Over 20 years ago, I saved myself from burning out in the nick of time. The tipping point that mobilized me to seek out the right kinds of mind body rejuvenation practices was the constant unhappiness I felt living the way I was; it was sucking the life out of me! I wasn't happy with my career choice, I had recently divorced and downsized, and I felt lost and directionless. I was feeling incredibly stressed personally and professionally. All the life changes and losses I had experienced to that moment began to weigh me down like never before. I knew I was about to hit "that wall" people who burn out talk about. I knew that much. I also knew I needed to do more to prevent me from crashing. Below I share what I did and share my learnings.
The first thing I did to learn to stress less:
I reached out to a stress management clinic. This clinic was trained to deliver a mindfulness program based on Jon Kabat-Zinn's teachings and book "Wherever you go there you are". What an eye opener that was! The book is fantastic as well. Essentially, it is in this program that I learned that "that wall" or burnout is what people hit when they let their chronic stress accumulate without consistent self-care maintenance. Since then, we have been experiencing even more chronic stress more often because the world is changing at an even faster rate. The leading stressors continue to be career/work environment and finances. We are also seeing an increasing toll on caregivers. Without consistent self-care maintenance these stressors can lead to more serious health issues, physically, mentally and emotionally. While our body does its best at managing the impact of stress by regulating our hormones, we also need to support our mind and body in the process.
Three self-care tips to stress less and let your inner calm glow:
Identify what you can control and what you have no control over whenever you are feeling disturbed by life events.
Make the necessary changes in the areas of your life you have control over by tuning into your internal resources and seeking out the external resources necessary. For example, choose to hire a holistic life coach to transform and elevate your mind, body and soul.
Practice a healthy mind and body routine that supports your well-being and lifeforce daily.
This sounds a lot easier than it is. All of the above take courage, time, perseverance and commitment in arriving at and sustaining some sense of equilibrium. For me, the start of my well-being's transformation began with awareness. If anything, my intention in writing this article is to elevate your level of awareness. Awareness helped me accept the reality we are facing every day; stressful events will happen be they perceived positively or negatively. This awareness helped me accept the very real struggle we face dealing with chronic stress, its health implications, and our inner power to steer our mind and body healthily.
Actions you can take to stress less and let your inner calm glow:
Start with my book, LITE Up Your Work and Life, which takes a holistic self-coaching approach to your life's transformation. Each chapter builds on the one before it. The exercises behind each chapter will help you discover who you are in essence; clarify a meaningful and purposeful life vision; identify your priorities and wellness needs; and take action from an empowering place of inner balance.
Sign-up here to receive additional complimentary resources I have created.
Join my Holistic Healthy Living coaching program to nourish your mind and body. What you nourish your body affects your mind, and vice versa.
Move your body daily, be it with yoga, walking, qi gong, aerobics, weight training or other form of exercise that is suitable for your condition. When I was cultivating more inner calm, there was a period of time when I was advised by a Naturopathic Doctor to focus on exercises that would lower my cortisol levels in my body, such as yoga.
Journal regularly to keep the clarity you've gained from the above resources and activities alive.
Practice mindful meditation, even if just for a few minutes a day. This can be as simple a practice as noticing your breath in and out to a count of 4. Check out my Calming Nostril Breathing Demo for beginners video in my YouTube playlist, Mindfulness & Yoga Wisdom.
Sleep well. Consider going to bed around the same time every night after sipping a Dream Herbal Infusion tea made with lemon balm, chamomile, sweet basil, peppermint, lavender, and valerian. Or, consider having a cup of InnerCalm to feel less stressed before bedtime. This vegan natural health product is formulated with sustainably-sourced ashwagandha (a powerful adaptogen) plus sustainably-sourced saffron to help support mood balance. Featuring the tea-leaf derived amino acid L-theanine to help temporarily promote relaxation, mix one scoop into any beverage. I love to have mine in warm nut milk. With a delicious peach-green tea flavour, you'll love how this vegan natural health product tastes. InnerCalm is formulated without artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners. Both are available on my arbonne wellness e-store.
The most important question you need to answer for yourself right now is, "what would I stand to gain from stressing less and letting my inner calm glow?" As I look back, I know what I gained, resilient self-preservation to live out my life fully!
Please Note:
The products referred to in this article are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Consult with your health care team of doctors should you have or suspect any pre-existing medical conditions before using the products linked here or on my Arbonne e-commerce store. The ingredients list is available by arbonne product in PDF format and is downloadable. Should you need help finding the ingredients list, or have any questions, send me a DM @liteupblog on insta or fb.
Comments