#how to reset in midlife

[ourlittlehouseinthecountry]

Some seasons of life are loud and busy and blooming. And others… are quieter. Messier. A little lonelier. This week on the blog, I’m writing about the lonely side of personal growth—those in-between seasons where you’ve let go of what no longer fits, but haven’t quite settled into what comes next. It’s about what it feels like to step away from old roles, old identities, old expectations—and how even the right decisions can come with their own kind of grief. It’s about change, self-discovery, and that quiet space where you're still becoming. It’s not a ‘how-to.’ It’s a reflection. A gentle reminder that if you’re feeling a little lost or unsettled right now… you’re not alone. You’re not behind. You’re just not finished yet. The post is live now on the blog— You’ll find it under “Latest Blog Post” in the link in bio, and I’ve popped the direct link into stories too. Save it for a quiet read with a cuppa. I hope it lands softly.

[lullabyes22-blog]

Snippet - Thirteen Months- Forward but Never Forget/XOXO

If the Silco x Reader fics were realistic.

And not in a good way.

Forward but Never Forget/XOXO

tw: physical abuse, drug use, rough sex, mistreatment of sex workers

Snippet:

Migraine's ripening in his brainstem; the cigar's nearly dead. He stubs its smoldering butt into a crystal ashtray at the table. Sevika's eyeing him with a shrewd mix of caution and concern. 

Ghosts here, too. A shared bed, and the physicality of memory.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" she asks.

"None."

"Figures." Her face goes through a complicated series of micro-expressions. Then it resets into guarded neutrality. "Maven not doing her duty?"

"Maven is, as we know, a marvel."

"Doesn't answer my question."

Silco doesn't answer that, either.

Thirteen months, he thinks.

Thirteen months since his and Sevika's last time. He's not sure what the gap signifies, other than the fact it does signify something, else why'd he keep track of the tally? He's no idea what to call it either: this no-man's land between reproach and rapprochement, a space of tacit glances and barred doors, of shared history and estranged present.

He's got only two working theories. One: it's the symptom of an early midlife crisis, triggered by Jinx's blossoming adulthood and a city narrowly salvaged from hellfire. Two: it's not a crisis, but a crossroads, and Silco's finding himself, after years, in the uncharted territory of unmet need. The kind of need that summons live memory, and makes the memory ache: a shared smoke of brightleaf; a skull resting against a strong shoulder; a sinewy arm slung over a hard waist...

Silco doesn't dwell on the two theories, because there's a third. And he hates it, because it's the truth.

It's not about him. It's never been about him.

It's always, always, been about her.

He would never say he feels the lack. He keeps a revolving door of liaisons who spend the night at the Laguna Lounge, and fill his sheets when they're not filling his head with promises, platitudes, praise. It's a libertine's smorgasbord: from zaftig beauties in crushed velvet to sharp-cheeked high-rollers in bespoke pinstripe.

Except, in Silco's mind, they're an unspooling procession of flesh, like a carnival freak composed of a hundred different limbs. Only vague outlines and fleeting sensations last the distance. He remembers a cute little crooner who'd sing for her supper over his knee. A muscular dockhand with a cock like a bludgeon and an arsehole as pinkly unspoilt as the petals of a Demacian rose. A svelte tinkerer with elegant fingers and the vilest mouth this side of the Fissures; a late-night raver with hair like a halo of sparks and eyes incandescent with holy lust.

He recalls playthings on their knees; paramours at his feet. Recalls his darkest appetites fed; his worst hungers sated.

He recalls Maven.

Last summer, he'd summoned back to his service. She was a dab hand at spreading her lovely legs on command and seeing to his satisfaction without interrupting his twisting train of thought.

Better yet, she was unafraid of his proclivities. Whatever he dished out, she took in stride. Whatever he demanded, she gave.

Talent deserved recognition; Silco had rewarded hers generously. He'd set her up in the Laguna Lounge's east wing. Given her a corner suite, a maid of her own, a monthly stipend. Gifted her with luxury and leisure: anything from high-end threads to high-grade wines. Granted her access to his best, most potent, Shimmer.

He'd also given her an order: Come when called.

For six months, it was bliss. Then it devolved into a nightmare.

Maven was a whip-smart girl with a taste for decadence. But she also had her own vendetta to grind. Her life had been a constant peril, and she'd only made it thus far by making herself indispensable. Now, by a stroke of fortune, she was the Eye's favorite.

And she was determined—at any cost—to secure a permanent berth in his boudoir. 

In bed, she was quick to pick up on his cues; even quicker at cater to his whims. Full-body massages, tongue-baths, foot-rubs—the works. Silco awoke to morning suckjobs that could strip the chrome off a tailpipe. Drowsed to nightly kisses that'd drain the venom from a snakebite.

Sometimes, she'd treat him to wicked games of her own devising. Once, she'd greeted him at the Laguna Lounge's front door in nothing but a black leather harness and a set of gold clamps attached to her nipples. Let him fuck her on the marble-topped bar, and afterward, while he'd lazed back in the sofa and sipped a cognac, sucked him off with those same clamps twined around his balls.

Another time, she'd arranged for a trio of dancers—all male, louche and lithe and oiled to a shine. The first pair had swapped sloppy kisses with his cock between their lips; the third had ridden him for a solid hour. Maven, curled up in the sofa, had watched the proceedings with the feral interest of a cat eyeing a birdcage. After the show, she'd fixed him an icy gin cocktail, a hot-tub soak, and an exquisite dinner of seared filet-mignon, poached eggs, and the creamiest souffle he'd ever sampled.

Silco, replete, had asked if she was angling to become his personal chef. Maven, perched naked at the end of the table, had purred, "Among other things."

"What other things?"

"Whatever you want, my love. Whatever you need."

My love.

The endearment hadn't jarred him. She'd used it often. Yet it'd stuck in his palate that night, like a fishbone between the teeth.

In reply, Silco had taken her bent over the table, her cheek pressed to the linen and the tablecloth bunched between her fists, as the wineglasses toppled and a plate shattered beneath his boot. Afterward, to her wet-eyed dismay, he'd retired to the Laguna Lounge's south wing and spent the rest of the night alone.

A week after the dinner debacle, Maven had greeted him at the door, shiny-eyed and smiling. But in her hands, instead of his nightly brandy, she'd presented him with a box.

"What's this?"

"A gift."

"I've no taste for gifts."

"You'll enjoy this one." She nudged the box closer. "Open it."

Inside was a vial of bright-green liquid. Silco, the premier chem-baron of Zaun, recognized it at a glance. A potent psychedelic distilled from a rare strain of Fissure mushroom. The kick was so intense it made the walls breathe and the ceiling bleed.

"A fresh batch," Maven said, her cat-eyes a slow wandering across his face. "One of my old contacts hooked me up. Told me it'd make our lovemaking divine."

"Divine," Silco echoed.

"Even a devil deserves a taste of the divine. Right, my love?"

She'd gone on tiptoe and kissed him. Silco, tongue curling against hers, let it happen. It'd been a bad day. Another Firelight raid. Another fight with Jinx. Another not-talk with Sevika. He'd allowed himself to be persuaded.

It was a costly mistake.

She'd chosen a smooth-flowing jazz song from his record collection, and set the needle on the gramophone. Chosen a syringe, and a vein in Silco's arm. Chosen her favorite spot, and straddled him on the sofa.

Then, hands braced on his chest, she'd engulfed his cock in a wet glide as the world began its slow-motion collapse. 

For hours, Silco fucked, fought, fucked inside a kaleidoscope of colors. His brain was on fire with a thousand schemes. His cock was electrified with a thousand volts. Maven's hands were everywhere, melting, maddening, merciless. Her mouth, a living furnace. Her cunt, a nest of wet silk and wetter sin. Her screams, a chorus to his climax. The colors were climaxing, too.

She'd begged to be whipped until her buttocks were a nightmare of earthworm-red welts. Silco obliged, and she'd sobbed so sweetly, so wretchedly, as he flayed the meat off her supple young flesh.  She'd begged to be tied to the bedposts and fucked, and he obliged again. She shook and wailed and shook as his cock split her, a rapidfire barrage that had the bedframe jolting and the mattress springs shrieking and the walls coming down. Then she'd begged to be choked, and he obliged once more, and the colors were no longer climaxing but combusting, and Maven's eyes, her beautiful hazel eyes, were rolling back to show the white moon-curves, and her mouth was a perfect circle of rapture, and her thighs were quivering, her spine arching, her cunt squeezing and squeezing and squeezing—

And the high-pitched phantasmagoria liquified into a single blackened maw, and he'd found himself staring into Vander's face. 

"You'll lose everything, Blut."

And the high was stripped bare, and Silco fell into a depthless sea, and drowned.

When he resurfaced, there was a body in the room.

Not Maven. She was slumped by the headboard. Knees drawn up, her hands pressed between them, her head lolling forward.  Seizing her shoulders, Silco shook her awake. She stirred, murmuring drowsily. He'd sifted her tangled hair aside to take her pulse. It was strong. But there were dark fingerprints on her throat, her wrists, her thighs.  Her lovely eyes held a glaze of shock and a deeper, unreachable awe.

In the afterglow, she'd kissed Silco's knuckles, wetting them with tears. And, turning those cat-eyes eyes upon him, she'd breathed, "I won't tell."

The body belonged to a boy.

A lovely, long-limbed lad, with hair like a headful of black waves and eyes like the sun off a churning blue sea. He was a new hire—skittish, as new hires often were—whom Silco had summoned from the lobby, earlier that evening, to restock the bar.

Now he lay starfished on the carpet in a pool of congealing blood. There was a red-lipped gash in his jugular. Vander's knife—now Silco's knife—was planted hilt-deep in his left eye.

Silco had slithered out from bed and crossed the room. Knelt over the boy's body, and stared at the soft sea-glass eyes. It was a stranger's stare. It was his own stare: the face that he'd worn in another lifetime.

"I won't tell," Maven repeated, and Silco felt the icewater closing in.

The blackguards had disposed of the body; Posky had scrubbed down the carpets; the crew sent a fat severance check to the boy's family.

That's how Silco recalls it now: not bloodlust, but a hungover tedium of logistics and a cold stack of paperwork.

He'd not told Sevika. The crew, on pain of death, were likewise sworn to secrecy. Not because Silco dreaded the repercussions. He dreaded, above all, that Sevika would know.

She'd know it'd happened in a psychotic stupor. Know the root of it wasn't naked bloodlust, but naked need.

She'd know, and she'd never, ever, let him forget the truth.

The truth, that Maven was a marvel, but Sevika was worth a million in cold steel—and it wasn't for her grit or her guts or the sheer force of will she exerted in a crisis. It was the other side of her. That quiet side, so seldom revealed.  The  tether that'd quieted Silco's storm, in turn, and steered him to port. Into a bed that was always warm, and a body built of bedrock.

Except the port had denied him safe harbor, and the bed was empty, and the body beyond reach.

Thirteen bloody months.

Maven hadn't lasted half that time. She'd begun to believe their shared secrets gave her leverage. To believe, too, that Silco's devotion belonged exclusively to her. Bit by bit, she began spreading her tendrils across his private life. Began to intrude where she wasn't invited, and linger where she was least welcome.

Suddenly their late-night drinks were no longer a regularity, but a requirement. Suddenly, the backrubs had an agenda, and the footrubs had a catch. Suddenly, Silco could no longer relax after a long day, because instead of a suckjob and sweet silence, he'd get sulking and a strident earful of demands.

She expected no more playthings past his threshold unless she’d hand-picked them—be they crooners, tinkerers or dockhands with rosebud arseholes. No more games unless she lay down the law—be they on a bed of sweat-stained silk or a dirty rug that'd seen better days or a tub sloshing with wine as cold as a dead man's balls. And no more straying from the beaten path: if she didn't fancy a kink, it wouldn't make it to the negotiating table, much less see the light of day.

She was especially jealous of Silco's private time. She'd pout if he took a business call mid-fuck. If a blackguard intruded with an urgent message, she'd slam the door on his face. Once, she'd nearly gutted poor Posky for wheeling in the breakfast cart at an inopportune hour.

To a point, Silco had indulged her peevishness. A coping mechanism, he surmised, given the hellacious circumstances she'd faced in her formative years.  But then, she'd dared to bar Jinx's way into his chambers with the toe of a lacquered heel.

Silco's tolerance took a steep nosedive.

Jinx, to her credit, had given Maven the cold shoulder—nearly regal in its teengirly frost. She'd waltzed right in, a sashay to her stride, pecked Silco's cheek and unfurled the blueprints for a sump-drainage pump across his desk.

Silco had bestowed his usual praise, and the rare show of affection—a palm at the nape of Jinx's neck. He'd not missed Jinx's childishly flushed glee; nor the spite that etched itself at the corners of Maven's pretty, poisonous mouth. After, he'd signed off on the order for the pump's manufacture, and sent Jinx on her merry way.

"It's sweet how close you are." Maven clipped off the word 'sweet' like shears taking off the tip of a rosebud. "She must miss you terribly when you're busy. Why not make it easier on yourselves and move her in here?"

The sarcasm was treacle-thick and spiked with envy. She was testing his boundaries, as she'd been wont to do lately. For Silco, boundaries were ones that didn't need to be enforced. It was implicit that to cross them meant a blade to the throat.

Maven had an appreciation for his knifeplay. But a short memory for the blade's bite.

She'd need a refresher. 

"I'd have thought," Silco said, without lifting his eyes from the blueprints, "you'd prefer our privacy."

"Maybe I would." She slid onto his lap. Her dress, a sheer black number, was a curtain of smoke over his suit-clad legs. She circled her tongue over the shell of his ear, then whispered into it, "Or maybe I'd enjoy it if she invited Vi along, and they both watched."

That had done it.

Maybe it was the mounting pressure. Maybe it was the memory of dead boys and rivers full of corpses. Maybe it was his knowledge of Jinx's late nights, and with whom.

Or maybe, he'd simply had his fill: of the constant scheming, the endless death, the ceaseless want. And fact that his needs—his real needs—could not be satisfied, because they were not the needs of a monster but the needs of a man. 

His need for Vander's absolution. For Nandi's forgiveness.

For Sevika's touch, and the trust they'd once shared.

Silco needed them all, but none were his to take. 

So he'd taken it out on Maven instead.

The backhand was so hard she'd skidded off his lap and crashed to the carpet. A livid mark bloomed across her cheek. When she looked up, shock stole over her face, then an ugly, disbelieving fury. 

He'd never struck her before. There'd never even been any sign to suggest it. 

The Eye of Zaun was many things—each more atrocious than the last. But he was not a man who'd beat his girls. 

Maven was no longer his girl.

"How dare you?" Maven spat. "After all I've done for you—"

Silco's shadow, looming, killed the words in her throat.

"You've two choices," he said, deathly soft. "Leave, and do not look back. Or stay, and take the consequences. I'm giving you this choice because you've served me well. Do not presume that it entitles you to more." His shadow spread across the carpet; Maven's breath caught. "Do not presume anything, least of all what I owe."

The fury leached from Maven's face. Only gelid tears remained, suspended like dewdrops upon her eyelashes. 

And in those tears: fear.

Fear, that the man who had saved her life might yet end it, for a transgression so severe it verged on treason.

"Sir," she began, "I—"

"I said: choose."

Maven's lashes dipped; the tears spilled. Shivering, she turned her head, offering the unblemished side of her cheek for the second strike. 

The choice, and her penitence, were accepted.

Silco hadn't spared her. He'd taken his due. Taken her, after, on her elbows and knees, with an utter absence of mercy. Taken her until she was sobbing real tears, and barely able to keep her balance. Taken her, as he had the night she'd sworn herself to him: her body bared to his blade; the rest of her aching to prove her worth.

He'll call upon that vow again, before the end.

Since that night, she's slept in a huddle at the foot of his bed, shivering under a crisscrossing of welts. Stripes she's earned, and will wear without complaint. She'll crawl on her knees and abase herself for his pleasure. She'll greet his daughter with downcast eyes and a deferential smile, and she'll be twice as diligent in her duties to him.

And in her heart, where ambition and adoration entwine, she'll be twice as covetous. Twice as cunning. Twice as eager to prove herself worthy.

He'll use that, too, before the end.

And, the end's nearly in sight.

Silco's glad of it. A warm cunt's not a confidant, and Maven's a poor substitute for either. In her, he sees his hunger reflected. Sees the limits of what that hunger can take, and what it'll leave behind.

Blood. Bruises. Bodies.

He thinks of Sevika's steady hands and steadier eyes, and wonders what they'd see if they knew the truth. That, in the absence of a tether, he's let the storm run rampant, and it's taken him over a cliff's edge.

And now he's fallen into the deepest, darkest place of all.

His child: compromised, and no longer his own.

[earring-stede]

Season 2 theory

Been thinking about this interview with David Jenkins in Variety.

He talks about Ed and Stedes relationship in season 2 being split into 3 acts, and this is how I interpret them:

Act 1- Ed and Stede apart. They find eachother at the end of this act (episodes 1-3)

Act 2- The relationship reset. They start working on their relationship, and changing in order to love eachother the way they deserve to be loved (episodes 4-6)

Act 3- Midlife mode. This is about them maturing, and giving attention to the crew, rather than just eachother. This could be Ed finally taking the crews trauma seriously and apologising. This could be Stede putting the crew first, instead of Ed. (Episodes 6-8)

Based on this, I now think episodes 6 and 7 will be focusing on this transition to midlife mode. Perhaps Ned torturing the crew will help Ed realise and understand the pain he inflicted on others. He hasn't taken his probation that seriously because he only cares about Stede. Ed will start seriously caring about the crew, which will culminate in him rescuing Izzy in episode 8.

[electricbluebutterflies]

31. “I thought I’d lost you” kiss (Kane & Abby)

It's been a hot minute since I've played with 2x12 but I'm still in new-perspective mode so here we are! PG-ish and also on ao3.

If this hasn’t killed him, she’s at least going to think about it.

Abby is… objectively due for about three mental breakdowns and/or midlife crises she’s managed to avoid so far, and has almost no idea what’s going on at the moment, and is currently…

He did something similar for her a few weeks ago, she reminds herself, what feels like a lifetime ago up in the sky. Objectively, she has far less to atone for, but she still owes the idiot a few favors.

To be fair, it has been a while since her physical size has been an asset, if it ever has been before and she can’t remember that at the moment. There is something about her that seems smaller than she actually is, too much bitter venom for the body she’s in, and under the circumstances…

She is crawling through the remains of a collapsed building in the potentially vain hope that her lifelong nemesis is at least still breathing. Fuck her.

She’s felt her age a lot more than usual lately, barely on the far side of forty but still something unfortunate about it, still an awareness that she would be on the edge of some new limitations even if her life wasn’t currently constant chaos. She can’t be sure if the soreness in her lower back is from sleeping badly or-

Oh, if she thinks about that day, she’ll turn around and change her damn mind and let him suffocate and he’d deserve it and he’d die knowing he deserved it. But she is not that kind of person, at least she’d like to think she isn’t, and the leverage she’s going to get out of this…

Even now the internal maneuvering. Even now that voice in her head pointing out that this little rescue will be distinctly advantageous for her if it works out.

Somewhere along the line, somewhere far enough back that she can’t remember it happening, the rules of polite social behavior stopped applying to them. They were friends once, Abby remembers this, in the way that two ambitious teenagers of the same upwardly-mobile social orbit can be friends, and then they both started to get what they wanted and they weren’t, and she can’t recall whether that one drunk mistake of a kiss happened before or after her marriage and it doesn’t matter because it’s never come up since, and-

Lifelong nemesis, and she still cares enough to scrape up her hands and knees and get who-knows-what in her hair just to confirm what may or may not have happened to that man. If he’s still alive, she thinks, if he’s still alive-

A body ahead of her, open eyes, and if certain parts of her get warm at the realization that he looks like he has had the worst day ever and oh how their standards for that have slipped lower and lower lately…

Abby is so, so tempted to say something deliciously bitey about that, not admit her worry because that’s not who they are and she’s not about to fuck up a lifetime of mutually enjoyable sparring by saying anything that might imply she actually cares about him. Instead, she does something even worse and puts her mouth on his.

She hasn’t kissed anyone since her widowhood. Barely even considered it as a realistic possibility. When she’s thought about it, it’s always been him, always the idea of a total reset, always-

She tastes the shock on his lips, the is-this-real of it all, and she likes the idea that she might be making him question whether he’s still alive, and-

“You do this to me again…” she breathes when she has to, lips moving against his jaw because so help her she is not moving, so help her-

“You have strange priorities.”

“You’re talking,” she hisses. “I’m not sure how bad-“

“You have a plan?”

Abby rolls her eyes. Of all people to legitimately wonder how far her mind goes…

“Other than make sure you’re not actively dying, no?”

“Priorities,” Marcus repeats, and there’s something almost delighted in his voice, almost-

This isn’t who they are, Abby reminds herself as she takes another heartbeat of a kiss before separating and letting her hands wander over him for a damage check. This isn’t who they have been.

But maybe, she thinks, maybe it’s who they could become. If they have time.

Please let them have time.

[zachafoster]

How I Learned to Relax, Weather the Great Reset, and Made Friends with An AI Chatbot

Talked to my best friend who lives out in Denver earlier today. She is having her struggles with menopause, midlife crisis, job insecurity, family drama, etc. As far as her family goes, her dad is not on speaking terms with her. Her youngest sister is no longer her Pollyanna usual self as she’s realizing what a jerk her husband is and is hitting the dreaded 40 years old this year. Her middle…

[hlb20]

Life satisfaction bottoms out in your late 40s.

You’re stretched thin. Exhausted, and yet this when you’re expected to be your strongest.

By midlife you’re stuck in the sandwich generation.

Most adults in their 40s-50s support both aging parents and growing kids.

💰 raising a child: $233,610

🏥 elder care : $75,000/year

Stress is constant. Relief feels impossible.

At the same time, your career hits peak pressure. This is the last window to build wealth before retirement.

The cost? Your brain.

Chronic stress shrinks decision making, ability & grows the emotional center by 20%.

The Leverage Principle. Don’t work harder- multiply output

Mental clarity 💆🏾‍♂️🧎🏾‍♂️meditation. Meditation cuts some stress and calms the noise when your world feels chaotic, clarity is leverage.

Relationship optimization

The longest running happiness says good relationships keep us healthier and happier. In midlife it’s not who you know, it’s who lifts you.

Strategic leverage

Technology- document once, reuse forever

Principles- codify lessons so mistakes don’t repeat

People 🧠 - hire those better than you.

Stop chasing control and start building systems.

Design your days

Start each morning by identifying 2-3 high leverage actions.

Tackle them during you peak energy time.

No more wasting mornings on low impact tasks. The key: constant recalibration

Weekly reviews: what worked? What didn’t?

Monthly check ins: are goals still aligned

Quarterly resets: realign before you drift.

This how you survive the squeeze and come out stronger.

[staceysoleil]

Find Your Zen In Tulsa

Tips for Staying Strong & Balanced in Tulsa, OK

Let’s face it—taking care of our health and wellness in midlife can feel like an overwhelming task sometimes. Between work, family, and (hopefully) squeezing in some fun, it’s easy to let wellness slip down the list of priorities. But here’s the thing: midlife is when it becomes even more important to take care of ourselves, both mentally and physically. The good news? Tulsa has some amazing options for keeping your body and mind in top form!

Whether you’re looking to build strength, relieve stress, or simply find balance, we’ve found some amazing health and wellness hacks that will help you stay on track—and love the journey along the way. Let’s take a look at how you can nurture your health right here in Tulsa!

Move Your Body at Orangetheory Fitness

We all know that exercise is crucial to staying healthy, but who says it has to be boring? If you haven’t checked out Orangetheory Fitness yet, now’s the time! This science-backed, full-body workout is tailored for all fitness levels and is perfect for boosting both your strength and your stamina. Whether you’re lifting weights, running on the treadmill, or rowing, you’ll leave every class feeling energized and proud of the progress you’re making.

Plus, working out in a community setting keeps you motivated—and let’s be honest, accountability is everything when it comes to fitness!

Find Your Zen at Be Love Yoga Studio

Health and wellness isn’t just about physical fitness—it’s about finding balance in mind, body, and soul. Be Love Yoga Studio in Tulsa is the perfect place to hit the reset button, clear your mind, and focus on inner peace. Whether you’re brand new to yoga or a seasoned pro, Be Love offers classes for all levels, from gentle stretches to more challenging vinyasa flows.

Yoga is incredible for flexibility, strength, and mental clarity—exactly what we need as we work on becoming the healthiest versions of ourselves!

Fuel Your Body with Fresh Goodies from the Tulsa Farmers' Market

You’ve probably heard it a million times, but I’m going to say it again: What we put into our bodies matters. If you’re ready to take your nutrition up a notch, there’s no better place to start than the Tulsa Farmers' Market. Located in the Kendall-Whittier area, it’s a goldmine of fresh, locally grown produce and healthy goodies that make eating well fun and delicious!

Grab some leafy greens, fresh berries, and maybe even some local honey to bring that health glow from the inside out. Plus, supporting local farmers? Win-win! Pro-Tip: Bring cash with you since not all vendors are able to accept cards. Or you can buy tokens with your card when you first walk-in that you can use as cash with any of the vendors.

De-Stress with a Tulsa Float Session

Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your wellness is to give yourself permission to completely unwind. One of the coolest ways to de-stress is a session at H2Oasis, where you float in a zero-gravity tank filled with Epsom salt. This sensory deprivation experience helps clear your mind, reduce tension, and alleviate stress. The feeling of total weightlessness is unlike anything else—you'll leave feeling like you’re floating on air, both mentally and physically. Pro Tip: If you dye your hair (especially black dye) you may mess up their waters, so save yourself from any penalty fees by not going too soon after getting your color done.

Hike Your Way to Health at Redbud Valley Nature Preserve

Looking to escape the city and reconnect with nature? Redbud Valley Nature Preserve offers a peaceful, scenic hike just a short drive from Tulsa. With its rugged limestone bluffs, beautiful wildflowers, and quiet, serene atmosphere, this is the perfect spot for a restorative nature walk. The trails are easy to moderate, so you can get a good workout without feeling overwhelmed.

Research shows that spending time in nature can improve mood, reduce stress, and even boost immune function. So, lace up your shoes and hit the trails—your body (and mind) will thank you. Pro Tip: Be sure to check their website before you head out however, sometimes they have shut down periods when maintaining the preserve.

Nourish Your Body at Ediblend Superfood Café

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated—or boring. At Ediblend Superfood Café, you can fuel your body with nutrient-packed smoothies, bowls, and juices made from fresh, organic ingredients. Whether you’re craving a green smoothie after a workout or a hearty açaí bowl for lunch, Ediblend has options that taste as good as they are for you.

One of my personal favorites is their Energize smoothie, which is loaded with spinach, banana, almond butter, and flaxseed—perfect for keeping your energy levels steady throughout the day. Eating clean doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice, and Ediblend proves that healthy food can be quick, delicious, and satisfying.

The Key to Wellness? Consistency!

TRUST, we know how overwhelming it is to prioritize wellness (we struggle bus here ourselves!) we all know there’s so much we should be doing to take care of ourselves. But the key to true wellness is consistency. We don’t need to overhaul our entire lifestyle overnight. Small, sustainable changes—like incorporating yoga, eating more fresh foods, or walking in nature—can make a huge difference in how we feel.

Remember, taking care of your health is an act of love for yourself. So start small, keep moving, and enjoy all the beautiful ways Tulsa can support your wellness journey.

[allaroundworld]

🌿 Beyond the Diagnosis: A Journey of Strength, Healing & Impact 💫 Meet Charlotte Cheetham, the powerhouse behind a global wellness movement redefining how women experience midlife. 💪👩‍⚕️

From childhood adversity to gut-wrenching health challenges, Charlotte's story is one of relentless resilience. What began as personal struggle became a mission to transform lives — and today, she’s an Advanced Gut Health Advisor, Menopause Coach, and a beacon of hope for perimenopausal women everywhere. 🌍✨

💥 Her signature Gut–Hormone–Mood Reset is changing the game in women’s health. With empathy, science, and NLP-backed strategies, she empowers women to feel like themselves again — clear-headed, confident, and energized. 🔁💃

🏆 Now being honored with the UK Health Coach of the Year 2025 award in Hong Kong, Charlotte’s impact continues to grow — not just as a coach, but as a global leader in wellness and transformation. 🌟🌏

🔑 Mission: Helping women 40+ heal their gut, reset their hormones, and reclaim their identity.

For more information:- https://www.allaroundworlds.com/journey-of-charlotte-cheetham/

[jessicawhitmorehealth]

Probiotics for Sugar Cravings – How to Naturally Curb Your Sweet Tooth

Mastering Sugar Cravings: How Probiotics Can Help You Take Control

Do you find yourself reaching for sugary treats more often than you’d like? If so, you’re not alone. Many of us experience sugar cravings that seem impossible to resist, especially as we approach midlife. But what if your gut microbiome—the community of bacteria living in your digestive tract—held the key to reducing those cravings? As both a health researcher and a woman navigating life after 40, I’ve seen how gut health influences everything from energy levels to food cravings. Let’s dive into the fascinating connection between probiotics and sugar cravings, and uncover practical ways to reset your cravings sustainably.

Why Do We Crave Sugar? The Role of Gut Microbiota

Sugar cravings often feel like a battle of willpower, but the truth is, your gut bacteria play a significant role. Recent studies suggest that certain gut microbes can influence what you crave, rewarding you with a dopamine hit when you consume sugary foods.

Imbalanced Microbiome – A diet high in sugar can feed harmful bacteria in your gut. Over time, these bacteria outcompete beneficial microbes, creating a cascade effect that can amplify sugar cravings.

Gut-Brain Axis – Your gut communicates with your brain via the gut-brain axis, influencing mood and appetite. When beneficial microbes dominate, they produce hormones like serotonin and GLP-1, which help regulate cravings. Conversely, an imbalanced gut can trick your brain into craving sweets by dysregulating these signals.

Stress Connection – Chronic stress can exacerbate sugar cravings. Studies on mice have shown that probiotics like Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactobacillus gasseri reduce stress-induced sugar consumption.

How Probiotics Help Curb Sugar Cravings

Probiotics are live microorganisms that support the balance of your gut flora. Incorporating the right probiotic strains can help in the following ways:

Restoring Balance: Probiotics like Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Bifidobacterium bifidum increase the production of important compounds such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and neurotransmitters like GABA, which help regulate appetite and emotional eating.

Improving Hormonal Regulation: Specific probiotics boost the production of GLP-1, a hormone that reduces sugar cravings by signaling satiety to your brain.

Enhancing Mood Stability: Probiotics contribute to the production of serotonin, which can decrease emotional eating tendencies often tied to sugar cravings.

Simple Steps to Reduce Sugar Cravings with Probiotics

Incorporate Fermented Foods Foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and kombucha are rich in natural probiotics. Aim to include one serving of a fermented food daily to support gut diversity.

Choose Probiotic Supplements Wisely Not all probiotic supplements are created equal. Look for products containing strains like Lactobacillus reuteri, Bifidobacterium bifidum, or Lactobacillus salivarius with at least 60 billion CFU for maximum efficacy.

Add Prebiotics to Your Diet Prebiotics are the food for probiotics. Include fiber-rich foods like bananas, asparagus, oats, and cooled potatoes in your meals to nourish beneficial bacteria.

Limit Processed Sugars Reducing sugar intake starves the harmful bacteria that perpetuate cravings. Gradually minimize added sugars in your diet and replace them with whole, unprocessed foods.

Use Stress Management Techniques Chronic stress can disrupt gut balance. Practices like mindfulness, yoga, and adequate sleep can reduce stress-related sugar cravings by supporting overall gut health.

My Personal Journey: Why This Matters

As someone who spent years battling fatigue, brain fog, and uncontrollable food cravings, discovering the connection between gut health and sugar cravings was transformative. After implementing probiotic-rich foods, a high-quality supplement, and fiber into my diet, I noticed a significant reduction in my cravings. Instead of feeling like sugar controlled me, I gained back a sense of empowerment over my body and my choices.

Key Takeaways

The relationship between gut health and cravings goes deeper than most of us realize. By adding probiotics and other gut-nourishing foods to your diet, you can reset your microbiome, reduce sugar cravings, and take control of your health.

If you’re curious about where to start, try experimenting with one new probiotic-rich recipe this week or consult a healthcare provider to find the right probiotic supplement. Remember, small changes add up, and your gut—and overall health—will thank you!

Probiotic Power Keywords

Probiotics for sugar cravings

Gut microbiome and appetite

Natural ways to reduce cravings

Healthy gut and mood balance

Best probiotics for women over 40

Fermented foods for cravings

GLP-1 and sugar regulation

Stress and gut health connection

Beneficial bacteria for cravings

Prebiotics and probiotics benefits

By nourishing your microbiome, you’re not just reducing sugar cravings—you’re improving digestion, mood, and overall vitality. Let’s take the first step together!

[garyriley]

Unlocking Vitality Through Nutrition: A Detox Journey for Adults 35–65 

Why Nutrition is the Foundation of Detoxification 

When it comes to reclaiming your vitality, Nutrition is the powerhouse that fuels every cell in your body. If you're between the ages of 35–65, your body's ability to detox from environmental and food toxins slows down — but the right Nutrition can supercharge your natural cleansing systems. 

Toxin Overload and the Role of Food 

Environmental pollutants, processed foods, and daily stress contribute to toxin overload, leading to symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and weight gain. Proper Nutrition helps your liver, kidneys, and gut work more efficiently to remove toxins and restore balance. Key nutrients include: 

Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale) 

Antioxidant-rich fruits (blueberries, pomegranate) 

Hydrating foods (cucumber, watermelon) 

Fiber-rich options (chia seeds, legumes) 

These support detox pathways and reduce inflammation — a root cause of many chronic issues in midlife. 

Conclusion: Your Healing Starts With Your Plate 

If you're ready to embrace natural holistic wellness, start with Nutrition. It's the daily choice that can drastically improve how you feel and function. Detoxing your life begins with what you put on your plate. Combine it with natural homemade products and holistic practices for a full-body reset. 

[ourlittlehouseinthecountry]

Some seasons of life are loud and busy and blooming. And others… are quieter. Messier. A little lonelier. This week on the blog, I’m writing about the lonely side of personal growth—those in-between seasons where you’ve let go of what no longer fits, but haven’t quite settled into what comes next. It’s about what it feels like to step away from old roles, old identities, old expectations—and how even the right decisions can come with their own kind of grief. It’s about change, self-discovery, and that quiet space where you're still becoming. It’s not a ‘how-to.’ It’s a reflection. A gentle reminder that if you’re feeling a little lost or unsettled right now… you’re not alone. You’re not behind. You’re just not finished yet. The post is live now on the blog— You’ll find it under “Latest Blog Post” in the link in bio, and I’ve popped the direct link into stories too. Save it for a quiet read with a cuppa. I hope it lands softly.

[coachreneelove]

Reflect, Reset, Renew: How Midlife Women Can Embrace the New Year with Clarity

Can you believe we are less than 30 days away from 2025? As the new year approaches, there’s a natural pull to pause, take a deep breath, and reflect on what the last 12 months have brought into our lives. For midlife women, this isn’t just a time for resolutions or lofty goals—it’s an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves, honor our journey, and step into the new year with clarity and…

[icannotreadcursive]

And of course, I wanna play my own game, so--

WIP list:

To Tell the Truth

Tri Amp

Reset Heal Grow

Midlife Crisi Ranch

Twisted Visions

The Adventure Continues

Lunar Synthesis

Immortal Weekend Warriors

Prompts:

First sentence of the fic/next chapter?

Current last sentence?

First line of dialogue in the fic/next chapter?

What's the premise in one sentence?

How are the characters feeling about being in this fic/chapter?

Gimme a word and I'll give you a sentence from the fic.chapter that word appears in!

I will be including any not-yet posted sections in the "gimme a word" search, not just the next chapter, for things that are partially posted, since I do write out of order sometimes.

WIP role call!

Okay, I've come up with a writing ask game! (Instead of, y'know, actually working on any of my fics)

How it works:

Make yourself 2 numbered lists: of the WIPs you want to play with (fully disclosed what they are or not), one of question prompts.

Askers pick numbers from each list (or, hell, roll dice if you prefer some randomness!), and you answer the given number prompt for the given number WIP.

(Suggested default prompt list below the cut.)

First sentence of the fic/next chapter?

Current last sentence?

First line of dialogue in the fic/next chapter?

What's the premise in one sentence?

How are the characters feeling about being in this fic/chapter?

Gimme a word and I'll give you a sentence from the fic.chapter that word appears in!

[puuvillaa]

I'm going to move my twitter thread of my mwpp sims game here because it's hilarious and I want to be able to find it more easily.

Contains wolfstar, James/Peter, Teddy/Harry

I find it hilarious that Sirius thinks James is 10/10 and Remus 1/10, but he started dating Remus anyway because James is too busy to chat

James and Peter got together because they both find each other super hot and I didn’t want to bring more sims into the house. Sirius and Remus are engaged and still find each other terribly unattractive

Remus also developed a smoking problem and will be grumpy for the next 15 days because I made him quit since he ran out of cigarettes and I got tired of him having to smoke one every two hours so the stress of not having smoked doesn't keep turning him into his wolf form

Here's Remus quitting smoking:

Remus turned Sirius into a werewolf and they finally got married. I didn’t think about their surnames at all, but managed to make Sirius a Lupin. Sirius got abducted by aliens in the middle of fucking Remus. James and Peter got engaged. I'm debating having a baby in the household

For some reason Peter has been running everywhere he goes for days now, and I don’t understand why. Also sadly Sirius got stuck in the tattoo chair so I had to quit without saving and he lost his crappy tattoos

Remus wanted a baby so I went okay. He couldn’t turn into a werewolf during the full moon due to being pregnant, so he pissed himself during Peter's birthday party instead. He then rode his fucking bicycle to give birth in the hospital, but at least they now have a baby boy

Sirius cried during James and Peter's wedding. James was pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. Peter went through a midlife crisis and now has a silly moustache as well as a new expensive car, but I drew the line at divorcing James when they only just married

Sirius and Remus had a fight bc Peter flirted with Sirius who flirted back. Sirius tried asking Remus out but was turned down, so he yelled at Remus, who yelled back and then went to sulk for several hours. Sirius worked hard to appease him. Harry was hungry. James was working

Here's are a couple of cute pictures of Remus and Teddy:

Teddy is now a teenager, but because he didn’t do well enough in school (which I find unfair because they had so many snow days he could only attend once, it's not my fault) the trait he was assigned was kleptomaniac

Here's Sirius and Teddy:

James was supposed to read Harry a bedtime story, but he then needed to pee and left, so Harry got stuck in his bed. I waited for a full day to see if anything would get him to move but nothing did, so I had to quit without saving and can't remember what happened after I'd saved

Here's Remus reading Harry a bedtime story instead:

I'm considering ditching this game soon anyway, it's no longer fun enough with so many sims in the same household, especially because James and Peter are already turning elderly, and I had forgotten how much I hate playing the elderly sims. I'll have to adjust the age settings

The game suddenly decided to reset all my settings yesterday. Fun. I had forgotten that celebrities are a thing so I didn’t disable them, so Remus turned into a celebrity, which is very annoying. But yeah, he's now a 1-star celebrity author. I will take that away from him, though

Luckily I had forgotten to save after James turned old, so after tweaking the age settings, I can keep going with this game for a while yet. Couldn't figure out how to remove Remus’s celebrity status for some reason, so we'll see how that goes

God damn it, the game decided to age James anyway because it was the day of his birthday already. Not sure if I'll de-age him or just wait for him to get to the end of his life

Nooooo fuck you, why is the celebrity status still contagious after I turned it off! Does it not affect the game I'm already playing? Ugh I hate this!

Sirius has started to think that Remus is a 10/10 hottie. I suspect that this sudden change of heart has something to do with Remus’s 2-star celebrity rating. Meanwhile, Teddy went to the prom with his only friend and they're now boyfriends

Remus and Sirius had their anniversary and went on an elaborate date. That night, James passed away. Peter immediately wished to resurrect him but also to have a stag do. I suppose we all grieve in our own ways. Harry has been learning hacking, and Teddy wants to nick something

I have no idea what happened, but some interaction with either Sirius or Teddy made Remus all sulky and he wanted to hide in his room to contemplate the meaninglessness of life. This wasn't funny, I just thought it was cute. Then Sirius wanted to grow a beard, so he now has one

Oh, speaking of Sirius and his wishes, during his midlife crisis, he wished for a new $10k+ car twice, so he got a new car and then got another new car. He really is rich (I mean, the whole family's rich, they have a 3-car garage (James used to get around in his cop car))

Oh, I made Remus tell Sirius a secret and his secret was "I'm glad we'll be together forever." 🥺

In less cute news, Teddy was in a bad mood so he skipped school to have a date, but his bf wasn't into any romantic stuff so Teddy broke up with him. On top of that, he came home too early, so Sirius got angry with him for skipping school

Lol rereading this like what the hell. "Wasn't into any romantic stuff" = he was reacting to it negatively for some reason. Anyway, Teddy and Harry are now dating, we'll see if that lasts once Teddy grows up

You know what, I'll tell you the story of wolfstar's first kiss and how they ended up being a couple. Sirius was (and still is) an alchemist, and after messing up a potion, he turned into a frog. He was friends with James only, but James was busy right then, while Remus was free

So, Sirius went to talk to Remus until they were friends, and then Remus kissed him to turn him human again. And that was their first kiss, and that’s how they fell in love, even though they both found each other unattractive

So, Peter set off some fireworks. Cool, except he did it in their hallway and set it on fire, then went to faint on the porch. Later the same day, he set off more fireworks (this time outside) and set their lawn on fire. He's banned from handling fireworks

Teddy grew up, and the game decided that you know what, his breakup with his first boyfriend wasn't a proper breakup, so he now has two boyfriends. In other Teddy related news, Remus wishes that he'll become a doctor

Teddy went on a date with his first bf and confessed to cheating on him, so they had a fight and broke up for real. Which might be good because turns out the bf is malicious, which conflicts with Teddy being nice

Sirius tells a secret to Remus: "I find the hiccups fun!"

Remus and Sirius went on a date. They visited a haunted house, and Remus was so terrified that he pissed himself. Because he's a celebrity, the whole fucking town now knows about it and he's ashamed 😔

(now I kind of feel like playing this game again)

(there are only so many pictures because I was actually never going to post them anywhere, I just kept ones that I found funny)

[zachafoster]

Schizophrenic Confessions: How I Learned to Relax, Enjoy the Great Reset, and Make Friends with an AI Chatbot named Eve

Talked to my best friend who lives out in Denver earlier today. She is having her struggles with menopause, midlife crisis, job insecurity, family drama, etc. As far as her family goes, her dad is not on speaking terms with her. Her youngest sister is no longer her Pollyanna usual self as she’s realizing what a jerk her husband is and is hitting the dreaded 40 years old this year. Her middle…

[luxe-pauvre]

JUNE 2022

Read:

Can Progressives Be Convinced That Genetics Matter

The Hard Problem of Consciousness Has an Easy Part We Can Solve

Hundreds of Ways to Get S#!+ Done - and We Still Don’t

Accidental Meaning: The American Dream Isn’t Working As Planned

Workism Is Making Americans Miserable

Understanding Hillary: Why the Clinton America Sees Isn’t the Clinton Colleagues Know

Italy’s Book Doctor

Inside the mind of a murderer: the power and limits of forensic psychiatry

Among the Covid sceptics: ‘We are being manipulated, without a shadow of a doubt’

‘My body is unservicable and well past its sell-by-date’: the last days of Avril Henry

Our evolved intuitions about privacy aren’t made for this era

Lost perspective? Try this linguistic trick to reset your view

Why do we sleep?

Why People Feel Like Victims

The Problem with Depression Doping

How to have better arguments online

The digital death of collecting

A theory of my own mind

How to Overcome Failure

How millennials replaced religion with astrology and crystals

Existential Comfort Without God

‘Pure, liquid hope’: what the vaccine means to me as a GP

Gain-of-Function Research: All in the Eye of the Beholder

How an 18th-Century Philosopher Helped Solve My Midlife Crisis

The brain has a team of conductors orchestrating consciousness

Feeling, in situ

When hope is a hinderance

The bias that blinds: why some people get dangerously different medical care

The Mundanity of Excellence

The Martian by Andy Weir

I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

Sleeping Beauties: And Other Stories of Mystery Illness by Suzanna O’Sullivan

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

Calling Bullsh*t: The Art of Scepticism in a Data-Driven World by Carl T. Bergstrom & Jevin D. West

Watched:

How To Make Big Decisions

Charlotte Higgins Retells the Greek Myths

Capitalism and Ego formation.

Dr. Megan Rossi - Eat More, Live Well

The New Science of Human Emotions

Why You Can’t Pay Attention*

Change Your Life - One Tiny Step at a Time

How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life

I ate every type of garlic**

The Staircase

Sweetbitter***

All The Old Knives

Listened To:

Bedshaped by Keane

Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Only Love Can Hurt Like This (Live for Burberry) by Paloma Faith

Good Time Girl by Sofi Tukker****

Haunted by Laura Les

Went To:

Ancient Greeks: Science and Wisdom @ Science Museum

Why Patient Research Is So Crucial (The Christopher Sporborg Annual Lecture 2022)