Discover the Power of Community with Good Living Wellness
I asked a question on my instagram - What does COMMUNITY mean to you? Yes, it was a teaser, but still, it is something we need to think about. I have definitely been thinking about it.
To me, more than anything else, community means recognition. Recognising each other, and recognising ourselves in each other. Recognition is seeing a part of my experience in someone else’s experience, and feeling at home because of that connection that exists. Sometimes, it might be instant, like in the CS Lewis quote I posted on my Instagram reel, or maybe it is a slow burn. What matters is that we feel seen, found, recognised and supported.
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.””
As I settle into adulthood (yes, I am 41 and still settling in), I realise that a lot of us have spent decades going through the motions, and are typically only woken up abruptly when there is an external trigger - the death of a loved one, moving to a new country, changing careers, or receiving a health diagnosis. Only then do we start to ask those existential questions.
And for everyone I have spoken to, their resolve has always come down to a handful of things - being true to themselves, making a difference in this world and building strong and meaningful connections.
Typically we start to realise that while we have been surrounded by people, we have mostly been walking this path alone, especially for those of us that living with situations beyond our control and with very little research or help available or accessible, like PCOS. Over the years, as I have navigated various aspects of wellness, I have met numerous people on this same journey, and I noticed that we all seemed to be walking in the same direction, but alone!
So imagine this:
So imagine yourself, trying to live better (whatever that means to you) and thrive beyond the restrictions placed upon you by a sedentary lifestyle, limited nutritional knowledge, financial restrictions or a hormonal imbalance diagnosis. Imagine yourself finding a community of people who just get it, with no judgment. And while they have different lives and day-to-day experiences that may not exactly be identical to yours, they understand what it means to walk in your shoes and down the same path. And beyond the usual physical issues, imagine having a supportive community of people who understand the mental impacts of your PCOS diagnosis and management. Seriously, pause for a minute and imagine that! In my opinion, that is a simple recipe (you know I’m all about those) for enhancing your overall quality of life and happiness.
The more time I spent doing this PCOS wellness advocacy work, the more I felt the urge to connect with women dealing with similar issues in their own lives, and to create a cozy and safe environment for our community to thrive, where around a table (or on the ground) with good food and good conversation, we can learn from each other, bond on common pain and joy, discover laughter and experiences that help us not just manage PCOS but thrive through it. Our overall wellness is the goal - regardless of our PCOS diagnosis. So the goal here is to remind all my ‘cysters’ that we are not defined by our diagnosis but we are more empowered because of it!
Introducing Good Living Wellness events
Good Living with Mae is expanding! We are setting up a PCOS community and it’s not going to just be online! Expect quarterly face-to-face wellness events and other fun stuff. but first, the wellness EVENT!
With the support of some amazing sponsors - all holistic conscious health- and wellness-focused brands, we will be running wellness events on a quarterly basis (at least) across Canada and the USA.
See details below for the first of many Wellness events holding in Burlington Ontario, in just a few weeks!
We will connect and learn from each other, and from health professionals, featuring bonding, mindfulness, movement and delightful goody bags! Come join our community of strong, inspiring women tackling PCOS and other hormonal imbalance issues together.
Don’t miss out! Register now to secure your spot. Limited seats available.
