New kid on the blog

Florence Wallace, a sustainability student, is using her own struggles to help others become better at practicing self-care — via blog.  

She wants to remind people to put themselves first. 

“I wanted the blog to serve as a reminder of the ways I can grow over the years, but also because I see my generation struggling with some unique challenges,” said Wallace. “For now, I want my blog to serve as a sort of self-care checklist for both myself and others.” 

The blog, Late Bloomer, started posting in January.  

Wallace writes about her own health experiences, to clear her thoughts and show others they are not alone. “A lot of students forget to take care of themselves when school gets busy. I’m guilty of that too,” she said.   

Wallace says that her blog isn’t only for students. Anyone can relate to and learn from her posts. “I determine what I write based on a mix of personal and shared experiences. My most recent post was about working out because I realized some people in my life are scared to step into a gym setting. I’d experienced that too, so I wanted to write about it.”  

Self-care is for everyone 

Dalhousie student Niamh Willis is one of the blog’s readers. Wallace’s notes on exercising, said Willis, helped her the most. 

“It’s really helpful for me to hear from someone who has also been uncomfortable with exercising and being at the gym,” said Willis. “It makes me feel like I can overcome my anxieties and work toward having a healthy relationship with working out.”  

Wallace said this time of year is the easiest time to forget yourself — for anyone. “I write for people like me. Someone who feels like they are a little too fragile for the world sometimes.”  

“My main message to send my readers is that it’s totally okay to struggle with what may seem like basic things. I want to encourage people to find tools to make those tasks more manageable. I’d love to send a message of self-compassion to those who read the blog.”  

Wallace said she hopes her blog builds a community of healing, and healthy people that build from each other’s experiences and ideas. “I’d really like, in the future, to feature someone else’s writing. I think sharing stories of resilience is so important.”  

“In short, the blog is for people who listened to ‘Liability’ by Lorde on repeat in 2017.”