An Update, Intentions, and a New Start
An Update
~a year ago, jet-lagged in Amsterdam
So it’s been almost a year since I last posted on the Holistic Feminist and what a year it’s been... to catch you up (on the most surface level possible) I studied in Amsterdam August-December. I visited over 10 countries and more cities than I can count, which was really freaking cool. After experiencing a loss, I felt uncomfortable in Amsterdam and traveling became my outlet.
I hoped I would feel more like myself back at my US college in the spring, but it was a really tough semester. I felt like I was struggling just to get through the basics in an academically rigorous environment.
Since taking a pause on this account, I prioritized my mental health. Not by self experimentation, but my doing the most fundamental actions to make sure I was functioning everyday. Sleeping, eating, socializing, moving, and eventually, going to therapy were my top priorities so that I could at least maintain my mental health. And when you're in a suboptimal place, these 'basics' can be hard to achieve. Pretty much everything else in my life was secondary, besides traveling which was my saving grace.
A lot of personal goals were not met as most things were performed at the most basic level. I can't begin to explain how frustrating this was for me. To provide a very superficial example, I basically cooked eggs and veggie rice EVERY DAY in Amsterdam. My fast meal at college was simply hard boiled eggs, peanut butter, and an apple. While a lot of things have changed for me between now and when I last posted, so many I can’t even begin to recount, one thing is for sure—I no longer eat eggs.
Fetus Holistic Feminist
This account used to really inspire me. It encouraged me to self experiment and figure out what lifestyle habits work for my temperamental body. A never ending process I might add, but interesting nevertheless! I used to experiment with my mood, my cognition, and my cycle.
I loved the community, trying new recipes, and creating new recipes. Several of my recipes were successful among even my most skeptical friends. MANY were unsuccessful, even to me (looking at you gelatin ice scream...) But it was all really fun. Throughout my hiatus, I continued to journal which became my private outlet. However sharing my thoughts and experiences has been enjoyable to me in the past, sometimes even motivation to try new things. And even though I have been less passionate about cooking this past year, I continue to be a diehard foodie.
Intentions
~a week ago, sunburned in Bali
I want to continue to pursue the Holistic Feminist with clear intentions in mind. Food porn is a passion of mine, and an industry that I would love to contribute to. Traveling has become my dearest love, and I would love to share some of the places I have gone over this past year on here.
Although I have taken on several different academic interests over the past year, my interest in the gut-brain connection has persisted. This summer I had the opportunity to work as a research assistant at a centre in Australia that is dedicated to investigating the link between diet and mental health. This experience solidified my interest in this field. I’m inspired by the way other people in the field use social media, especially on Twitter (which I don’t find as aesthetically appealing), to reinforce their understanding of research and spread their learnings using more accessible language. Similarly, I want to use this account as a catalyst for my own education in the mind-gut connection, particularly because explicit education in the field is limited.
If you're reading this, thank you, that's pretty cool of you! Maybe you'll follow along. Maybe I can help you. Maybe you can help me. And if it is just me here, spewing words and food pictures into this oversaturated abyss that is the internet, that's cool too.
