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Started Tuesday from a place of centeredness and power.
I don't have time to do ALL of these things EVERY day. But I do make an effort to do as many as I can as often as I can. Because I know what the practices are that have the biggest impact on me and I know how much they help me start my day from a place of centeredness and power. I used to be pretty consistent with my morning routine. Then I got pulled into another level of deep self-reflection and inner healing work and I stopped doing some of the practices. In retrospect, that wasn't necessarily the best choice because some of the practices I quit were the very ones that could've been helpful in working through the hardest moments of healing.... But in the moment, I just didn't have the emotional energy to do it all so I let some of it fall away. I didn't beat myself up about it (as I would have in the past). Instead I extended myself some grace and then once I felt my energy shifting, I started reintroducing the most helpful practices back into my day. Key takeaways...
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Things can feel impossible right before a massive change occurs. This can happen for any number of reasons, such as ...
*we encounter fears and doubts *we try to push and force things *we are stuck in old ways *we are healing old wounds, stories, beliefs *we are releasing to make room for the new Life invites us to keep growing and evolving. This requires us to explore new ways of thinking and being, make new choices, and implement new habits and actions. It also means we need to be willing to let go. And letting go is hard. Letting go means making the choice to get uncomfortable and venture into unknown territory (which is scary!). It's frustrating when things feel harder we think they should. It's difficult to feel stuck. It can make us question our very worth or the real purpose for our life. But questioning is a good thing. Questioning allows us to explore... *What REALLY matters to me? *What kind of person do I want to be? *How do I want to show up in my relationships? *What kind of friend/ mother/ partner do I want to be? *What do I most want to accomplish in my life? *What difference do I WANT to make? *How do I want to contribute? Getting this kind of clarity helps us tap into our SACRED WHY and pulls us forward. I was recently grappling with all this myself and felt stuck in lots of ways. I was so focused on everything that WASN'T working right and everything that I DIDN'T have, that I forgot to appreciate what I DO HAVE and what IS WORKING. So I made the time and space to explore these questions again and to reconnect with my deepest soul purpose and the SACRED WHY within. When you feel stuck, call a time out and revisit these kinds of questions so you too can reconnect with what feels right and true and aligned for YOU.  What is behind the name, Embrace Her...? Over the course of nine years, my business has had three names; two years ago I revealed the newest name. Embrace Her was inspired largely by my own personal journey and the shifts that had been happening organically with my clients over time.
Embrace Her is all about learning to EMBRACE OURSELVES as whole and complete women. In simplest terms, it's about embodying self-love. Among the hardest things I've had to do in this lifetime, aside from learning what it really means to love others, is to learn to let others love me, and learn to love myself, too. This has been challenging because for much of my life I have believed myself to be fundamentally unlovable. I've been learning to extend myself grace, compassion, and forgiveness through my challenges and struggles, and I've been learning what it *really* means to practice and embody self-love. It's important for us women to do this even when - actually, especially when - it feels like so many other voices are telling us the things we need to do to become more beautiful, to be more worthy of love, or to be "happier" or more "successful." There is a HUGE difference between "self-improvement" (trying to "fix" ourselves) and opting for personal growth and self-healing. In a society such as ours that holds up the "masculine" ways as ideal, that actively promotes impossible standards of beauty and conformity for women, and sells us all the ways that we need to improve or "fix" ourselves... it is courageous to be a woman who accepts and loves herself as she is and isn't afraid to say it and embody it. Ladies..., our opportunity is to shift our internal self-talk, tune out the harmful external messages and other people's expectations, and come to know that we are worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are - even WITH our blemishes, imperfections, and mistakes. My purposes in life and with Embrace Her are to:
Does any of this resonate with you? If so, I invite you to book a complimentary discovery session with me. In these sessions, we explore the most pressing challenges you are facing and if my coaching can support your specific needs. I hope to chat with you soon. #confidence #wellbeing #relationships #professionalwomen #empoweringwomen #midlifewomen #selflove #selfcare #lifestyle Are you living with intention and purpose or does it feel like you're just going through the motions? As you make choices throughout your week, do those choices align with the future you want to be creating? Or are you choosing mostly from past habits and patterns?
If you want things to be different, you need to do different things. Continuing to do make the same kinds of choices will not bring new results. To welcome new opportunities into your life, you need to be willing to embrace the unknown, which often means allowing a little bit of discomfort too. You need to be willing to let go of whatever doesn't align to the future you want. Your past no longer needs you. But your present and your future do. We change by making new choices and taking the steps that move us forward - even the baby steps count. As we make new choices, we learn from what works AND what doesn't work. We make adjustments as we move forward. Clarity comes not just from reflection and contemplation - but also from ACTION. The more willing we are to make the choices and take the actions, the more clear we become on what we really want and how to move forward. And we continue learning and adjusting as we go. Don't let a need for perfection or a fear of failure hold you back. Personally, I don't believe in "failure" anymore. I learn from everything, *especially* from what doesn't work and the mistakes and missteps I make along the way. What shifts are needed in your life? What new opportunities can you open to? What are you ready to let go of? If you need help with this work, I invite you to schedule a complimentary discovery session with me to see how I can support you with this important work. I'm booking for August and my discovery sessions are always free. Are you ready to make lasting change? Let's chat. #confidence #confidencecoach #empowermentcoach #wellbeing #wellnesscoach #relationships #relationshipcoach #professionalwomen #empoweringwomen #womensupportwomen #midlifewomen #selflove #selfcare #joy #choice #decisionmaking #lifestyle #lifestylecoach It's okay to rest when you need it. There are different ways to rest depending on what your mind, body, or soul needs.
Sometimes rest means: *turning off all technology and sitting in silence, writing in your journal, or reading a book *choosing to stay quiet instead of engaging in debate or superficial dialogue *putting off to tomorrow the unimportant things that you don't have the energy to do today *saying no to social invitations and choosing to stay home instead *lying around and doing nothing for awhile *refraining from making future commitments until you know for sure you want to do it and will have the energy to *opting for time in nature instead of late nights out *not multi-tasking *going to bed earlier than usual or sleeping in later *not responding to messages right away *taking a break from the news, social media, or any other kind of technology that wears you down or frustrates you We don't have to be doing something ALL the time. We don't have to fill our calendars 24/7. We don't have to be our most productive self EVERY day. Our body, our mind, and our soul needs moments of quiet, stillness, and rest. Tune in to your own body. What kind of rest are YOU craving right now? It's not the climb up that creates the fear. It's not even a fear of heights itself. It's the fear of FALLING. That's the insight I received on my hike yesterday.
I noticed that I felt some fear about a very small climb I wanted to do to catch a better view. As I stood there tracing the path up with my eyes, I could very easily see myself reaching the top with no problems. It was when my eyes began searching for the way back down, that's when the fear hit. I couldn't see myself coming back down without losing my footing, slipping, and falling. I stood there a few moments, feeling the pulse of fear. I finally decided that the view at the top would be worth it and as suspected, climbed the little incline with ease. I stood there a moment taking in the view. Then I realized, I didn't even have to go back down the same way I came up! There was a whole other path in front of me that required no additional climbing and that still led me to my ultimate destination! I reflected on this more as I continued to hike - it's never been a fear of the climb for me. Whether I'm hiking, climbing a ladder, or the time I did the ropes course and had to step off a high platform to rappel down - I've always had that thought, "What if I fall? What if I get hurt?" Later toward the end of my hike - I did fall. It was a flat area; I just slipped and lost my footing on some loose gravel. I fell pretty hard and hurt my hand a little. But guess what - I jumped right up, brushed myself off and kept walking. I remembered how many times I have fallen already - on hikes and while doing other activities, and metaphorically - falling, stumbling, and making mistakes in my life experiences. But every time I've fallen, I've gotten back up and carried on. I'm facing a couple of big mountains in my life right now - I can see myself getting to the top but I've hesitated in committing to the climb. I've been spending a lot of time reflecting on the specific beliefs, stories, and fears that have been holding me back and doing the work to address those head on. I have to make the choice that reaching the summit will be worth it, even if I stumble along the way. I have to fully commit to my own vision and goals. If I want to reach the summit, I have to keep climbing. I have to stop being afraid of the fall. I have to remind myself that fear serves a purpose, it is there to keep me safe... and then I have to choose to keep moving forward anyway. If I've learned anything about myself the past few years, it's that I CAN get through the hard stuff. I CAN survive whatever happens. I CAN rely on myself. What mountains are you facing in your life? What are the specific fears that have been holding you back? Are you ready to move forward anyway? I've said it before and I'll say it again. Physical wellbeing is about *more* than just the number on the scale. It's about making choices that nourish our body. It includes choosing exercises we enjoy and choosing healthy foods that fuel, rather than deplete, our energy. By choosing to take better care of my body, my body is finding its natural weight without calorie restriction.
My wellbeing goal is to feel better physically, feel good in my skin, and BE healthier. I make the choices I make so I can have enough energy to do the things I want to do. Rather than losing weight, I want to tone up and build muscle. I listen to my body's needs when I choose what kinds of exercise I do each day. I rest when I need to rest. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. I listen to what my body wants me to eat and avoid the foods that don't make me feel good. I drink lots of water and take the supplements my body needs. I continue to practice a holistic approach to physical wellbeing. I get fresh air, I get massages, and I get out to enjoy life and play regularly, too. If you need support in revisiting your wellness goals, implementing new and more aligned actions, or ideas about how to get more consistent with your self-care - please reach out. In my discovery sessions, I get an understanding of what people are struggling with so I can determine how I might be able to help. And - if you're curious about the program I use for exercise and for my gut health, I'd love to share more details with you! Let's schedule a time to chat. "All the answers you seek are already inside you, sometimes you just need a guide to help you find them." Heather Ash Amara.
My clients come to me because they have a problem they are trying to solve or a question they are trying to answer. It is NOT my job to give them the answer or tell them what to do. My job IS to help them explore the possibilities or examine their choices so they can decide what's best for them. Sometimes they need help clearing the clutter or considering alternative options or perspectives. When you find yourself trying to solve something, try this: Write down the question or the problem you are trying to solve. Allow time and space for the answers to come (often times, my clarity comes after I've walked away and I'm taking a shower or washing the dishes or when I'm out on a walk. Explore more than one possibility before you decide. Pay attention to how you feel about the options that emerge. Do you feel intrigued? Excited? Scared? Hopeful? Do you feel resistance to the option? What messages are your emotions sending about the possibilities you're considering? Remember that fear doesn't automatically mean it's the wrong idea. Sometimes we feel fear about what's right, because we're being invited to try something new. If you've been grappling with a difficult decision, reach out to see how I can provide some extra support with your process. "I wish I had time for that." I hear that often from people when I talk about how much time I invest in self-care or how often I go out with my friends, or when I say I don't do meetings on Mondays....
I once wished I had time for the things I wanted to do, too. So guess what... I made the time. If it's important to you and you want to do it, you'll make time. It's as simple as that. Making this shift for myself required me to really examine all that was on my plate, and to release everything that wasn't mine to do or that was no longer in alignment with my priorities and goals. I had to make a lot of choices - some of them were incredibly difficult and others were actually pretty easy once I committed to the process. We ALLLLL have lots of things to do, and I'm no different. I'm a single self-employed mother. I run my own businesses and I have a part-time job. I don't have a partner so all the parenting, household management, personal errands, cleaning, shopping, and all the other necessities are my responsibility. When I realized I had too much on my plate, I made myself sit down and get really clear on what my top priorities were - what I wanted to make time for. They are: *my health, wellbeing and self-care *my daughter *my business and clients *my friends and other personal relationships, + fun, play, and adventure I have learned the ways that work best for me to manage all my responsibilities and priorities. I work less on the weeks I have my daughter and more on the weeks I don't. When I leave the house for meetings, I take work with me in case a meeting ends early, starts late, or is canceled so I can make the most of my time. I have certain days I block for meetings, and other days I refuse to do meetings. I group my errands together. I do laundry while I work or workout. I say no to the requests that are not aligned. And now... I make time for self-care EVERY DAY. Yes, I said every day. In fact, I schedule that on my calendar FIRST. Because it's a priority and if I don't schedule it in, then I can't find the time to do it. And if I don't do it, then I don't have the energy or the presence I need for everything else. I block the time that I want to reserve for my daughter and the time I want to reserve for my work. After all that, I see what's left for friends and other fun activities. On the weeks I don't have my daughter, I usually see friends multiple times. Sometimes it's an early morning hike. Sometimes it's coffee or lunch. And sometimes, it's going out for the evening. Since these are my priorities, I make time for them, no matter how busy my life feels. These get scheduled first and everything else gets scheduled around them. What works for you? How do you make time for all the things that are important to you and the fun things you want to do? Say yes to your priorities. Say no to everything else. What's the WHY at the core of your health and wellness goals? If you don't have a strong WHY for taking care of yourself, you'll likely keep pushing your own wellness and self-care to the bottom of your priority list (I know I have done this!!). But to be your best for your loved ones and all your other priorities, you need to have energy and feel well.
Before I connected with my deepest motivations for wanting to be healthy, my self-care was put on the back burner time and time again. I didn't make time for exercise, I didn't have effective techniques in place to help me process my emotions or stress, and I struggled to eat well. Rather than eating healthy, nourishing foods, I ate a lot of JUNK. I felt icky and low on energy most of the time and was easily agitated. My low energy meant that I wasn't showing up as my best self with my loved ones OR in my work... my productivity wasn't where it could have been. When I realized that I wanted to BE my BEST, HEALTHIEST self for my daughter - everything shifted. Not only do I want to be a good role model for her - modeling wellness, self-care, and self-love - I also want to have enough energy to be fully present with her so we can keep doing all the fun things we enjoy. My second WHY is to be my best, healthiest self for my clients. Taking care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually gives me the energy I need to be fully present with them, too. I am more present and effective with my clients when I have done what I need to do to feel refreshed and nourished. So, what's YOUR why? Is it your loved ones, your work, or something else? I am passionate about WHOLE BODY WELLNESS, which includes making time to care for our self, to play and have fun, and for our most important relationships. I'd love to explore your wellness goals with you. If there is a specific area that is challenging you right now, I would love to help you explore some ways to address those areas in the ways that work best for YOU. Let's grab a virtual coffee to chat! |
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