Happy May! Spring is in full swing, but are you? Are you finding yourself busy and assimilating back into real life, but struggling at the same time? I know I AM! I frankly did not realize I was until my recent trip with my daughter to the East Coast. As I sat on the airplane with my N95 mask, I took a deep breath and sighed. A tear started to drop down my face, and my daughter asked, "Mom, are you OK? Why are you crying?" At that moment all of the emotions and stress of the past year came rushing to the surface. You see, I actually had no idea I had been holding space for EVERYONE, except myself, which explains my exhaustion and weight gain. I spent the flight writing and journaling meditations, yoga sequences, and listening to inspirational music.
I, like I am sure many of you, do my best work on planes (one thing I used to LOVE about International Marketing – long flights by myself). This experience told me I needed to take a few steps back in order to move forward. It sounds like a negative, but it’s in fact not negative at all – LIFE is NOT LINEAR, and neither are you! As a culture, we have conditioned ourselves to believe we just keep going to get to the goal, but that is nothing short of false. Taking time to reflect and practice self-care is an imperative part of being well.
You know I am all about being transparent and sharing my journey so that you too can feel comfortable with life’s imperfections. I am passionate about serving women and helping them build their dreams or discovering their purpose. Friends, there’s no better way to kick-start your business or invest in yourself rather than to seek the support of a transformational coach that can help with your marketing and business goals - that’s me! With the challenges that this year brought, finding motivation in this so-called "new normal" is strange and perhaps weird. I don’t normally use that word (because what is weird!?) but nothing seems the same. We are mourning the disconnect of our world as we knew it and the reconnection to this new world. Not only did we face health concerns but also challenges in our children's education and our overall family dynamics. Can you say stressful?!
If you’re feeling anything like I am, you might need a break. Taking a break feels like waking up from the survival mode of
COVID and then having to shift to listen to our own choices. It feels like continuing to take steps forwards to launch back into life your way, not anyone else's. This is what I like to call the CHA-CHA-CHA OF LIFE - "two steps forward, one step back."
The original phrase actually came from an anecdote about a frog trying to scale a water well. This frog kept trying to climb up the wall of the well, but for every two steps it climbed, it fell back one. We’ve definitely all heard this phrase or used it when frustrated and/or when we might not be making the progress we hoped for - but it’s not a negative thing sometimes, these digressions help propel us forward.
Part of this dance of life is listening to your mind, body, and spirit. I cannot emphasize this concept enough! Listening to the quiet voice inside is so important! Sometimes we go through life holding on so tightly... with high vibration energy, white knuckles, and sweaty palms. The problem with living life that way is that it is not sustainable. Eventually, we will fall to the stress we are holding whether it shows up internally or externally. So, the goal is to 1) recognize this behavior and 2) name it and determine ways to cope with this stress. I want to be here to remind you all that sometimes it’s okay to let go of troubles that are causing you too much strain. When we learn to let go, we can also make room for the aspects of life that rejuvenate us holistically.
At the beginning of 2021, I was burned out and tired and still had three kids at home and my husband, but I was determined to not let anything get in my way. Looking back, I know it is a pattern of mine to “push through.” While I have remedied that corporate work-oholic in me, those traits are still there, and they are part of what drives me to do well. That being said, I have to STOP and realign and ask myself some hard questions that have hard truths. One of which is, "Is this what you want? How is this serving you? How is this serving your husband, children, and family? Is it? Are you aligned?" These questions sound so simple but they run deep!
One of my goals this year was very clear - to teach more meditation and yoga. Wellness and spirituality is core to who I am. It’s easy to get side-tracked with the noise of what others think I “should” be doing, but good news, I recognized the direction I was heading, the patterns I was discussing earlier, and quickly reset. I set boundaries and stopped to acknowledge what I was willing to step into this year!
Burn Out - 5 Ways to Recover and Relaunch
1. Recover - When all else fails, rest. When we feel tired, that’s our bodies telling us it’s time to unwind. Take deep breaths and live that laugh that makes you happy. Follow this quick breathing tool from our blog post Self Care Isn’t Selfish It’s Self Love! You deserve it!
2. Reset - Take time for you, acknowledge where you are, and ask yourself, "What do I need?" Once you determine what you want, take the necessary time and ways to reset and set an intention for your goal. Follow this link for more ways to deal with the anxiety of the pandemic.
3. Realign - A simple way of aligning with yourself is understanding your core values. How are you intrinsically motivated and where do you make a choice from? Values are principles that hold the “worth” in your life. Practice living out of intention, not an obligation. Ask yourself these questions - What fills you up? When are you most alive? Who are you with? Empower Purpose holds an amazing Value You workshopthat you walk away with your 5 Top Values to Live by and you will not compromise them!
4. Relaunch - Exhaustion can hit us hard especially when we are hustling. I know that I have felt overwhelmed recently. Set a boundary and focus your efforts on what matters most in your life. When you are ready to kick it back into gear and launch your business, EmpowHer Purpose is here to help you with 5 Ways to Kickstart Your Business.
5. Consistently Realign - Studies have shown that working with a coach increases self-confidence in 80% of clients and work-life balance in 67% of clients. Working with me will help you reflect on what is important in your life and hold you accountable to your goals. You will be able to set realistic steps towards them and consider wellness before stress takes over.
At the end of the day or blog post (ha ha), I want to bring this back to our connection. 73% of people who hire a coach improve their relationships. Enlisting me as a coach will help hold you accountable from reset to relaunch to get to your goals. Even when life sets us back a step, we can bounce back two steps with the proper coaching and support!
When we engage in a well-balanced community, we can achieve a more successful professional and personal life. The balance between wellness and business (you need both) is what keeps us going! Together we will connect, be more mindful, and achieve growth. Let’s do good for ourselves, together we can Cha Cha Cha in life, and remember life is NOT linear. Give yourself the space to breathe and grow! Breath in….ah...release! Out of here…
Be well. Do well.
All my best,
P.S. Craving more accountability in your life? We are excited to let you know that we are running a special for one-on-one coaching with me! Get access to exclusive content and growth opportunities. Check out our website for a full list of benefits.