Weekly Wellness

As I write this, I am taking a deep breath in…holding it for 3 seconds…and then releasing it. In between these breaths I am reminding myself to remain focused on the present moment, and to meet myself where I am at currently. Even if that means my mind wanders a little, but I am challenging myself to be as present as possible, for as long as possible.

This is a technique that is often taught and practiced with meditation. It serves as a reminder to be kind and patient with yourself, while experiencing the journey of self-discovery.

I’ll be honest, this is by far is one of the hardest things for me to do on a daily basis. It’s not because I don’t practice meditation (at least not as often as I should), but it’s because I have always been my hardest critic. I have always held myself to a high standard and have judged myself very harshly when I don’t meet those expectations.

Truthfully, nobody could ever be as hard on me as I am on myself.

However, these past few weeks I have been finding it a little bit easier to show kindness to myself. Especially when I feel like I’m not meeting my own expectations (which unfortunately is often). Yes, this loving-kindness behavior has a lot to do with meditation, but I have to give the majority of the credit to practicing hot yoga on a daily basis.

[Read more…] about Wellness Tip: Yoga for Self-Care

Give me a second while I take a deep sigh of relief as a thank you to the universe to finally have a moment of stillness. And while taking that deep sigh of relief I’m going to engage in some deep breathing. Join me if you will.

Sit up straight, close your eyes, and let’s begin the deep breathing process. Breathe in for 5…4…3…2…1, and breathe out for 5…4…3…2…1.

That’s much better. Now let’s catch up!

It has been a while since we’ve last connected. A lot has happened in my life over the past couple of months that required me to slow down, take a break, and reconnect with myself. While it has not been an easy task it has most certainly been one that was long overdue. And I can honestly say since taking that time off from all the overwhelming stressors in my life, I feel so much better.

[Read more…] about Wellness Tip: Reconnecting With Yourself

You can’t see or hear me right now but I just took a very deep sigh before starting to write this post.

That’s because the past two weeks have been super emotional for me. I’ve never shared with you guys what my day job is, and for this post to make a whole lot of sense I think I should. Yes, I do coach women on the side, but my primary day job is a Hospice Aide.

Working in the field of hospice can be so fulfilling, so eye opening, at times rewarding, and sometimes very hard to get through a day and even a week. That has been my experience lately. Recently our company said goodbye to two patients that I had built a very strong bond with. While I know that them passing was the ultimate ending for them, that doesn’t make the transition or experience any easier.

As a hospice aide you do create a bond with your patients. You’re seeing them almost every day, you’re assisting them with all kinds of activities of daily living, and you spend a lot of time with them. Time spent getting to know your patient in order to build trust with them, to help them and their families through this very emotional experience. So about 90% of the time it’s impossible to not create an emotional bond with them.

[Read more…] about Wellness Tip: Managing Grief