Mortality salience led me to barre

In partnership with

It was the spring of 2016. I was 21, preparing to graduate with two undergraduate degrees, and was in the middle of the most grief-filled, traumatic year of my life.

After losing my grandmother unexpectedly to a brain hemorrhage and my grandfather to COPD (but more realistically, a broken heart), 10 weeks after her in 2015, I had never been more consciously aware of the fact that death comes for all of us. 

I know — it’s not always fun to hear. Most of us can do without the constant reminder of the inevitable, but we can also use it to spur us into a life well-lived, well-loved, and regret-free.

I remember the spring of 2016 as if it were yesterday. With many significant life changes behind me, I braced for more. I spent most days drowning in anxious thoughts, what-ifs, and many irrational fears (which I now realize were normal but heightened responses to loss). Since death had come for my beloved grandparents so suddenly, I constantly wondered if my time was around the corner soon, too.

I was in a state of mortality salience — the awareness of one’s inevitable death. To add, unexpected losses rooted in underlying health issues triggered a dose of health-related anxiety.

I didn’t grow up exercising or playing sports, so admittedly, I lacked a lot of knowledge and experience in the health realm. But my health, physically and mentally, felt in dire need of my attention.

I remember seeing an Instagram ad for an open house at a nearby Pure Barre studio. The photos enticed me to attend, and despite my lack of understanding (What is a tuck? Am I doing this right? There’s no way I’m doing this right. Why am I so terrible at this?), I remember walking out of that first class and thinking about how proud my grandparents would be that I was taking care of my health and myself.

So, I joined the studio, and I quickly (and deeply) fell in love with the workouts, the teachers, and the Pure Barre community. I felt empowered being surrounded by so many incredible women. I felt at home. As I continued taking more and more classes, I got back to my life. The anxiety diminished. The grief lessened. My body felt stronger. My mental state shifted from feelings of doubt and panic to those of resilience and bravery.

I took my first class on April 19, 2016, and 9+ years later, I’m over 500 classes deep, have been a member at three different studios, and have completely transformed my physical and mental health. Pure Barre is undoubtedly one of the most intentional, long-term decisions I’ve ever made.

Sudden and traumatic loss ruptured my worldview. Everything that once felt stable and controllable quickly proved to be anything but that. The unbidden, jarring reminder that life is finite, unpredictable, and unfairly short felt like a rude awakening.

Mortality salience pushed me to exercise and became a three-pronged act of:

• Defiance: I choose to live intentionally rather than let fear win.

• Control: There’s a lot I can’t control, but this is something I can influence.

• Connection: I honor their lives by caring for mine.

It’s true what they say: no one gets out alive. Death is coming for you and me. Mortality salience is not a reason to fear life; instead, it’s a reason to embrace it every single day. So sprinkle a dash of glittering mortality salience into your life, for the end will be here before you know it, and you deserve to live your one precious life exactly as you’d want.

What can you let mortality salience do for you?

Time Well Spent: Weekly Roundup

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and reading Anna Burgess Yang’s social media posts, emails, and content this week. Anna is a well-known freelance writer in the fintech space, and she recently learned she has a brain tumor (read more on her blog). I have benefited from much of her content over the years, and if you’re in the market for business resources, I recommend checking out her Gumroad store. If you'd like to support Anna’s brain tumor recovery, you can buy her a coffee or donate to her GoFundMe.

❤️ Thinking of you, Anna!

Time Intentional 🕰️ Reader Love 💞

• My friend, fellow freelance writer, and writer of Rough Draft — a newsletter containing bi-weekly tips and musings on creating a freelance career from scratch — Sam Lauron included last week’s issue about Chronos vs. Kairos in her newsletter this week. Thank you, Sam!

• Megan Gasper was the first Time Intentional reader to receive the new sticker pack! She wrote the sweetest LinkedIn post and shared a photo, so you can peek at the snail mail yourself! Check it out and give Megan some love (she’s incredible!)

Culture Clarity Without the Clickbait

Lifelong learners deserve more than clickbait lists. 1440’s Society & Culture brief takes you beneath the buzzwords to reveal the forces shaping our shared experience—technological shifts, artistic movements, demographic trends. In about five minutes, gain a clear, evidence-based perspective that sparks conversation and fuels deeper exploration. No lofty jargon, no spin—just intellectually honest storytelling that turns curiosity into genuine understanding.

Join Now

I’m Alyssa Towns, and this is Time Intentional, a newsletter exploring what it means to spend our limited (and precious) time intentionally. Extend your love and support by sharing this newsletter with someone you know or buying me a coffee! ☕

Are you thinking about starting a newsletter? Remember that done is better than perfect, so start today! beehiiv* makes it incredibly easy to take the first step.

This newsletter may include affiliate and referral links marked with an asterisk. If you click on or choose to purchase through one or more of the links below, I may receive a small commission or referral bonus.