My "Say Yes to Me" Era

After 20 years of focusing on everyone else, I began saying yes to myself again. I called it my “say yes to me” era — ha. At first, it was just about getting healthy and shifting my habits. But it became so much more than that.

I’d always tried to stay in shape — running, lifting, kickboxing, biking — but over time, my unhealthy choices stacked up, and nothing I did felt like enough. I lost sight of myself. I was unhappy, and my mental health was worse than I even realized at the time.

Then, nudged forward by some of the most amazing women, and the most beautiful friendships I’ve ever had, I had a moment — a deep, quiet knowing — that I wanted to find myself again. To become myself again. Part of that was remembering who I was, but even more of it was about deciding who I want to be now. What parts of me do I want to keep? What — and who — do I need to release?

And so I began.

It started small. Saying yes to lifting three times a week with my junior high friend. Yes to the Steamboat trip with girlfriends. Yes to Friday paddleboarding in the summer. Yes to nutritionist appointments. Yes to sleepovers with friends. Yes to concerts. Yes to solo walks under the moonlight.

At the time, my boys were 10 and 17, and I’d been a wife for nearly 20 years. I felt guilty. Every yes felt selfish. At first. But then, things began to shift.

I started to feel well — really well. I dropped 45 pounds and felt fitter than I had in years. I kept going. I opened myself to healing tools the old me might’ve dismissed: yoga, breathwork, natural medicine, float tanks, spiritual practices, long hours in nature. I realized I’d been stuck — in routines that no longer served me, in assumptions, and in relationships where I’d given away too much of my power.

Letting go of that weight — emotional and physical — gave me back more than I ever expected. My sons and husband now see a lighter, more alive version of me. And they’ve begun taking better care of themselves, too.

And it all started because I said yes to me.

-Krystal M.