On Her Own

Self-Care

Recent Stories

Don’t let it go

How many of you have some sort of niggling health issue? A body part that has been achy or sore, a quietly desperate mental health struggle, a chronic health condition, any or all of which you’ve minimized or shoved aside as much as possible to survive your daily life? I think we all are guilty

Dedication > Motivation

Motivation is a popular topic for inspirational social media posts. Quotes and memes trying to drive you into action are everywhere. Whether it’s weight loss, fitness, entrepreneurship, or saving the world, it’s all about getting fired up to go and do the thing. That kick-start is important to start moving, but motivation isn’t really what

Who are you?

For many of us, we can get into a rut of thinking ourselves as one person, one role. We identify by who we are in one area of our lives and sometimes forget who else we might be. It happens because we get busy, overwhelmed even, and lose the room to think and be someone

After the storm

So how ‘bout that rain this week? A good chunk of the United States was hit by Hurricane Ida, causing enormous amounts of wind and water damage not just where it made landfall in Louisiana, but even over a thousand miles away in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Thousands of people, more, are picking up the

When you hate your selfies, do this

When I work out, I occasionally take video. It helps me see what I’m doing, document my performance, and show it to the folks who help train me and encourage my training. The downside comes when I actually watch that video myself. All I can see are the misses in my form, how much more

Like riding a bicycle

All of us have some hobby, some past-time, some activity that we once really enjoyed. We liked to read, we enjoyed crafting or making things, we ran, we played sports, we rode motorcycles, we played musical instruments, we gardened, we painted, we cooked and baked. And at some point in our lives, we let them

Practicing gratitude

It’s been a week, here at On Her Own central. Several members of my communities have experienced severe accidents or have unexpectedly and suddenly died. My cat, Tuna, had surgery (she’s fine). Therapy is touching on challenging topics. There have been some minor human health issues in my house. I’ve had difficult and frustrating customer

In the wake of Afghanistan

Afghanistan is difficult to write about. It’s the war, or perhaps more accurately the military conflict, of my generation. People like me, Americans in our late 30s and early 40s, watched our older siblings march off to Desert Storm and the Gulf War. When 9/11 happened, and the declaration of the War on Terror, I

Of raccoon masks and farmer’s tans

Tan lines are the bane of my existence right now. I’ve been spending lots of time outside and the necessary protective gear means that my face has all sorts of light and dark areas now. It’s worse than the contrast between my pale legs and dark arms, let alone the farmer’s tan I’ve acquired otherwise.

Be honest about the problem. Do the work.

A year ago today, the world lost Dr. William Aprill. In the self-defense community, we miss him as a scholar and teacher. I miss him as a mentor and friend. Regularly, I think of issues personal and professional that I want to discuss with him, get his take on, hear his encouragement about. I’ve been