Life Unstuck origin story

Hi, and welcome to my little corner of the Net!

My intention in creating this space is to share some of the knowledge and tools that are helping me build a better life for myself. I'll be diving into topics like health, lifestyle, personal growth, self-care, and more. But before we get into all of that, I thought you might want to know a bit about my story and my reasons for starting this blog.

My name is Mary Louise. I live in the north of Italy, and I love learning new things, meeting new people, spending time in nature, listening to EDM, and doing yoga. Oh, and cats—I’m absolutely a cat person.

I have a long history of eating disorders—25 years, to be exact. My life has been shaped not only by the illness itself but also by its aftermath. Once the worst of it was over (and it took so much time and pain to get to that point), I thought my life would finally get better—easier, happier. But instead, I discovered that the end of my illness was just the beginning of my recovery journey. I had no idea who I was outside of my eating disorders, and I felt completely lost.

After spending more than two decades simply trying to survive and hide the worst of my illness from the outside world, I realized I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t know how to have healthy relationships. I didn’t know how to take care of my health. I was filled with fears and limiting beliefs. My teenage years and most of my adult life had been spent coasting along. I had no plan, no self-awareness, very little agency over my life—and I felt hopeless. On top of that, I was dealing with a lot of other health issues, some stemming from my eating disorders and others psycho-somatic.

I had tried talk therapy throughout the years. While it helped me make some progress, it only took me so far. Then the Covid pandemic hit, and the isolation made me feel even more stuck.

But the pandemic also brought something unexpected. I started attending online events, and at one of these virtual meetups, I met a coach who introduced me to the world of personal development. It’s not an easy journey. It requires stepping out of your comfort zone, challenging your assumptions, confronting your fears, and owning your choices. But it’s the only way forward if you want to become a stronger, healthier version of yourself and build a life you love.

Through my constant research and experimentation, I’ve also learned that you can’t control the mind with the mind alone. This is one of the reasons why talk therapy has its limits. To truly grow, you need robust self-care practices and daily attention to the mind-body connection. And I’m not talking about fancy wellness trends—I’m talking about health fundamentals that are accessible to everyone.

In short, creating the life we all deserve requires a holistic approach. That’s what I aim to share here: all the ingredients for a healthy, rich life. I’ll share what I’ve learned so far and what I’m still discovering, because my recovery journey is very much ongoing. This blog is a place where I’ll take a deeper dive into some of my findings, along with shorter reflections and recommendations in my weekly newsletter. If you haven’t already, go sign up :)

That’s all for now. Take care, and I’ll see you in the next post!