Kali J Desautels

Welcome to my little corner of the internet.

about

Originally intended to simply focus on book reviews, over time, KaliDesautelsReads has morphed into its own entity. I write about issues that are near to my heart, be they political, feminist, motherhood, mental health, or, as the title holds, books. A thirty-something Canadian woman in my mid-thirties, I have been “super married” to my high school sweetheart since 2006, and together we have two crazy, clever, kind, hilarious, wonderful kids. My first book – How Not To Blog: Finding Myself, One Post at a Time is available on Amazon (in eBook formats for you clever tech readers, and paperback for those of us who love that new book smell!) I have tried a podcast – it’s still on Apple and Google Podcasts – but writing is where my heart is. My life changed dramatically when my husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer in 2018, and I am now a writer for a leading Canadian Cancer Non-Profit. I am lucky enough to have a family that loves me and pushes me to be my best, even if it is outside of my cushiony comfort zone. I have a village of friends that nourish me, mentally, and spiritually. Welcome to my thoughts. Sit down. Stay a while. Enjoy a cup of coffee!

Self-esteem building

November 12, 2020

It’s been about a month of trying to make myself look and feel presentable regardless of working from home.

One of the biggest challenges has been to find a way to dress a much larger body than I have ever had before. Finding things that feel comfortable and also flatter a plus-sized body was hard at first, but it is much more comfortable than and more mentally-calming than trying to force my body back into an old shape.

I am nearly 40, I have chronic pain and autoimmune disorders, I have a fulfilling full-time job, I have two preteen kids, I have a home that needs to be kept up, I have an old cat, and I have mental health concerns. I do not need to add “lose weight” to that list. I exercise gently for the body and brain that I have. I enjoy being out of doors. I enjoy cooking from scratch, mostly plant-based, meals.

And now I enjoy getting dressed with a pared down wardrobe. If something doesn’t fit or feel good, it doesn’t stay, because the newest thing that I want to have is self-confidence and self-esteem.