How to Take the Pressure Off Birthdays

As soon as I heard the question, my heart rate quickened and my mind raced around like a pinball as I searched for an acceptable answer.

After too long of a beat, “Ummm... I don’t know,” was all I could muster before I darted out of the room to avoid the question.

Kind of a silly response and especially unexpected if you knew me (I’m usually pretty straightforward and non-avoidant), but “What are you going to do for your birthday?!” can feel like a lot of pressure.

If birthdays are stressful for you, you’re not alone.

In this video, I talk about the unusual way I’m celebrating mine this year.

I’d love to know how you do birthdays. Do you plan, ignore, deny, or do something spontaneous?

With love,


P.S. If you're curious why I’m even talking about this, you can see what happened on my birthday weekend last year.