Carson Meyer, Founder of C & The Moon, is a DONA-certified doula and birth photographer. She attended NYU’s Gallatin School of Individual Study, where she pursued studies in child development, art therapy, and alternative medicine. Here, she shares her 5 Rules For Life, in her words.
- Assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups.
This is a saying I grew up hearing ALL THE TIME from my dad who lives by this rule. When you think about it, it really is the best advice. Most fuck-ups can all be traced back to assumption. I probably annoy people by double- and triple-checking things all the time or by wanting to clear the air and get to the bottom of things, but I really do feel like you can get past a lot of BS and save time in the long run if you ditch the assumptions.
2. Listen to your body.
We are constantly being inundated with advice. Thanks to social media we have easy access to so many (seemingly) quick fixes, solutions and healthy practices. Although there is a lot of value in the shared wisdom, it can come with an immense pressure to do things a certain way. Advice for what one should do for their health, family, children, or even career is everywhere you turn. As a birth doula, I see this pressure build in new parents all the time. The path to health and happiness is unique to each individual and when we listen, our bodies usually do a pretty good job of telling us what they need. I myself am learning to appreciate the physical manifestations that come up in my body as I believe it allows me the opportunity to really pay attention. I struggle with allergies and skin rashes and although medication and steroid creme can offer great relief, I have learned that that relief is temporary. What my body is trying to communicate about my health, stress and emotions in something that deserves attention, demands attention. It is my job to listen.
3. Detox your personal care routine.
Unfortunately, we live in an extremely polluted world where food, air, and water, the fundamental necessities we need to survive, are contaminated with dangerous toxins. This is something we cannot avoid without implementing major policy change on a national and global level. However, we do know that limiting the toxins in our skincare, cookware and cleaning products can have a significant effect on our health. I was inspired to create C & The Moon after learning about how little regulation the US has surrounding personal care products and toxins. It is so easy to replace the yucky stuff with high-quality clean products. So many great options are available, but beware of greenwashing. Not all labels reflect the integrity of the brand. Do your research. To learn more about what products are safe for you and your family check out The Skin Deep Database. Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database | EWG
4. Give yourself credit
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got from therapist was to write down all the things I accomplished in a day. It could be as minor getting to a meeting on time to a major life change, like landing your dream job. Most of us are familiar with the notion of “gratitude journaling” but writing about how your actions contributed to that gratitude helps us acknowledge all we do and boost our self-esteem. Many of us struggle with having high expectations for ourselves and rarely feeling as though we are where we should be. We are constantly looking ahead at what we want or what others have. Give yourself credit for the things you are doing in your life right now to keep you alive! No matter where you are in your journey, we are all experience setbacks and triumphs. Celebrate the triumphs. Give them the attention they deserve.
5. Prioritize the planet.
I am a strong believer that the way we care for the planet has a direct impact on how we care for ourselves. We are one ecosystem, and thus we are only as healthy as our planet. In the past year I have made it a rule to only using plastic water bottles under emergency circumstances (i.e. being at an airport). Once you commit and get in the habit of using a reusable water bottle it becomes second nature. Another way you can promote environmental health is by shopping for organic produce and high-quality grass-fed meat. Our industrial agricultural practices contribute greatly to climate change and by cutting out plastics and pesticide-ridden foods we are not only eliminating our toxic load, we are doing wonders for our planet.
Thank you, Carson! Stay tuned for more Five Rules installments.
“5 Rules For Life” is a series on Rouge18 in which I ask others to share their five rules for life about anything and everything. You can learn a lot about a person by reading which five things govern their actions, no?
