Author: selfcareadmin

Posted on

My Secret Trick for Managing Anxiety

“Breathing in, I calm my body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”

Mantra- the use of sounds or words as objects of concentration- means “mind protecting. ” By allowing our awareness to settle on the sounds we repeat aloud or silently we “protect” ourselves from thoughts or emotional responses triggered by our daily lives.

Staying focused on the mantra protects us from negative thoughts, monkey mind and replaying conversations in our head. It keeps us in the moment.

Check out the rest of my article on the Yoga Health Coaching Blog:  Mood + Mantra: How One Favourite Phrase Helps Me Manage My Anxiety

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Smart Business? Try Smart Self Care

When it comes to business, many of us make decisions using an intellectual approach- looking at calendars, bank accounts and deadlines.  When we need to create cash flow, monitor expenses, and manage risk, data drives our decisions.

So what happens when our decision doesn’t feel right? When in spite of the data we know we should be doing X, not Y, or turning left and not right?

Gut instinct is a sense of knowing what we need to do in spite of the visible information we have to the contrary.  Paying attention to body signals and our inner voice happens when we leave ourselves time and space to hear and feel, and when we operate from a place of non-stress and equanimity.  What I have learned is that when I come into a rhythm of self care, my nervous system is able to relax and I can both look at data AND listen my inner voice. With this comes better decisions.

Check out the rest of my article on the Yoga Health Coaching Blog:  Making Better Business Decisions: How Self Care Makes Me Smarter

Posted on

The Art of Subtle Awareness + Aging

In this conversation with Alexandra Epple of the Women Gone Vibrant podcast I share my thoughts about sustainable choices in the mid-stage of life and beyond. Our daily practices and lifestyle choices need to honour the hormonal changes that come with midlife so that our nervous system can relax and our body can find its way back to equilibrium.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

  •    How subtle awareness informs our journey through midlife
  •    The impact of studying occupational therapy (gross body awareness) vs studying a body centered science like yoga (subtle body awareness)
  •    The power of language to become your own healer…. no language, no power
  •    The importance of saying “Hell No” to things that no longer serve us
  •    The difference between spending and investing
  •    3 essential tools we need to navigate our health and life in a skillful way.

Check out this episode on the Women Gone Vibrant  Podcast-  Episode #23- The Power of Subtle Awareness

 

Posted on

Time Management + Work Life Balance

Tune in to this podcast to catch the conversation between myself and Carly Banks from my Yoga Health Coaching community.  We chatted about time management, which can be a struggle for busy moms and business owners.

What you’ll get out of tuning in:

  • Why getting enough sleep may be the next step for upleveling your business
  • How to gain better calendar integrity
  • Why you should block self-care into your calendar
  • Links to key favourite resources like the 12 Week Year, Planning Your Career and GTD

Check out the podcast on the Yoga Health Coaching Blog-  Building Time Management: Establishing Work-Life Balance

 

Posted on

Why I Have A Meeting With Myself Every Morning

“Show me your schedule and I’ll show you what your priorities are.”  

Robin Sharma – the Monk Who Sold His Ferrari – makes it pretty clear. When we use calendars to actively schedule our work, family and self care activities we are making a statement: how we allocate our energy reflects our priorities and values.

Take a look at your calendar. What’s the first thing you see? For many of us it is commitments we have made to others- business meetings, client follow up, places we need to be with our kids and aging parents. Often the only personal commitments reflected on our calendars are for health and medical issues and taking care of the mundane- car, house and finance.
What does it mean when we don’t see ourselves reflected in our calendars? While it may mean that we don’t value self care, for many of us it simply means that we did not learn the value of taking time to plan for ALL of our needs . Giving ourselves permission to spend time scheduling our self care needs as well as the needs of others is a learned skill.

Check out the rest of my article on the Yoga Health Coaching Blog:  My Most Important Meeting of the Day

Posted on

Rise Early to Shift Yourself Into Health

A friend of mine is a morning show radio host. For years she tried to sell me on her secret to making more time in her day- a 3:30am wake-up call. By 8am she had already recorded her show, gone for a run and ferried her kids off to school. Me? I was a night owl who rocked the late night jams that pushed my projects to the finish line. Who doesn’t love going to bed with a big check mark beside that one thing that you’ve been wanting to finish up?

But in my 40’s something wasn’t working anymore. I was struggling with mental focus, flare- ups of inflammatory conditions and general crabbiness. Thinking I was “hangry” I would snack frequently and I piled on weight. What I was missing was this realization: I was a tired night owl who couldn’t hack it any more. The consequences of using my night energy to get things done was burning me out. My night owl tendencies were backfiring and costing me my health.

Check out the rest of my article on the Yoga Health Coaching Blog:  Morning Bird or Night Owl? Shift Your Identity + Your Health