hoping to miraculously heal my body and recover the spark I had in my earlier years to be fit, active, and healthy. Social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram make looking for real information on holistic health difficult and finding promising influencers without hidden agendas can be complicated.  That "girl next door" you adore so much, maybe secretly suffering from an eating disorder and not being truthful about how she maintains such a beautiful build. While on the other hand, the seemingly "sup...

To change your life, you need to change your mindset. Could be difficult to stay positive and optimistic toward future goals, when one is constantly dwelling on past mistakes, regrets and tribulations. You have to clean out your mind. Throw away regrets and take out the trash. Dust off the cobwebs from your perception so you can start seeing more clearly. Don’t live like a hoarder inside yourself, trapped in misery by your own personal collection of anguish. Focused therapy or one-on-one recovery work is sometimes necessary to sort out dark history, resentments, and delusions. You have to untangle the past to straighten out your future. Mindful Minute: What delusion are you holding onto? What lies do you tell yourself that are keeping you sick? What resentments are you still clinging to? Why is it so difficult for you to let these ideas go? What do you think will happen if you set yourself free from delusions and resentments?

I am certainly not the person I had hoped I would grow up to be… not yet anyways. I always knew I wanted to be a mother, have a beautiful family, take care of lots of children (5 at least…), turn one of my creative hobbies into a small business, and just enjoy experiencing life with my loved ones around me.  I often prayed to God and wished on stars for such a life. Whether it was faith or law of attraction (call it what you will), I was greatly blessed with the life and family I dreamed of. The problem was, I was also cursed with a nightmare riddled with anxiety, depression, rage, alcoholism, drug addiction and overall mental and spiritual weakness. I could sulk and whine about my misfortune. I could choose to waste away the days crying about being bestowed such a beautiful responsibility yet being emotionally incapable of managing everything. It's so easy to get engulfed by surrounding negativity and give up on yourself.      There is no time for that. Yo...

None suffer more than the ones we love and love us dearly. My partner has suffered through 70% of my addicted life and search for sanity by my side. He has tried his hardest to support, comfort, and encourage me but is always hurt by my unpredictable emotions, dangerous behaviors, and outright ridiculous mental comprehension. In my outbursts, I have often threatened leaving the family or ending our relationship. In deeper stages of depression, I would express feeling fed up with life in all its dread and monotony, blaming him for my being overwhelmed by our children.   When negative behaviors are simply ignored and allowed to continue occurring, they easily become bad habits, and eventually, part of your character. I am always fighting off an outburst, but they still slip through the cracks. My family has become used to the manic episodes and depressing periods of my personality, but it’s unfair to their daily life and routines to live in my wake of destructive pat...

  Wherever you seek your answer, this is the wrong question to ask yourself. We are not individually selected to endure specific trials and tribulations set forth on a concrete path one must directly follow to their fated destiny. I do believe every being on this planet is a unique individual, capable of skill sets, gifts, or talents pertaining to their personality that may or may not be bestowed to others, but we are all one life energy. Religions and spiritual practices around the world often agree on this “oneness” of the individual soul and the spirit of a divine source. I also happen to believe that we all have a journey to take, but whether or not it is successful for your desires, is based on the choices you exercise with free will, and what you hold to be true of yourself and your future. The progressive question you should be asking is, " who am I"? The answer being found in the spiritual connection you have with your existence. Regardless of individual ...

        We all have heard routines are healthy, but they can also become tedious if not balanced properly. I am a stay-at-home mom, and often experience boredom and dissatisfaction toward my daily routine. Feelings of dread and anxiety for the mundane tasks of the day can cast a gray cloud over me quicker than the day began.           A stagnant lifestyle or lack of direction can flood your mind’s eye with visions of hopelessness. I often feel like I don't contribute any means of support for my family. Even when wearing my super mom cape, I can shut down and become lost behind a fog of self-pity and defeat. This often leaves me feeling useless to my children; that I may be bringing more strife to their adult selves than I am nurturing the delicate beings they are now. In this state one cannot see the future moments waiting and the opportunities that will lead there.          F or me, every day is a...

My recovery has been an ongoing process since I was 16 years old. I have been on and off again in my sobriety for 12 years. I was in denial about a lot of things in my life and couldn’t see what I was doing to my body, my family, and my mental well-being. In the later stages of my use, I walked around at an average weight of 83lbs. and my muscular structure was pretty much deteriorating off my bones. Regardless of blatantly knowing I was steadily killing myself; I was still getting up every day and walking a mile to the liquor store, drinking all day, eating nothing, and believing I was okay. I was also objectifying myself to multiple, undeserving sexual partners. Most of the time I had been too intoxicated to remember the encounters, or whether or not I had protected myself from these previously mentioned undesirables. I put not only myself at risk, but also my significant other with my infidelity and promiscuity. I was naïve to the danger I lived in and had lost all respe...

I have shared my story amidst these pages in hopes that those who are lost spiritually, emotionally, and physically in darkness might value from some of the lessons I’ve learned the hard way. Seeing how I manage pull out of the struggle may help shine light on a path you may not see if you are lost or suffering from mental illness, addiction, depression, and all emotional and empathetic baggage. Many times, I've had to pull myself out of the gutter, figuratively and literally, just to push through the over-crowded road that is life, finding my true path, joy in living, and beauty in motherhood. My journey has been nowhere near pretty or even dignified, but it has been full of experiences and universal lessons that bring me here now wanting to share everything that has kept me going strong in life’s difficulties.  This book is a manual to finding your lost or broken self, making repairs to the pieces and being healthy, unique, and authentically confident. Introspective j...