How We Heal with Alex Elle + Book Giveway

An argument to prioritize taking care of yourself.

Ok, so I needed this book right now. And perhaps if you opened this email, you might need it too. It is by bestselling author, certified breathwork coach, and Restorative Writing teacher, Alex Elle. You might know her as @alex on ig. When I saw that she was coming out with a new book, I knew I had to try to get her to talk to me. Everything she says totally helps me find my way towards self-acknowledgment and acceptance.

How We Heal is an “invitation to heal yourself” with a drastic reframe in our understanding of what it means to heal. I don’t know about you, but I always thought healing was a linear process with the goal of having (if we are using the metaphor of a flesh wound) no trace. Our bodies covering up the scars that once were, their existence only kept alive by our memories. Alex redefines this narrative of “healing” to be learning to live with something that will always hurt. Healing is not about closing a wound, it is about tending to it, she says.

She also insists that the process of healing is not linear. And that the pressure to make it so might do more harm than good. It is also about trusting in your own experience and needs. There are lots of ways to explore our tender spots - which she invites courageous women to write about throughout the book. For Alex, writing is a form of self-exploration and brings clarity on what her current needs are.

Alex dedicates the book to her daughters, and this really got me. I think about this a lot. As a relatively new parent, part of parenting is about modeling behavior that you feel is important for your kids. After having M and needing to learn to care for her medical needs and oral aversion, it became clear to me that how people learn is not so much about being told to do something (this is a different topic, but I am NOT an expert, I only have my experience). I feel like M wants to do things that I do, but doesn’t want to do things that I say. Does anyone else have this experience with their children? This has profound effects on my conceptions of what a teacher is and how humans learn. Somehow it is hard for me to justify taking care of myself for me, but it is easy to see the value of it when it would be what I would want for my child.

We’re doing a GIVEAWAY for How We Heal.

Comment below if you’d like to receive a copy of Alex’s book. Her writing is like a breath of fresh air to help guide us in self-acknowledgment and acceptance, and I’d love for you all to share in it as well. Or just get a copy here.

Also, next week, I am talking to Sheila Heti! On Motherhood, Pure Color, and her new children’s book, stay tuned!

Thanks so much for being here with me and letting me share with people who are doing things that I really believe in. If you feel compelled to subscribe, it is really helpful in being able to keep everything add-free.

Love always, Carissa