On October 31, 2008, I was just a girl grasping for hope.
I was struggling with disordered eating that still lingered despite my best efforts to beat it. I felt like I had made a lot of progress, but there was still a missing piece to my puzzle.
Self-love.
I fought a daily battle of self-acceptance, depressive thoughts, and anxiety. Despite the smile on the outside, most days I felt like I was crumbling on the inside. I was simply going through the motions of life and the days were passing me by. Indeed, I was truly thankful for so many wonderful people in my life, but the one thing I couldn’t be thankful for was myself.
I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to get to that place of self-acceptance or happiness, but I decided the first step was going to be writing about it.
And so it all began with a simple Boo on Halloween day!
I have always loved writing because it comes to me easier than expressing my thoughts out loud. It is just me and a keyboard or piece of paper talking to someone out there and thinking things through. Writing is a way for my inner voice to be heard when often it is silenced by all the thoughts swirling through my mind. Writing gives each thought a chance, each thought a moment to be heard and I often clear my mind or work things out as I write.
I guess this is why I was never meant to be a researcher. While I did spend most of my time writing in grad school, my writing was very very formal, scientific, and sterile in many ways. I felt suffocated when I wrote a research paper and I always felt like I couldn’t express my true self. In a paper, there was little room for jokes, sarcasm, stories, or occasional curse words (trust me, I could have used them many times!). It was all too structured.
I wanted to set my thoughts free.
Starting this blog was a way for me to have a creative outlet at a time when my creativity felt stifled in many areas of my life. OSG was the one place where I felt like I could express myself fully. I would simply write about what I wanted to write about, just like in my Creative Writing class in high school that I loved so much. My teacher had us make Creative Writing journals in high school and we could write whatever we wanted to in them. Personal stories, clippings, drawings, poems, deep thoughts, jokes, and anything that we wanted to share. I absolutely loved this journal and I would talk about my struggles with disordered eating, my love for delicious healthy food, animals, exercise, running, the desire for happiness, and whatever else I wanted to talk about.
Over the past two years, I have found that missing piece of self-love. Even on the days when I can’t find it and I am having a bad day, I know that it isn’t far away and it will come back to me. I have met amazing people along the way and I have been touched by the support and kindness of others.
Today, I write because I am truly thankful for these past two years, for sharing my life with you, the ups and the downs, and the discussions, inspiring words, and support. My hope for the blog going forward is to give back as much gratitude, love, and inspiration as I get from writing each day.
Thank you for letting me come into your lives each day and also, for allowing me to come into yours.
As a small token of my appreciation, I am going to do some giveaways!
1) Draw for $25 Glo Bakery gift certificates to be given out to 5 random people
2) Draw for a homemade batch of cookies, Glo bars, or muffins (any from my recipes page!) shipped to your doorstep.
3) Grand prize draw for $100 Glo Bakery gift certificate to one random winner
If you’d like a chance to be entered in the giveaway, please leave a comment below telling me anything about your own passions, journey, or perhaps something you have grown to love about yourself. Contest closes Monday Nov 8th.
I’m off to the kitchen to shoot my video for Challenge #7! Hopefully there aren’t as many flops as last night. ;) Happy Halloween!
Happy Anniversary! I enjoy reading your blog so much and it is so encouraging to me. I’m still trying to learn self love as I also recover from disordered eating and you make me see that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
What a beautiful post, Angela!
About six months ago, I made the transition into becoming a vegetarian. Slowly, I’ve also chosen not to eat eggs, cow’s milk, cheese and other animal products. It’s one of the best decisions and journeys I’ve ever made. I feel kinder, healthier, lighter in spirit.
I’ve learned to be confident going around by myself – since I don’t know many people in this city, I’m often browsing malls, and even coffee shops by myself. I’m more relaxed, and patient and even more happy. Just by reading these Healthy Living Blogs has honestly changed my life within the 1+ year that I’ve been reading them.
Happy Birthday Oh She Glows!!
happy birthday OSG! your passion is my inspiration! I have been learning to love myself despite my flaws. It’s a struggle but I’ve been practising seeing the benefits of these “flaws”, like my stubbornness that helps me keep grudges for way too long, but also helps me stick to my convictions in a way that makes me proud.
happy birthday OSG!!
Honestly, if I hadn’t found your blog early this year, I think I would still be struggling with my disordered eating, but seeing you come out of it has helped me more than you know. So, thank you!!!! I still have my days when I question whether or not to eat breakfast, or thinking about skipping lunch if I feel like I ate too much the day before, but they are so much fewer and far between!
Congrats on the second anniversary of your blog. I am fairly new to the blog world but follow a few every day, yours is one of the best! Great photography… Keep up the great work and may you have many more years doing what you love. You rock the blog world!!!
Finally learning to love the fully functioning body that I was blessed with.
just been following a few months. Enjoy all the information and support. It is difficult to be a vegan in small town USA! Thanks and keep blogging!
Angela you are truly amazing in all aspects! We love you.
Happy B-day to OSG!
I am happy to report that I am living my life by follwoing my dreams and staying balanced and
staying well-rounded as I learn more and more each day.
I am so lucky to have my passions and that I get to help others and share my knowledge and change lives everyday. I am blessed to love what I do. :)
I have learned though to “challenge yourself and not compete with yourself” in the past few months and it has really been great for me.
Happy Halloween!
I just started reading your blog a month or so ago. Something I learned from reading your blog was that I have the power to choose. I have the power to choose if I am going to let a bad day get me down or will I find the positives and choose to make the day better. Basically it’s a “when life gives you lemons, make grape juice and let them wonder how you did it” sort of thing.
Happy Anniversary love!!!
OSG has given us all an incredible 2 years!
One thing I find complete passion in is cooking. Not only the food itself, but the art behind creating meals. This goes well beyond the pleasure of just eating to taste but cooking to feel like I am performing one of my gifts.
Hi Angella :)
I have to say I really enjoy your website, and because of you, you really helped me embrace being a vegetarian/vegan [i’m nearly there :)] I have to say that’s become a passion of mine, re-discovering vegetarianism, not just because of weight loss/health goals, but because A: it’s fun and B: it’s exciting to see how you can “vegea-tize!” a meal. It doesn’t have to be a chore, it can be totally, utterly fun.
Another passion is learning. I went back to school, because I wasn’t happy being with being a sociolgist, and I am REALLY enjoying my library program. :) Hopefully I win something, it’s tough being a student away from home and having some Angela baked goodies would rock but good luck to everyone, and congrats again on 2 years :)
Happy Birthday OSG!
You are beautiful & inspiring, Angela — your messages have become a wonderful part of how I start my day — & you portray amazing voice & personality in your writing & posts. :)
My most significant growth has been simply learning to Love Myself. I am unique & no longer need to torture myself with comparisons. I am beautiful. I deserve happiness.
I have recently taken my own plunge in writing, pursuing other passions as well as how I am living life Every Day. We only have Now — this moment — so live it, right?
Happy Blogiversary!!
I have grown to love what my body can do, not necessarily how it looks. I’ve always judged my body before on how it looks, “oh, my arms look stronger,” or “my abs look flatter.” And, as great as that is, I’ve now started to really love what my body can accomplish. I can run a marathon with these legs and feet (holy crap!), I can make a delicious, healthy dinner with these hands, and I can comfort a friend with my arms and a big hug.
Your blog is so great, from the recipes, to the little messages, I love reading it everyday, keep it up!
Hey Angela!! Happy Blogoversary!
I absolutely love OSG… my family & friends are currently hooked on green monsters! lol so we all wanna say THANK YOU!
and I never comment on blogs.. so I know this is well over due, but THANK YOU FOR TAKING US TO PARIS WITH U!!!!
My passion is cooking nutritious, yet YUMMYYY food!
I’m a 3rd year med student and I learn everyday how ppl can get sick, terminally ill, or even die because of the terrible food they eat.
I asked myself one day… is it even worth it?! NO!!!! it isnt!!!! NUTRITIOUS FOOD IS ACTUALLY BETTER TASTING!!! so that’s currently my passion and life!
Also, I’ve been a vegetarian (mainly vegan except for the occasional milk products) and loving it!
KEEP ON COOKIN ANGELA!
-Olivia
Over the years i’ve learned to accept myself fully, flaws and all! I’ve also learned the power of perseverance with my fitness goals. I just ran my first half marathon!
Happy Anniversary!!! That’s awesome!!
Food and fitness are definitely two of my passions, as well as two things (in my past) which have given me the most issues. I struggled with very similar self image issues/counting calories/perhaps exercising too much :(. I’ve grown to learn to love who I am and what my body can do for me, and to actually LISTEN to my body and give it what it wants. Real. Healthy. Food. I have learned so much over the past few years and I finally decided to take the next step and actually blog my life on it :)
Thank you for your two years of blogging and sharing :)
I have come a long way, but I am not quite at a place yet where I can say that I have complete self-love and acceptance. I still struggle with hypercritical body image issues. I am constantly striving for mental self-improvement, and big part of that includes becoming a more confident, self-assured person. Reading healthy living blogs like yours and HTP have made such a huge impact on my self-image! My dream is to start a family in the near future, but I know that I have to first love myself and my body before I can bring a child into this world. Hopefully that time will come very soon. :)
Happy Birthday OSG!!
I am at the point in my journey right now where I am still a little bitter about having to cut out gluten. The diagnosis of celiac is still fresh and I feel very lost not being able to rely on all of the staples I was so used to!
But I am figuring out a little more day by day.
My passion is to help others that struggle with the eating disorder I once had. I want to help them realize that things get better and not to focus so much on the outside but rather the inside where true beauty lies.
Throughout the years I have learned to appreciate my body and that no matter how hard I try I will not be that girl in the magazine because they are unrealistic. I will always just be me and I love that. I have people that love me and care for me just the way I am and I realized I don’t have to change because I am already who I want to be.