drvickiebhatia (2025)

28/08/2021

If you've completed a Whole30 INCLUDING reintroduction, ask yourself this before you dive into the September Whole30 ...

Are you returning to the Whole30 because it's comfortable and food freedom is hard? (Ask yourself - it is realistic to expect it to be easy right away, especially if you've struggled with it for a while?)

Are you expecting yourself to make the "right" choice every time or beating yourself up when you "slip up?" (Ask yourself - are these expectations setting me up for failure?)

Are you expecting yourself to eat "mostly Whole30 with a few treats" and then feeling guilty when that doesn't work? (Ask yourself - am I turning food freedom into a new diet and seeing anything non-Whole30 as a cheat?)

If you answered yes to any of those, pause and ask yourself if what you really need to do is focus on food freedom?

Do you need to sit in the messiness of not having rules imposed on you? Do you need to practice getting in touch with your body and its needs? Do you need to focus on food neutrality and letting go of guilt and shame attached to food choices?

If so, maybe instead of the September Whole30, you spend that time using what you've learned during reintroduction to mindfully consume foods that with nourish you and make you feel good, both physically and emotionally.

That may include a mini-reset - either a shortened Whole30 (like 7 days), or using what you know about your body to design your own reset, pulling out only the foods that you need to in order to feel better. Remember, the goal is to be able to eat in the least restrictive way while still feeling good and ensuring physical and mental health.

Maybe you don't even need a mini-reset, and instead you focus on other practices - eating more mindfully, getting back to meal planning and prepping, practicing other strategies to manage stress or strong emotions, or connecting with others.

Essentially, I want you to ask yourself - why am I doing this round? What am I hoping to learn? And if the answer lies in food freedom, let's practice that.

[ID in alt text]

27/08/2020

Sometimes imposter syndrome is loud and glaring - the inner voice screaming at you in your head. But, sometimes, it's more subtle. More like that quiet whisper that is just loud enough to open the floodgates to more difficult thoughts and emotions.
At the core is a message of not being good enough or inadequate, but the actual words and phrases are varied. Catching it and labeling it is the first step, but it's hard to do if you're only looking out for certain statements. So, we have to look below the surface at the belief that is being activated. What are other ways you've noticed imposter syndrome coming up for you or others?
[Image description: text on an emerald green background. It says, Imposter syndrome may the the voice shouting "You're a fraud," but it might also be the voice that whispers: it's not your time yet; you're here because you fill a diversity quota; they want you? they must be desperate; what makes you special?; that was nothing. anyone can do it; they're going to regret picking you; are you sure you know your stuff?; you're going to embarrass yourself; you lucked out this time; you should know this. you can't ask for help; and you need to work twice as hard to be half as good.]

27/08/2020

I see a lot of people saying that they're on social media for "positive vibes only!" and they don't want to come on social media and be bombarded with politics. But, here's the thing. Everything - and I mean EVERYTHING - is political. Food, education, healthcare, housing, the economy, criminal justice, racial equality, gender equality, LGBTQ+ equality, weather/climate issues, immigration, fashion, sports, love. EVERY. THING.
But, I also get that it's a lot. And that you may have already been dealing with a lot in your offline life. So, coming online and seeing post after post, and call to action after call to action, can become overwhelming. Disorienting. Helpless. Numbing.
If that's where you're at, it might be helpful to step offline. Maybe social media is not the self soothing or coping strategy for you right now. Maybe you need to call or text a friend or family member. Maybe it's going for a walk or other movement. Maybe it's going to bed early. Maybe it's journaling, or meditating, or reading a book, or doing a puzzle. Maybe it's focusing on your own little world, just for the day, before rejoining the rest of the world on social media.
What do you think? What other offline coping strategies can you use?
[Image description: text on a purple background that says "A Reminder that everything is political. If you're overwhelmed or upset when people talk about political issues on social media, remember that you're in charge of your own behavior and you can step offline for a while and cope in other ways. Social media should not be your primary coping strategy."

27/08/2020

On bad days in grad school, I used to stop at the bakery/deli across the street, pick up chips, or chocolate, or cookies, or all three, and shut myself in my bedroom and eat them alone. I knew this wasn't serving me, but I didn't know how to break the pattern.
Part of it was that I didn't really know how to identify what I was feeling, let alone other ways of handling them. If you would have asked me, I would have said I felt "overwhelmed" or "not good enough." Guess what? Those are thoughts, not feelings. It took a lot longer to be able to recognize disappointment, loneliness, anxiety, and shame as drivers of that emotional eating cycle. Can you relate?
Which is why I'm so excited about my September Whole30 group. I'm going to be there every step of the way over NINE weeks - through prep, the actual 30 days, a full reintroduction, and transitioning into food freedom. In addition to the support and accountability you'll get from the group, we'll also have weekly Zoom calls where I teach you how to identify your emotions, figure out if they're justified and effective in a given moment, and how you can more effectively respond to them.
This group is for you if you're constantly confused at what you're feeling, you don't know better ways of coping, and you're ready to break this cycle. It doesn't matter if you're new to Whole30 or a seasoned veteran. And, I've never offered this option before (!!), but I have a few spots available for the group PLUS 1:1 weekly calls with me - get the support of the group and individualized support. All the details and sign ups are on my website (Link in my bio).
[Image description: a background of colorful leaves with text overlaid announcing my September Whole30 group. Details are in text above.]

21/08/2020

We live in a society that emphasizes feeling good and finding happiness. Many of us received messages growing up that we shouldn't feel certain emotions - that they were "bad" or "uncontrollable." And that expressing certain emotions made us "hysterical" or "weak." Is it any wonder that we have difficulty managing difficult emotions?
But, one thing that I know to be true after working with hundreds of clients is this - fighting our emotions doesn't make them go away. Judging them doesn't diminish the pain we feel. Ignoring them doesn't cause them to disappear. Dismissing them doesn't solve the problem.
It actually creates MORE emotional pain. We may be able to distract ourselves or push those emotions off for a while, but it's almost never an effective long-term strategy. Why not? Because all of our emotions, even (and maybe especially) the emotions that are most difficult to sit with, communicate things to us. Acknowledging and responding to those difficult emotions enriches our lives, reminds us of our values, and orients us to the meaningful aspects of life.
Drop a 🙋 if this resonates!
[Image description: text on a dark blueish purple background that says "Reminder - when we judge, ignore, or dismiss difficult emotions, we create more emotional pain."]

18/08/2020

I did a thing! (Get it? 🤣) I was honored to be asked back to the Do The Thing podcast with where we talked about being hypothangry, or getting angry about a hypothetical situation and working yourself up about that conflict ... even though it hasn't happened yet. Kudos to for coming up with a catchy name for this phenomenon!
Anger is normative and valid (based on how we're thinking about things), but it may not be helpful or productive. In this episode, we talk about how judgments, uncertainty, past experiences, and expectations play into creating these hypothetical situations and the anger it activates. And, of course, we talk about how you can start to become more aware of those activating thoughts and how you can start to disrupt that automatic response.
This was such a fun and easy conversation with Melissa and I hope you get something out of it too.
And, because we could all use some levity these days, tell me your best hypothangry moment! Mine involves getting angry at a romantic partner over his actions in a DREAM I had and waking up and thinking he'd probably do that in real life. That fight didn't go well ... 😜

29/07/2020

I saw the posts recently and wondered what they were all about. Female empowerment and solidarity? Ok, sure, but where did the challenge come from? Why now? So I did some research and, because I believe knowledge is a form of empowerment, here's what I found.
This challenge was started to raise awareness about the growing violence and murder of women in Turkey. Pinar Gültekin (27 years old) was beaten and strangled to death by her ex-boyfriend. He then attempted to burn her body. When that didn't work, he stuffed her body in a garbage bin and filled it with concrete. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. In 2019, 474 women were murdered by partners or relatives in Turkey, and the 2020 numbers are expected to be worse.
There is also growing concern that the Turkish government will withdraw from the Istanbul Convention that provides protections against marital r**e, ge***al mutilation, and violence towards women. Even so, the protections afforded by the treaty have been poorly enforced due to concerns that it threatens religious and traditional family values.
The challenge is said to stem from Turkish women being frustrated over seeing another black and white photo of a woman who has been killed.
Intimate partner violence and domestic violence is NEVER ok. If you need help or support, here are some resources in the United States.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is open 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233.
TTY at 1-800-787-3224.
Text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474.
Computer use can be monitored, but if you are able to safely use a computer, you can also log onto www.thehotline.org
In Illinois, the Office on Domestic Violence is available 24/7 at 1-877-863-6338. TTY at 1-877-863-6339. Multilingual and translator services available.
In Dupage County, has a hotline and emergency shelter. They will also assist with emergency Orders of Protection. Their number is 630-469-5650.

09/04/2020

Having trouble falling asleep? You’re not alone! Last week, I shared a video on the relationship between anxiety and sleep problems, and my current personal evening routine. Here are some more suggestions, based on sleep research.
Keep a general sleep schedule. The wake time is more important to keep relatively consistent, so even if this is a little later than before (I’ve pushed my wake time back an hour), keep your wake time to within an hour every day (even weekends). Yes, this means that on a given night where you had trouble falling asleep, you might get less overall sleep. That’s ok. Don’t compensate with extra caffeine or naps (unless you’re an essential worker, in which case, get whatever sleep you can).
Establish an evening routine. Turn off all screens (phone, computer, TV) at least 60 minutes before you’re getting ready for bed. No news or social media, as this can ramp up anxious thoughts. Dim the lights and reduce distractions. This tells your brain that it is time to start slowing down. You can make your own routine, but I shared mine recently if you need ideas!
Don’t drink caffeine after noon. Even if you don’t think caffeine affects you, if you’re having trouble sleeping (even temporarily), cut back on your caffeine intake. Don’t use alcohol to unwind and get sleepy at night. Even though alcohol might help you fall asleep, it leads to poor sleep, including less REM sleep, so you’re more likely to feel groggy when you wake up. And, alcohol can exacerbate sleep problems like sleep apnea, sleep talking or sleep walking.
Try to get some sunshine and exercise throughout the day. And you don’t have to wake up early to work out! In fact, getting some healthy movement in the late afternoon or early evening (at least 3 hours before bed) can increase the amount of deep sleep you get.
Stay tuned … more to come on setting a sleep environment and what to do when you wake up in the middle of the night. Hope these are helpful!

04/04/2020

Three weeks ago, when it seemed inevitable that we would go on lockdown, I made a list of 25 things I wanted to accomplish with all my newfound time. I would gain two hours a day by not commuting. There would be no errands to run. Surely, I would finally have time to tackle my to-do list, work on self-improvement, and start projects. Looking at that list today, I’m struck by how optimistic - and completely unrealistic - those expectations were.⁠⁠
Because the truth is that it feels like I have less time than before. Working from home is slower, so the same tasks take longer. My mind wanders constantly. It’s hard to focus. Making simple decisions, like what to make for dinner, feel energetically draining. I’m emotionally exhausted. That “extra” time for new learning, and organizing, and business planning never appeared.⁠⁠
So, what happened? I fell into the productivity trap. The trap of feeling like we’re supposed to use this time to get things done. The trap of treating this like bonus time to get ahead. This isn’t new. This American societal pressure to constantly be on, to constantly be hustling, to constantly be outworking the next person has been talked about for ages. The idea that we have to use every. single. minute. to its full potential. We have to maximize our time. Even slowing down is a task – something to practice and check off the to-do list. I’m guilty of this. I bet many of you are too.⁠⁠
At the end of last week, I was feeling overwhelmed. How were people finding time to be working out, organizing their closet, planting gardens, reading books, watching new Netflix shows, having virtual meetups with friends, etc.? What was I doing wrong? Nothing. And, if you feel like me, you aren’t doing anything wrong either. It’s ok to slow down, to focus on the basics and leave out the rest, to maintain and not expand, to just be.⁠⁠
I’ll share what I am doing, but not because you need to do the same. I’m removing the pressure to be extra productive. I’m showing up for myself. I’m practicing mindfulness, self-compassion, and gratitude. I’m working on just being. What are you doing?⁠

23/03/2020

I know that there are a lot of losses we have already experienced or anticipating experiencing. Some of these are huge - loss of life, health, jobs/income, businesses, financial security, retirement plans. We're pretty good at identifying those.
But the small losses are important to recognize and grieve as well. The loss of seeing loved ones in person or being able to gather all together for weddings, graduations, or funerals. The loss of being able to be witness to milestones in loved one's lives. The loss of our daily routines and schedules. The loss of planned trips, events, opportunities. The loss of having alone time if everyone is now at home together. The loss of face-to-face connection if you live alone. The loss of being able to use certain coping strategies.
Sometimes we invalidate or minimize our own (or others) loss and grief, telling ourselves it could be worse. Of course it could. But that doesn't mean there isn't still emotional pain. Acknowledging our losses and the emotions that come with it is a powerful first step in being able to process and release those emotions.
People grieve in a variety of ways and there isn't a "right" way. There isn't a timeline and it isn't linear. Some days the grief may not be there at all and the next it might be crushing. Be gentle with yourself and others. Remember that two things can be true at once. We can acknowledge the losses AND take care of ourselves. We can adjust AND continue to live life.
What other losses would you add to this list?

20/03/2020

I'm highlighting some of the findings from early data collected by the CDC on COVID-19 cases in the United States between 2/12-3/16. We are seeing hospitalizations and ICU admissions among all adults (over the age of 20), not just older adults. If you want to read the study yourself, you can find it at
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6912e2.htm?s_cid=mm6912e2_w

20/03/2020

Instead of focusing on the current death toll from COVID-19, we should be focusing on the impending influx of hospitalizations that will burden our hospitals. Let's go through the math and talk through why social distancing matters.

drvickiebhatia

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