When I’m “Off,” I Come Back to This
I’ve been off for months.
Off social media.
Off my normal routine.
Displaced from my home gym — my workspace, my anchor.
And in seasons like that, I used to spiral.
Popcorn and chardonnay at night.
Peanut M&M’s with afternoon coffee.
Sugar, salt, alcohol — they did the trick.
They numbed the feelings. The uncertainty. The dysregulation.
Temporarily.
Here’s what’s true: I’m still imperfect. And I love that about myself.
I still have nights with wine and popcorn. I still enjoy coffee with M&M’s sometimes. That’s life. Those little, spontaneous pleasures make me happy — especially when they’re occasional, intentional, and not a coping strategy.
But the one word that anchors me when I’m “off” now?
Consistency.
Not perfection.
Not intensity.
Not punishment.
Consistency.
I ask myself:
What have I built a foundation on that makes me feel better than peanut M&M’s and chardonnay ever could?
For me, it’s:
Waking up early.
Drinking a full glass of water first thing.
Ten minutes of meditation or prayer.
Moving my body.
Serving others through my work.
Building one “Queen Bee” meal every day.
Practicing sleep hygiene like it’s a job I get paid to do.
None of that happened overnight.
Eight years ago, I drew a line in the sand. I knew I needed something to change. And I did not start with all of the above. I wanted to celebrate my girlfriends’ birthday and join her for a big hike - Machu Picchu, Peru. I knew I could not do that hike by just walking, doing a little jiggle here and there and eating whatever I wanted to. I knew I needed to lift some dumbbells so I could increase strength and stamina and perseverance for the hike. So….
I started with one thing.
One workout.
One day a week.
For one month.
That was it.
Tuesday mornings became my thing. I liked how it felt. So I added another day — Friday mornings. Same thing. Just one more touchpoint.
It has taken seven years to build the momentum and discipline that now has me working out four to five days a week. But today, it’s not willpower. It’s identity.
It’s part of my resilience.
My strength.
My breath.
My clarity.
My peace.
We overthink where to start. We think it has to be a full reset. A total overhaul. A Monday plan. A 30-day cleanse.
And that thinking leaves us stranded.
Isolated.
Overwhelmed.
What if you didn’t need a full plan?
What if you just needed one small act of consistency this week?
Maybe that’s building one Queen Bee meal — vegetables first, protein for stability, quality carbs for satisfaction.
Maybe it’s a simple 9-minute workout — not to torch calories, but to reconnect to your body.
Maybe it’s just a glass of water tomorrow morning before coffee.
Start with one.
Let it become yours.
Let it anchor you when you feel off.
If you’d like a gentle place to begin, I’ll share my Queen Bee meal template and a simple plank challenge you can do at home. No pressure. No perfection. Just one small, consistent step back to yourself.
You don’t need to be “on.”
You just need to keep beginning again. And again. And again. That’s consistency. Keep stoking, keep anchoring, keep doing that one thing over and over again. You are worth it.
