Quit It Out*

*Said in a Michelle Tanner voice

Hey friends,

Happy Quitter’s Day to all those who celebrate!

Quitter’s Day: the second Friday of the new year; the day you're most likely to give up on a New Year's resolution or goal

For most of my life, I believed I could make myself do almost anything except quit. Then I learned how to quit (here’s how - shout out to

Holly Whitaker

), and I quit a bunch of things. Like an eating disorder. Like drinking nearly every day. Like stressing out over how to maximize an unlimited ClassPass membership. Like watching The Office to fall asleep every night. Now, I’m a proud quitter.

But, I still had to figure out how to “deal” without all these things I quit.

I tried to yoga and breathwork and EMDR and DBT and CBT and journal and walk and dry brush and garden and butterfly tap and cold plunge my way through it. And I did, I survived on these things. They kept me out of drinking excessively, out of my eating disorder, and chugging along for about four years.

But when I broke down in the doctor’s office during my daughter’s annual physical last summer, I started to wonder if I might not be as OK as I thought. I might need a little extra help in the form of an SSRI, she suggested, just for this season of life. I was sure I could quit my anxiety on my own, but I filled the prescription just in case.

After attempting to manage and monitor my symptoms for a few months, I realized my depression (I’m the worst mom ever, lemme hide under this pillow!) and anxiety (all the moms in the school WhatsApp chat definitely hate me) were linked pretty closely to my cycle. I reached out to my doctor, secretly hoping to go on the long and winding journey to “balance my hormones” (goodbye slowing metabolism!). But, likely because she knows my history with an eating disorder, my regular therapy visits, and my battles with anxiety over the years, she cut to the chase — the SSRI will help with the PPMD.

A Google search revealed a list of more natural ways I could balance my hormones, as well as some skepticism around the science (shout out,

Rina Raphael

). None of these approaches seemed manageable in my current state, and they were all things I could theoretically still try to do alongside the SSRI to gain hormonal balance (which, let’s be honest, is mostly my diet voice trying to lose some lbs.).

So, a little over six weeks ago, I bit the bullet. Thank you to other women in the wellness industry like

L'Oreal Thompson Payton

and

Zoe Weiner

, who have shared their stories about taking these kinds of meds as part of their overall approach to well-being and who made this moment feel less stigmatized.

And, so far, it appears to be just what I needed.

I’m still doing all the other things to keep my head on straight, but I’m enjoying them more than ever. I can also do things like schedule car maintenance without feeling so overwhelmed I cry. Although, I did miscalculate the time it would take and am currently sitting at the dealer anxiously wondering if I’ll have my van back in time for school pickup. Some of that will always just be part of the type B mom that I am.

chelseygobbo

A post shared by @chelseygobbo

It took me half a year, but I finally got to a place where I believed that starting Zoloft wasn’t quitting or giving up on my holistic approach to recovery; instead, it was quitting the belief that I have to handle everything on my own—and choosing what actually helps, like a little serotonin boost.

Happy Quitter’s Day to the quitters, the try-hards, and everyone just hanging on.

✌️🤟

Jen S.

Mama’s affirmations 🙏:

Letting go doesn’t fix everything, but it makes space for what does.

---

This and That

• Try this to quit: This January, I’m most excited about listening to the new Audible audioguide by

  Holly Whitaker
  : 30 Days to Change Your Relationship with Alcohol. The daily affirmations extend beyond alcohol to just about everything I’m trying to quit in my life. I have 2 free codes to give to the first two people to respond to this email!

• For the littlest ones impacted by the LA fires: It’s been unimaginable to see what’s happening in LA. My prayers are with all the people affected, especially the children. People have been sharing lots of great resources and support from brands like AirBnB and BStrong, but I also came across this sweet campaign by Slumberkins that I thought was so thoughtful of the kids impacted and a small way to bring some joy to the kids of LA. If you’ve been affected by the Los Angeles wildfires, Slumberkins is offering free Sprite creatures to help children process grief and loss. Use code FREESPRITEPLAN for free digital Grief & Loss resources at checkout. You can also email california@slumberkins.com if your family has lost your home to receive a Sprite at no cost. Learn more here.

• My wellness goals for 2025: recommit to my version of sobriety, go camping and sleep outside more, make time for my allergy shots, go to the dentist, finish the wilderness survival course on masterclass, put my annual pap on the calendar so I don’t miss it, take my dog for more walks, journal, pray, volunteer, schedule therapy and also put it on my calendar so I don’t miss it, meditate, go to church, refill my meds on time and play as much pickball with my mom as I can. Oh, and be more spontaneous! Take this as your reminder that health is about SO MUCH MORE than exercising, make sure you’re taking time to address the whole picture this year.

• Memento Mori: I am always weirdly comforted when I learn that ancient civilizations had most of the same concerns as we do today, and was relieved to discover that philosophers have been stressing about how people can better spend time since 60 AD. That said, this article has some solid tips on how to make the most of the tiny bit of time we get on this planet. Hint: it doesn’t involve more time at the gym.