8 Tips for Maintaining Your Summer Sleep Schedule

 Remember those days right after school started in the fall? It was still daylight outside but inevitably mama would call you into the house to get ready for school the next day. I remember the argument many times from my kids as they were growing up, “but mom the sun is still out”. And yes, absolutely it was but I also knew how important is was for them to get that rest so they would be at their best for the next day.

As adults we face that same challenge at times. During the summertime when the days are long and hot, everyone is out and about socializing, enjoying the outdoors and being in the moment, we’re not ready to end the fun and head home to end the day before 7pm. It can be so difficult to stay on a healthy wake-sleep routine when the sun doesn’t even set until after 8! People are out enjoying the park, going to happy hour and dancing the night away. Who wants to go home and get ready for bed?

The reality though is that there is a direct correlation between consistency of sleep, mood and anxiety. So once you get yourself regulated to a schedule that fits your life and inner clock, it is so important to honor that routine and healthy habit. Let’s talk about what you can do to set yourself up for success: 

MAINTAIN YOUR CURRENT WAKE-SLEEP ROUTINE

Having a predictable wake-sleep routine means you are intentional with your time so keep doing that! Be mindful of the commitments made to others to be out and about. We don’t have to be a super stickler regarding our time but being aware and intentional will help. Staying out one night late per week isn’t too much strain on the sleep schedule but what about 3-5 nights per week? That begins to run down the body and begins to compromise the sleep schedule!

SLEEP ETIQUETTE

The bed is only for sleeping!! We need the brain to associate when we get into bed that we’re looking to be intimate or fall asleep. That’s it! Limit the amount of time you work, read or even watch movies in your bed. Keep your space clutter free, cool and dark to provide the optimum sleep environment. Check out 7 Days to Better Sleep for more ideas.

ELECTRONICS CURFEW

Believe me I know how tempting it is to scroll on social media but learn to put the phone or tablet down so the brain can disconnect. One of my favorites is TikTok but I can definitely tell the difference in how easily I go to sleep if I follow my own suggestions! So turn off, silence and flip over those phones. Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow!

VITAMIN D

Continue taking your vitamin D3. So much research has found a direct correlation between vitamin D and sleep. It helps with the production of not only serotonin but also melatonin. The two are very interconnected for an overall feeling of health and wellness.

REDUCed OR DELAYED MELATONIN

Because the days are longer, our bodies aren’t signaled to begin creating melatonin until later in the evening which can sometimes get us off track. Even though we’re following the schedule and maintaining the routine, the body might not be cooperating because it was cued later in the circadian rhythm due to the prolonged daylight hours to produce melatonin. Don’t begin a melatonin supplement just yet but instead try some healthy food choices that will work with your body to keep your wake-sleep routine intact. Remember to be intentional!

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY

Sometimes we don’t realize we’re overextending ourselves until it begins to take a toll. If you begin to experience consistent mood swings, weight gain, memory loss or brain fog there’s a good chance you’ve taken a hit to your sleep schedule. There are additional signs your body and mind will display but you have to be paying attention. Now is a good time to reflect and get back on track.

AVOID CAFFEINE

The use of caffeine is one of the tools that many of us use to get some pep and wakeup throughout the day. If possible, avoid caffeine use about 6 hours prior to your planned bedtime. For most of us, that’s about 3 or 4pm. Be mindful of your consumption of coffee, tea, soda and chocolate. Go

LIMIT ALCOHOL

If you are one of those people who like your evening nightcap—think again! If alcohol is drank too close to bedtime, research has been shown to suppress REM sleep which is necessary for neuro waste to be released from the brain. Just like with caffeine, be mindful of when you are drinking in relationship to when you are trying to get to sleep. Try to keep any liquor consumption at least six hours before bedtime but skip if at all possible.

Final thoughts…

Nothing in life is absolute. It’s soooo important to see the gray. Remember, most things are possible in moderation. I have learned because of my own unhealthy lifestyle habits when I was younger that when moderation and intentional behaviors are absent from decision making that only the worst can happen. Chronic illness is like a ninja and creeps up on you in the night. Pay attention to what you are experiencing in your mind-body-spirit connection. Trust and believe if you’re not getting enough restorative rest that you will pay the price later in life.

As always, I’m available to talk more about this topic or any other. Don’t forget I offer a 30-minute complimentary consultation so we can figure out a game plan to keep you healthy and well. At the end of the day, sleep is one of the foundation necessities of having and maintaining an overall sense of well-being. So—be intentional with your time and get those Zzzzzs. Take care!!

wh

Self-care is more than a day at the spa!

Although self-care continues to be a huge buzz word as well as a trending social media hashtag, it’s much more than selfies at the spa getting a mani and pedi with the girls. It’s so much more! Self-care is a commitment to self. It’s a pledge to make every single day to yourself. Self-care is part of a daily plan of accountability. Self-care is the ultimate act of true love! There’s nothing more important than to invest in self!

After doing some reflecting, I had to come to terms with the fact that even though I try, I’m not always intentional with my self-care. As much as I talk about it, I have to follow up with action. Considering I give to others, I have to be consistent about how I’m filling up my cup.

Here’s the Self-Care Agreement I’ve created between my present and future self:

1. Self-care is not selfish.

2. Self-care is a natural and standard part of my daily life to maintain an overall sense of health, wellness and well-being.

3. Self-care requires me to be intentional and active with a specific set of activities as well as self-awareness that requires me to hold myself accountable. I will act, track, acknowledge, reflect and act again to maintain a cycle of self-care.

4. Self-care can contribute to me being a healthier version of myself. Self-care can help with the reduction or elimination of chronic illness.

5. Self-care empowers me to be the agent of my own health and wellness utilizing all tools available to me including both Eastern and Western concepts of medicine. I am my own healer.

6. Self-care provides a direct personal benefit but also benefits my family, circle and community. I am responsible for my personal health and wellness to minimize and/or reduce the extra stress that chronic illness places within the healthcare system of society.

7. Self-care presents an opportunity not only for me but extends to all societal systems to provide a strong foundation to promote the need for resources, programs, lifestyles and ideologies that support the practice of caring for self around the world.

Now that I’ve clearly outlined what self-care is, how do I set realistic goals and subsequent actions to keep the agreement I’ve made between my today me and my future me. I use the five pillars of health to help guide me create a plan that is sustainable for me to maintain.

MOVEMENT

I’ve had a bitter war with this area of my life for a long, long time. One of the best friends of anxiety is being in a suspended state of internal chaos—a state of immobility. I have a lot of experience with this space because toxic relationships feed the beast of fear.

Things to consider when creating a plan of exercise and movement:

1. What are your ultimate goals?
   Are you trying to achieve a certain weight or challenge yourself to a minimum amount of activity per day. Make a plan and set yourself up for success.

2. Understand and know yourself!
   I discovered long ago I am not a gym rat! I dislike the monotony of working on any gym machine. So instead I opt for outdoor activities when I can. I do my best to be in nature! What brings you joy? What do you enjoy doing? What have you used in the past that has worked and been successful for you?

3. Utilize the resources you presently have.
   Don’t go into debt for a thousand-dollar machine that you’ll ultimately use as a towel rack. No need to purchase a gym membership if you don’t enjoy the gym. Do you like to use weights or body resistance? Do you enjoy solo or group activities?

4. When are you most energetic?
   Again, set yourself up for success by planning your daily movement during the time of day when you’re literally going to feel the most energized to actually get it done. Do you have energy in the morning, mid-day or in the evening?

5. Actually plan it out!
   Make a commitment to self and put it on your calendar or whatever device you use to plan your life, time and activities. Make it concrete and real. Hold yourself accountable.

 FOOD

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “A moment on your lips is a lifetime on your hips.” This has come true for me! My younger self could eat whatever the heck she wanted with no immediate issues or repercussions. Not to mention it was nothing to basically starve myself for a week to shed a few unwanted pounds. Sugar has always been my nemesis. But my midlife self is paying the price for her ignorant attitude towards food.

Understand that all areas of life are interconnected so emotional eating is very real for many including myself. My today self sees food only as a mechanism of fuel for my body. Don’t get me wrong, I still get pleasure from eating certain things (usually sweets) but I have lots more intention behind what I feed myself on a daily basis rather than stuffing my mouth when my emotions are elevated.

Here are some things to consider:

1. Pay attention to your body when you eat. Do you get bloated or sleepy after certain foods? What foods give you energy? Are you paying attention to portion size?

2. Understand what the body needs to be healthy. There’s a science behind nutrition and what the body requires to work at an optimum level. Supplement when necessary.

3. Life is about balance and so is eating!!

STRESS MANAGEMENT

First and foremost it is so important to understand that stress is a natural and healthy part of life. Stress is a built-in survival mechanism to keep us alive and the human species going. What’s not natural on the other hand is allowing stress to manifest into anxiety which is exactly what happens when we’re not effective at stress management. Many of us for an abundance of reasons did not get that training as a child and now here we are stuck in a loop of debilitating anxiety.

One of the greatest gifts we can give to self is the gift of managing stress before it gets out of control. There’s much more to this practice but here’s some highlights:

1. Live in the moment. Learn the skill of being in the right now. Stop putting the focus on what happened or what might happen. Focus on what’s happening right this moment.

2. Develop stress-relieving habits. Figure out what helps you to relax. What hobbies do you enjoy? What music speaks to your soul?.

3. Learn to assertively communicate. Being able to express yourself to others in a way that is healthy is absolutely priceless. Don’t engage in conflict unless it means growth for you. Learn that it’s okay to walk away from a conversation or a person who no longer brings you joy.

4. Let go of being perfect. We’re taught from an early age to do and be the best! Just be the best version of you.

5. Control is an illusion. We can only control one person….my individual self. There is no other control.

SLEEP

I’m learning more and more about the power of restorative sleep. I took this for granted in my younger decades using the erroneous adage of “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” to keep me going and going and going. My today self is thinking WTF were you doing? It was nothing for me to be up “kickin it” until 3 or 4 in the morning to turn around and get up a couple of hours later to get my kids to school and go to work for eight hours. If I could tell my younger self anything it would be to sit down, be still and get your rest girlfriend each and every night!

The science of sleep in connection with our overall sense of well-being has grown immensely in the last decade. Sleep is meant to sluff off the waste that is created on a biochemical level within the body and brain throughout the day. The brain rids itself of metabolic trash during sleep. Toxins are removed to eliminate build up and ultimately the development of chronic health issues later down the road. The connection between poor blood sugar management and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s is overwhelming! Guess what happens when we don’t take the trash out?

Suggestions for better sleep:

1. Sleep hygiene aka sleep etiquette is essential for a good night’s rest!

2. Create a routine to get your body in the habit of a predictable wake-sleep routine. Your mental health will thank you!

3. Include magnesium rich foods in your diet or take a supplement.

4. Manage stress and practice mindfulness.
   

COMMUNITY

If we’ve learned nothing else in the era of COVID is that our community, our peeps, our family, our circle is essential to feeling connected  within the mind-body-spirit triad. Human beings are meant to be social. Living in isolation all the time is a slow death. An integral part of self-care is to have a community of like-minded people who support and love YOU!

Some things to consider in your relationships:

Respect for self and others is key. Is there mutual respect?

1. Is there healthy communication? Do you feel safe expressing yourself? Do you feel heard and validated?

2. Are you encouraged and supported through your high and low moments?

3. Are you able to compromise so that both of you are getting your needs met?

4. Feeling safe is nonnegotiable.

5. Are you able to be autonomous and set healthy boundaries?

FINAL THOUGHTS…

Don’t get caught up in the frenzy of trends. Be intentional with your time, energy and resources to take care of yourself. I wanted to celebrate International Self-Care Day by taking time to sit with myself and commit to the process of actual self-care which is more than a spa day. I’m always available for additional conversation so take advantage of my free 30-minute consultation if you have additional questions or thoughts. Take care!

wh 

Resources:

https://isfglobal.org/international-self-care-day/

https://commonwealthherbs.com/

https://mindbodyfitness.us/2017/10/20/the-five-pillars-of-wellness/

Is swimsuit anxiety killing your hot girl summer vibe? Six tips to enjoy swimsuit season minus the anxiety!

Got swimsuit anxiety?

Summer is officially here, and someone said pool party! You’ve been invited to hangout but the thought of getting into your swimsuit and walking around in front of others puts you on pins and needles. Sound familiar?

Jamaica, 2016

Swimsuit anxiety is real for many of us. It’s a hot mess combination of social anxiety and body dysmorphia rolled up into one messy, soul-sucking mental space to hang out in. It’s like looking into those carnival mirrors. You know, the ones that make you look super out of proportion and unrecognizable?! Yeah!! For some of us that’s what we see and think everyone else sees the same thing when they look at us. So it’s just easier and safer to keep covered up and avoid those situations that might require a swimsuit. But that means you’re missing out on life!!

I remember more than one girl’s trip where I felt super conscious about getting into a bathing suit with all my skin hanging out for everyone to see. Before COVID, we traveled the first week of November every year. Because I’m a recovering Type-A personality, I always packed my bag beginning halfway through October. I always had to try on my outfits including my swimsuits to make sure I didn’t get any surprises once arriving to my destination. You know, like, they don’t fit. So, I’m looking in the mirror and any hint of that sun-kissed look that I had obtained during summer was long gone. I mean long gone! I always look pasty pale white with squishy jiggly skin because the winter snacking has kicked in. That inner critic of mine has a hell of a party as I scan and make mental note of each dimple, pimple and crater I’d see. The ugly names fly everywhere! I would NEVER talk like that to a friend of mine so why do I talk that way to myself? Welp, it took some time. It’s been a journey but I no longer do!!

6 Tips to empower yourself to be kind and compassionate through that anxiety

Honor your emotions without judgment

This is key to bringing your anxiety from 100 to 10. Just honor what you’re feeling. Don’t keep it bottled up. Talk about it out loud to yourself—yes out loud to yourself. Write down what you’re feeling and why you’re feeling that way. Give yourself time to sit in the emotion but not to wallow in it then let that shit go!! Don’t be an emotion hoarder. If you have a judgement about yourself, it can be traced back to when and why that judgment was created. But, that’s another conversation.

Focus on what you can Control

One of the traps of anxiety is the tendency to focus on things that you have absolutely no control over.  The fear of the unknown is debilitating. Sit down and make a list of items you can control versus those you can’t. For example, you can control wearing clothing that is flattering. You can control what you eat. You can control how active you are. You are unable to control the size of your thighs right this minute. This is an important exercise because it keeps you grounded in reality and facts versus frolicking around with emotions that want to be in charge. Those same emotions also lie to you.

Practice body gratitude

Gratitude practice has been scientifically shown to alter the way we see things. It takes us from a place of not having to a place of abundance and appreciation for what we do have. So how does body gratitude work? Remember that your body is your ally. You move through the world because you have a physical shell—your body. It’s also important to acknowledge and say thank you to your body for doing what it does. “Thank you” body for giving me feet to walk through life. My feet keep me moving and strong. I also have cute toes that allow me to wear cute toe rings! Saying these things out loud put an energy into the Universe that bounces back to you. It’s also important to honor your body by eating foods that fuel and nourish you. Check out the free download to honor and show gratitude for your body!

Stop comparing

This one is a biggie. This is a thinking error. Stop comparing yourself to others. PeriodT. Nothing positive comes from this unhealthy habit. Trust and believe I’ve had my moments of “if I could only be like” but it made me feel worse. You have to understand and realize that we all have our own separate and unique journey to bring us to where we are. No one has the same journey. You learn and grow at your own pace which means we literally look different from each other. Imagine if we all looked the same and had the same life? Same body? Same look? How boring!

Reduce social media

Sometimes you just have to go on a social media diet. Seeing how others are living and the perceptions of their “perfect life” becomes really overwhelming to see all the time. That’s where the comparing gets out of control. Social media is meant to be entertainment not a manual on how to live YOUR life. Instead, try tuning the social media out and grounding yourself. I frequently will set a timer of 15 minutes and once that alarm goes off then I exit off of social media. I’m not saying it’s easy but you can learn to tune out the world and go inwards for your validation and comforting.

Choose clothes that flatter

Knowing and dressing for your body style is an instant boost to chase the swimsuit anxiety away. There’s lots of information on the web that can be found. I’m an apple shape also known as oval or circle. Lots of fluff around the middle so I tend to wear flowy clothing that will disguise my muffin top like the one in the picture above. Once you determine your body style, use style guides to help you find clothing that you feel comfortable and confident in. Go through your closet and get rid of the clothing that you’re going to wear “someday”. The daily visual just makes us feel bad and shameful so get rid of it.

Remember…

There is no one answer or solution as you work through your swimsuit anxiety. The important thing is to get busy and not ignore it. Start the journey of working on developing body gratitude. Life is meant for living soooooo stop being mean and cruel to yourself. Start practicing self-love. Focus on what you can control and let go of the rest. The most important thing is to be healthy. Suit up and join the fun of that pool party. I’m always available for a complimentary 30-minute consultation if you want to discuss this topic in more detail. Take care!

wh

Resources:

https://centerforchange.com/

The Benefits of Whole Person Healing

Let’s connect!

When someone reaches out to me for therapeutic services the very first thing we do is connect and talk!! Taking time to have a consultation is essential so I can learn more about the person, discover what they want to accomplish with therapy and if we’re a good fit to work together. I ask lots of questions so I can understand what is happening not just with their mental health but within their life! This consultation time allows someone to get to know me as well! In fact, I have some suggestions on questions you should ask in your therapy consultation that you can find here. This is the beginning phase of whole person healing.

Mental health support requires consideration of all aspects of who a person is and what’s happening in their life. This is extremely relevant to the process. I inquire about quality of sleep, water intake, work schedules and much much more. But why would water, sleep and schedules be important for mental health treatment. Let me tell you!!

I work within a Whole Person Framework. This means I take all aspects of a person’s life into consideration as I collaborate with the client to develop a treatment plan with specific goals that the client has established. What are these different aspects and why are they important?

Emotional Wellness
People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their thoughts, emotions and behaviors. There is an ability to successfully cope and manage life stressors. Emotional reactivity is minimal which reduces conflict and contributes to better quality relationships.

Physical Wellness
We’ve all heard more than once that physical activity is essential to an improved overall quality of life. Regular and consistent physical activity can have immediate and long-term health benefits. Lots of feel-good chemicals are released in the brain as well as the reduction of overall stress and anxiety.

Spiritual Wellness
At some point, we all try and figure out the meaning of life. We’re looking for “the point of it all” type of answers. Most want to be connected to a feeling of belonging as we look to a higher power of some kind. Understanding our values and beliefs acts as a compass that leads us to live what we believe through our actions in everyday life.

Intellectual Wellness
Curiosity is important to motivate each of us to try new things, develop a better understanding of self as well as within our interpersonal relationships and the world around us. Having a desire to learn helps us to be more well-rounded and contribute to the environment we live in.

Social Wellness
Human beings are social beings. We’ve come to understand that the stronger support system that a person is invested in that they experience a longer life, have a greater feeling of contentment, and enjoy better quality of life. Healthy relationships contribute to overall improved physical health.

Environmental Wellness
The place in which we live dictates the quality of life we will have. This includes within the family, community and globally. Adequate food, water and shelter is the foundation for each person to live.

Occupational Wellness
Feeling independent, valued and having a purpose are essential to an overall sense of well-being and health.

Financial Wellness
Having the resources to take care of individual personal life needs requires having an income of some sort as well as a general understanding of how to manage money affairs. Financial independence is critical for maintaining a sense of independence and autonomy.

Using this visual of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, let’s dig deeper into why whole person healing is essential. If a person is struggling to meet their physical and physiological needs they are basically in survival mode. Nothing else matters but survival so my job is to direct the dialogue and provide resources for this person to solve their issues regarding those basic needs. To add an extra layer, if someone has experienced trauma and not processed those experiences the brain might continue to interpret being in survival mode and working on anything else will be next to impossible.

When I meet with a new client and begin to peel back the different areas of their life and discover they are struggling to meet those bottom level needs, there is an aha moment for the client when I describe this as survival mode. It’s impossible to do work on anxiety, self-esteem or even trauma when the brain is in survival mode. Basic needs have to be met and I focus on getting clients somewhat stabilized prior to digging in too deep regarding issues and goals.

Benefits of Whole Person Healing include:

• Improved interpersonal relationships

• More frequent use of healthy communication

• Better work-life balance

• Self-discovery and personal growth

• Increased ability to regulate emotions and stress management

• More consistent use of self-care behaviors

• Improved physical wellness

• Increased self-awareness

The interconnection of life

As you know and experience on a daily basis, each of these realms is very interconnected to one another. Think about this. There are eight people standing on a trampoline. If everyone is being still then there’s balance and harmony but what happens when one of those people begins to jump? Now there’s imbalance and chaos. If only one person moves everyone on the trampoline feels it! That’s exactly what happens within our life as well. When one area of our life is jolted and impacted by life events there is a ripple effect to other areas within our lives. When clients begin to connect those dots we call them aha moments!

As a therapist that practices whole person healing, understanding each area of a person’s life is essential for me to provide the support, resources and dialogue that is necessary for individual growth to happen. So when I ask about your water intake, sleep quality and work schedule, now you understand why!

Growth never stops! I encourage my clients to consistently evaluate these areas of their lives because knowing what isn’t working means you’re one step closer to understanding how to find the joy we all desire within our day-to-day lives! I practice what I teach and am constantly looking at my life trampoline to see what needs some balancing.

If you’d like to talk more about this concept, I’d love to chat with you in a complimentary 30-minute consultation to figure out if my practice and philosophies are a good fit for you. Click here or email me at info@wendyhawkins.net. Wishing you great things in life. Take care!!

wh

Tips to get through your midlife crisis

The 40s and 50s can bring change that can be uncomfortable and unwanted. We’ve all heard about the stories right! Buying expensive toys like cars and jewelry or getting body enhancing procedures are just some of the many stereotypical ideas about the “crazy” things people do when they are in the midst of a midlife crisis. When we hear these stories as young adults it’s so easy to shrug and laugh but how do you bypass or at least minimize the inevitable midlife crisis?

So let’s talk about what this life event looks like and how to move forward to get through the funk of things.

common symptoms and signs

As we age, it is very natural to feel tired or exhausted from the stressors of day to day life. Some days these symptoms may feel more intense than others but if you begin to notice this is the norm on a daily basis, we might need to look deeper. Here’s some questions you should ask yourself and consider:

• Do you think about or worry that you’ve made wrong choices in your life?

• Do you dread getting out of bed for the same old routine everyday?

• Do the hobbies you once loved no longer bring you joy?

• Have you made recent spontaneous and impulsive life or financial decisions?

• Are you uncertain about what the next move is in your life?

• Do you consistently feel apathetic and detached from life?

• Do you fear that life will never get better or more exciting?
  
  Do any of these resonate with you? What now? How do you move forward?

Moving forward into the next life phase

Acknowledge the positive

There is no definitive way to “fix” a midlife crisis, especially since this is part of the journey but there are things you can do to put your situation into perspective.

First, think about what is going right in your life. Do you have a family? Think about all of the things you have done to support them. Think about your spouse or partner, your friends, coworkers, and even your extended family. How have these relationships positively impacted your life? Focus on the things that have gone right.

set some New Goals

Many people experience a midlife crisis because they feel that they’ve achieved all of their goals, and there’s nothing else left. You simply have to unlearn this mindset. There are plenty of things left to achieve in your lifetime, and it’s up to you to set those goals.

You could start by taking up a new hobby or planning a trip to a place you’ve always wanted to visit. Your goals could be even smaller-scale: try to improve a skill you already have, or simply make it a goal to talk to your family members more often.

There are so many possibilities to learn new things and set new goals, so keep this in mind when your midlife crisis tries to convince you that there’s nothing left to achieve in your lifetime.

Moving Forward with Your Life

Many people expect to have life completely figured out by the time they’re middle-aged, but instead, experience a new level of fear or uncertainty. At the same time, while many grapple with a midlife crisis, a lot of people also overcome the issue.

If you’re going through a midlife crisis yourself, don’t keep your feelings bottled up. Express yourself—whether that be to a significant other, a coworker, a friend, or possibly a therapist. There is no shame in going through a midlife crisis. And you certainly don’t have to live with your fear and uncertainty forever—or go through it alone.

Remember, that each one of us is responsible for our own happiness. Seriously consider seeking out a therapist to get you through your midlife crisis. Self-discovery can help to gain clarity about yourself, but a therapist can also provide you with support and resources to get over your funk and realize all of the positives in your life. Your midlife crisis is not the end of the line for your happiness! I offer a complimentary 30-minute consultation for us to discuss the goals you’d like to set to get through the hump. You’re in control of your mental health wellness.

wh

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7 tips to have a love affair with yourself

In the age of COVID, developing relationships has now even more pressure and stress attached than ever before. Whether familial, romantic or platonic, regardless of how many connections you make the one that is the most important to nurture and caretake is the relationship with self.

The struggle with loving self is a lifelong journey. A journey that some flow through effortlessly while others trip, stumble and fall flat on their faces. I was the later! There’s many factors that come into play like childhood trauma as well as attachment with caregivers. If you feel you struggle with self-esteem and understanding your value as a person, there are little things you can do daily to build a healthy and happy relationship with every part of you! 

1. Be Kind and Patient with Yourself

This is so important and many of us tend to be especially harsh with ourselves, more so than we would ever be to other people like friends and family members. If you find yourself talking negatively or internally beating yourself up, remember that you deserve love and kindness just like anyone else so speak with love and patience with and to yourself.

2. Focus on the abundance rather than the deficits

When we struggle to love ourselves, it’s easy to fall into a mindset of negative thoughts of deficits regarding who we are and our perception of the world. We each have our own set of talents and skills as well as the many things we do well but sometimes it’s very easy to get caught up in what’s lacking rather than what’s in abundance. Just start by making a conscious and intentional effort to change your thinking from the negative to the positive. Focus on what’s going right in your world rather than what’s not.

3. Accept what you perceive as flaws

This can be a tough one but so necessary to completely love yourself for who you are. We all have flaws and definitely no one is perfect but the important thing is to not fixate on them. An important thing to remember is that flaws don’t equate to weaknesses so learning to accept them is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Once you do learn to love the flaws you may find that they really aren’t all that bad and you may even begin to love the things you once hated about yourself.

4. Ask what can I improve about myself?

Speaking of flaws, we all have aspects of ourselves and our lives that we would like to change and improve upon. Just make sure the focus and emphasis is on improvement and not being fixated and irrational about a negative perception of self. Think of what you can control versus what you can’t. That’s where change comes in. 

5. Create a network of people who love and support you

Make sure to be intentional with the energy you allow into your physical, mental and emotional space. If you already struggle with negative perception of self, make sure to foster relationships that are positive and supportive. No one really wants to be around a “Debbie downer” or a “negative Nellie” so make sure the people around you can truly support you when you are struggling to support yourself!

6. Practice Self-Care

Practicing self-care can be so many different things but it’s definitely different to different people. Some people are physically active while others may indulge in an occasional favorite food. Make sure to do things that have meaning and bring joy into your world.

7. Remind Yourself That You Are Enough

Last but certainly not least, remember that you are enough!! You are deserving of good things. A daily affirmation of “I am enough” or “I deserve happiness” will drive this concept home. Say it until you believe it in your spirit. It may feel weird or silly at first but you’ll come to find how much these little reminders boost your well-being and overall sense of self. Eventually, you’ll start to recognize the truths in your affirmations!

A lifetime of love

Everyone deserves love but most importantly a lifetime of love from self. The journey to self-love can be a tough one especially if you’ve had trauma as a child. You don’t deserve to go through life feeling negative about yourself—start building a healthy relationship with yourself today! I’m always open and available for a consultation if you’d like to talk about moving forward with that self-love journey. Remember, you’re in control of your mental wellness. Take care!

5 more tips to grow your mindfulness practice

We’re back for more ways to practice, build and use those coping skills to be mindful and present in the moment. This video has five more ways you can be mindful to reduce your stress and anxiety. Remember, that 30-minute complimentary consultation is ready and waiting for you. Take care!

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5 Tips to Jumpstart Your Mindfulness Practice

Do you think being mindful is impossible for you? Do you think it takes too much time? Maybe you struggle to sit still? These five tips will get you started in an easy and simple way! Remember, I offer a 30-minute complimentary consultation to discuss your plan to getting well! Take care!

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End white silence!!

Do you know how to support people of color?

Either you’re part of the problem or you’re part of the solution. Which one are you? We have to take a deep dive inwards to figure out the answer to that question. I’m still on my journey to understanding my privilege and biases with the hope to continue growing and evolving. I share that information here for other white people to begin the quest or for people of color to know this is a safe space and that I’m here to support you.

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Is There a Connection Between Childhood Emotional Neglect and Adult PTSD?

childhood emotional neglect

Time and age share the same forward trajectory. Though it might seem that neither time nor age carries a significant enough relevance to help you live free from the past. Furthermore, your past experiences could haunt you or impact you in unexpected ways. And you might not even realize it. The way you feel or react could catch you off guard. You might even have trouble identifying why you feel the way you do. Many people experiencing symptoms from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have that problem. If that's you, here's how your past and PTSD may be connected.

Who Is the Young Trauma Victim?

Childhood emotional neglect sounds like a very serious and intense experience. And it is. The thing about it is that it happens in little bits at a time, and it can be very subtle. Many people imagine neglect as withholding food or water from a child. While it certainly can be failing to provide the basics, it can also be a lot more. For instance, emotional neglect also includes not giving a child appropriate emotional support. This could mean failing to answer a child's cry for help, ignoring them when they were talking, or not validating their feelings. Overly critical parents or the absent parent also fail to provide emotional support. Many victims of emotional neglect often weren't hugged or shown physical affection. One of the most significant forms of childhood emotional neglect is the failure to form secure attachments. For one reason or another, a parent or caregiver isn't emotionally available for the child. In turn, that child goes about life with a shattered sense of trust because they weren't able to form a healthy attachment to the parent or caregiver.

When Flashbacks Debilitate

Those who face emotional neglect in their childhood often have developmental struggles. It can impact you so greatly that you may not have physically or cognitively developed properly. On the other hand, you may have appeared perfectly normal on the outside all the way to adulthood. It's on the inside where you most likely feel abnormal. But, eventually, these unseen effects slowly begin to overflow into other areas. Certain situations, turn of phrases, or even smells could trigger what are known as "flashbacks." You may feel like you did as a child during these flashback moments. Feelings of worthlessness or anger are common ways people with PTSD react when experiencing those flashbacks. Moreover, flashbacks have a way of interfering with your relationships, too. When you weren't able to form an attachment to your parents or caregiver, it conditioned you to approach all other relationships the same way. That's why, throughout your life, you may have always felt distant or detached from people. In short, flashbacks are a key element in identifying PTSD and many survivors of childhood emotional neglect experience them.

How the Trickle Qualifies as PTSD

Professionals used to believe that a diagnosis of PTSD was only fitting for those individuals who had an intense emotional response to the traumatic event. This meant that a person had to go through a jolting and extreme event to trigger PTSD symptoms. But childhood neglect is more like a trickle or continuous little drops. Kind of like a faucet that never turns off. Eventually, it overtakes you like a flood, but it doesn't happen all at once. Yet, at the same time, victims of childhood emotional neglect display many of the same symptoms as those experiencing PTSD—avoidance, a negative outlook of the world, and feeling detached from other people. As mentioned before, flashbacks are also a key symptom. Today in the field of mental health care, the ongoing trickle of childhood emotional neglect now qualifies as a cause for PTSD. In fact, the two are connected in a cause and effect sort of relationship that can have a an impact for many years. If you'd like to learn more about the connection between children emotional neglect and PTSD, please contact me for your 30-minute complimentary consultation. Together, we can uncover the hidden causes for why you feel the way you do and find a way to empower you to reclaim your life.

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How You Can Experience Natural Anxiety Relief with Magnesium

natural-anxiety-relief

It seems everyone complains that there’s a “new miracle cure” every week. Well, this may be true according to our trending news feeds and click-bait articles. But, in reality, our bodies know what works.

If it’s natural anxiety relief you seek, you don’t need a “miracle cure.” Your path towards peace of mind may start with magnesium.

What is Magnesium and Why Is It So Important for Anxiety?

Magnesium is a powerful calming dietary mineral. It boasts a wide range of positive effects on your mind and body. It is necessary in over 600 metabolic functions and has been called “nature’s Valium.” Magnesium offers natural anxiety relief in many ways for example:

• Activates important neurotransmitters to allow the brain to better relax

• Increases your brain’s ability to heal itself

• Removes heavy metals from your system

• Reduces both stress and the presence of stress hormones

• Reduces bodily inflammation, including brain inflammation, which not only causes anxiety but depression and memory loss

Unfortunately, modern life, which tends to be heavy on highly refined foods, has led to widespread magnesium deficiency. This deficiency allows anxiety the opportunity to creep in. Sometimes we don't even realize it's happened.

Who Needs Natural Anxiety Relief?

Anxiety is much more than feeling nervous, edgy, or shy. It's a common diagnosis presenting symptoms like:

• A chronic sense of doom, panic, tension, and being in danger

• Uncontrollable worry

• Avoidance of anything or anyone who we fear may trigger us

• Loss of focus, inability to concentrate

• Physical symptoms like rapid breathing, sleep disturbance, digestive issues, increased heart rate, weakness, sweating, or trembling

It’s easy to see why anyone experiencing such symptoms would seek a non-invasive and natural form of relief like magnesium.

4 Ways Magnesium Can Offer Natural Anxiety Relief

natural anxiety relief

1. Make changes to your eating habits

The great news here is that you can eat your way to magnesium help. Here are some of the top food sources for magnesium: black beans, almonds, cashews, spinach, soy milk, shredded wheat cereal, sunflower, squash and pumpkin seeds, tempeh, avocado, and peanut butter. Many ways to obtain magnesium through daily nutrition.

2. Incorporate supplements

Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer so when you're looking for supplements be mindful of the type on the health food store shelf you pick up. You may encounter a wide range of chemistry-sounding words attached to it. Magnesium carbonate, glycinate, citrate, malate, taurate, and more are available. Make sure to find a variation that is easily absorbed and easy on the stomach and bowels. Educate yourself so you can properly care for yourself.

3. Stabilize Blood Sugar

A hypoglycemic attack may occur when the brain does not get enough of its primary fuel course, glucose. This leads to low blood sugar and the subsequent release of stored sugar. The end result is a sensation, not unlike a panic attack. Magnesium supplements have been found to prevent hypoglycemia and hence, reduce anxiety.

natural-anxiety-relief

4. Relieve Depression

The numbers, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, connecting anxiety and depression are staggering.

• The number of those with a major depressive disorder who are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder? A whopping 85 percent!

• The number of those with an anxiety disorder who experience depression? An even larger 90 percent!

Magnesium’s depression relief properties play an added role in addressing anxiety. By raising serotonin levels (a mood-boosting neurotransmitter), magnesium is found to be as effective as antidepressants—often as soon as a week following introduction.

How to Separate Fact From Fiction

Of course, there’s much more to non-pharmaceutical healing than natural anxiety relief. No one expects you to master the nuances overnight. That’s where an experienced, well-rounded guide comes in handy. Rather than relying on what may be nutritional fake news, you can go to the source. Thus, working with a therapist who embraces a wide range of modalities is crucial. Everybody and everybody is different. A holistic-minded practitioner treats the person, not just the condition. Are you ready to connect the dots between how you feel and your nutritional needs? Please contact me soon for your 30-minute free consultation. I am here to support your journey!!

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Women's Mental Health

Women's mental health

Healthy Women 2018

Each year Mother's Day kicks off National Women's Health Week and what better way to celebrate than to explore Women's mental health for an overall sense of well-being and healthy lifestyle.  I talk about the Mental Health Toolbox frequently and that's because I believe in and advocate for intentional self-care. The toolbox can be a tangible kit or it can be abstract. Either way, one of the best tools we can put in that toolbox is the ability to purge our thoughts.

Getting Started

I strongly recommend developing the therapeutic habit of journalling. This can be done in many many ways that can be creative and fun as well as enlightening for an overall sense of positive well-being. To improve women's mental health as well as assist the evolutionary process, I encourage my clients to develop a routine or practice to their journalling to track progress or stagnation. Once we develop a habit we're more likely to continue using it. Here's some videos with ideas that might inspire you to get started or will help fine tune your current journalling practice.

Topic Ideas for Journalling

One of the challenges many of my clients say they have is "what do I write about"? And my answer is ANYTHING!! Anything that comes across your mind. Now for me, that's super easy but for some that can be a struggle. Here's some topic ideas that could give you a blank canvas of writing to self-discovery that's can be super therapeutic.

Bullet Journalling

One of the most fun ways to explore yourself is through bullet journalling. I'm actually working with a local small business in Kansas City who is helping me to develop a self-care journal that I will make available to my clients as well as to others who are interested in beginning the process of journalling. Take a look at this video to get some ideas on how to get started.

Women's Mental Health

As women we must be consistent with our self-care. We have to utilize tools in our toolbox and we have to continually add new tools. We have to seek out support. We have to empower other women into being the best version of who they are. We have to be patient, kind and loving to ourselves and to others. The most important thing is to get started. If you’d like to talk more about the benefit of journalling, let’s connect through my 30-minute complimentary consultation.

I know you can do this. I believe in you!

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Mentally healthy in the Workplace

mentally healthy in the workplace

Are you mentally healthy in the workplace?

It’s 7:56am, and a silver mini-van smashes into the rear-end of your car, sending you off the lane and into the highway shoulder. Within 5 loud seconds, you open your eyes to the dusty remnants of deployed airbags and honking horns surrounding you. You’re okay, but your car isn’t, and the Monday morning traffic has manifested into an impending time-consuming insurance mess, some trips to the chiropractor for whiplash, and a week-long rental car commitment. Not to mention, your boss and co-workers are awaiting your arrival to present your quarterly report. This is a very valid reason to be late. This is even a valid reason to miss work entirely that day, and perhaps the next few. Emergencies happen, and there’s an acceptance for sudden circumstances (medical or family related mostly) that are allowed to stand in the way of promptness and attendance in the 9 to 5 routine.

Now, let’s change the scenario a bit.

It’s 7:56am, and your heart begins to palpitate. Your chest heaves in and out heavily as you begin to hyperventilate, and the room feels like it’s spinning. That morning’s anxiety has built up from the fear of your upcoming office presentation manifested into panic, sending your body into complete fight-or-flight mode. The attack consumes your whole body. You open your eyes to find yourself curled up in bed after a brief blackout. You begin sobbing uncontrollably. Your neck is tense--in fact, your entire body is tense, your mascara is smeared across your face and your shirt is stained from the coffee spilling as you frantically searched to hold on to something for balance as the panic attack hit you. Your boss and co-workers are sitting in the conference room awaiting your arrival, wondering why you haven’t arrived to complete your presentation. Eyes frequently darting at the clock.  Why does it feel like you need to make up a lie about the reason for your lateness or even possibly your absence for the day? 

Mental Health and Stigma

One in five Americans suffers from some type of mental health disorder, so the likelihood of a co-worker experiencing rough times due to mental illness is not far-fetched. In fact, two out of five employees have been bullied at work. So now the odds are even greater that you will directly experience a mental health episode at work or see one of your coworkers struggling. Are you mentally healthy in the workplace? Why is there more acceptance and "forgiveness" for a car accident than for chronic mental illness? We all have to work towards eliminating the stigma! Although the stigma surrounding mental health illness has begun to slowly melt away in the workplace with insurance programs offering services through EAP (employee assistance programs) as well as new hire orientation programs educating on the subject, there is still a lot of work to do!! Reporting a panic attack to the boss creates much more anxiety than one related to a highway car accident or the baby being sick. Admitting mental health issues runs the risk of being cast in a “crazy” light leaving oneself open for judgement despite the irrelevance to job performance in most cases. Acknowledging such a taboo provides an opportunity to be treated differently (in a negative, outcast type of way) after coming out about an issue, which in itself be the domino that impacts how they feel in an office environment. This negative treatment eventually affecting work performance as well as adding to the mental health issue. It could make for a very unhealthy and unproductive cycle for all involved!

There is hope!

Thankfully, as science and education expand, acceptance follows, and mental health awareness throughout offices in America do show signs of progress. Recently, an employee openly expressed in her automatic email response that she would be taking time off to focus on her mental health. Her boss responded with gratitude, commending her for her confidence and openness on the subject that he felt reminded the rest of the employees to practice the same type of self-care. These types of reactions and support systems are extremely helpful in normalizing mental health in the workplace because for those of us who suffer, we know full well that issues stemming from mental health illness can be as debilitating is the worst case of the flu, traffic accident or any other family emergency deemed acceptable. Life is hard. Even for those who do not have the obstacle of chronic mental health issues, juggling everyday tasks, routines, demands surrounding the mind, body and health is a constant struggle. Throw in the added weight of mental instability and life does not get any easier. Work-life balance, specifically an emphasis on self-care, is imperative to maintaining a stable track mentally, physically and spiritually. Committing to daily practices like those found in your Mental Health Toolbox are just as important as setting your alarm clock or brushing your teeth. It is so necessary to stay in charge of your mental health journey and continue empowering yourself to be the best version of you that is possible. Reach your highest potential without allowing a diagnosis prevent you from anything less. Invest in yourself, empower yourself and education and you WILL evolve to greatness.  You can be mentally healthy in the workplace! I'm always available to chat. Don’t forget I have a 30-minute complimentary consultation available. I believe in you!

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All About CBD

All about CBD

What is CBD?

Now that "weed" day has come and gone, let's learn all about CBD! Cannabidiols or more commonly referred to as CBD is an oil derived from marijuana or industrial hemp which is considered at this time a dietary supplement. CBD lacks THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) that is found in marijuana therefore we don't get that "high" feeling when utilized.

Your body needs CBD!

What many don't know is that the human body has a system called the Endocannibinoid system that requires CBD to properly function in a healthy and effective way. Because there is no THC influence, the medicinal effects of CBD work on a grander scale. Neurological receptors within the human brain interact with the CBD and can provide relief within many aspects of mental and physical wellness.  

CBD and mental health!

Anxiety is prevalent among at least 40 million Americans, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. In a recent CBD oil survey, more than 50% anxiety sufferers who opted for the tincture completely did away with medications to treat the disorder. Studies revealed that using CBD oil for traumatic or stressful experiences can assist with controlling emotional responses associated with anxiety such as restlessness, palpitations, muscle tension and stomach butterflies. The reduction of stress for military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder was shown in more recent studies. CBD oil has shown to be an effective combatant of depression, affecting almost 20 million Americans today. Animal studies have shown that the oil has a regulating effect on the receptors for serotonin. In depression, the serotonin levels are reduced, so stable control thanks to CBD effects would have a positive effect on mood.

CBD and physical health!

The idea that cannabis relieves pain is ages old, however scientific data has now proven it’s promise for relief. CBD oil has a numbing effect in the brain’s pathways for pain while reducing inflammation. It’s a common antidote for those suffering from chronic pain and even cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatments. In addition to reducing the severity of pain, the use of cannabis also improved sleeping patterns.  The power of inflammation reduction goes beyond pain relief. Asthma sufferers also hail from the effects of the plant as it’s been proved to help with the dilation of bronchial tubes, making it easier to breathe.  For cancer patients, CBD oil acts as more than just a pain reliever however. Lab results have shown that the cannabinoids from the extract blast cancer cells through apoptosis (natural cell death). It helps prevent the reproduction of cancer cells while preventing new blood cells from becoming tumors. When CBD oil is running through the body, it creates a sort of protective wall that prevents cancer cells from spreading and penetrating into healthy tissue. Is CBD the cure for cancer? I don't know, however it is safe to say that sufferers gain from several beneficial effects by utilizing CBD.As the scientific research with cannabinoids expands, evidence has shined some light on cases of patients with epilepsy relying on CBD oil for seizure relief. The compound still has a long way to go, but in a medical track where the effectiveness of current seizure medications is not very high, CBD oil holds a promising position in healthcare with a low risk of side effects.

All About CBD!

So, how do you use it? There are a variety of ways to integrate CBD oil into your mental and/or physical remedies, most commonly in oil form that can be mixed into foods and drinks. Capsules are available, as are sprays and edibles. Many people enjoy cooking with CBG while some use bath bombs for it's beneficial relief.

Most studies have shown that CBD oil is a well-tolerated remedy, with no significant side effects on vital signs or mood, unless there were signs of improvement. At worst, the feeling of being tired was reported most often, with occasional changes in appetite or weight. An adequate amount of studies have not yet weighed out the risks of CBD oil on the long-term. Introducing CBD oil into your life is definitely a great way to take charge of your mental health and in some cases, your physical health journey however it is recommended to discuss with a qualified healthcare practitioner before use.

Do your own research and see if CBD is another tool you can put in your Mental Health Toolbox. I personally use Lazarus Naturals products. If you’d like to talk more about CBD and it’s impact on your overall well-being, I’d love to chat. Contact me for your complimentary 30-minute consultation. Take care!

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DIY Your Mental Health Toolbox into Life!

“Take good care of yourself.”

For many of us sometimes sprinting through the rat race of life, the statement rings exceptionally loud as it floats through conversations with colleagues, family members and healthcare practitioners. What does self-care mean for you? From a holistic practitioner standpoint, it means to identify the needs of your mind, body and soul and to take the steps necessary to meet them. Let's look at one creative way to DIY your Mental Health Toolbox into life!In a world where we can witness or access anything or anyone at any time thanks to the internet and social media, practicing self-care in the 24/7 world while buried in regular life stuff like work and family can pose a challenge. But it is possible and with a little bit of prioritized time investment, it can even be creatively fun!In recent months, I’ve begun to build on the importance of this self-care way of life to encourage my clients to be the best versions of themselves as possible. A great supplement to the self-care routine that doubles as a creative catharsis project is your personal version of the Mental Health Toolbox. DIY your Mental Health Toolbox into life!

When I was doing community based services, I worked with young children as well as adolescents. For young people who are struggling with keeping it together at times, I would create a "coping skills bag" which is basically a portable Mental Health Toolbox. We would talk out what they liked to do and then I would fill their bag with those items. It could range from coloring books and crayons to legos or puzzles. The possibilities were endless! The point was they had immediate solutions at their fingertips of how to effectively manage their emotions and overall well-being.

As with the coping skills bag, the concept of the Mental Health Toolbox encourages you to have the proper tools necessary to empower yourself and take charge of your mental health journey at your fingertips. This toolbox will vary from person to person, and as your holistic therapist, I assist with helping you choose the tools that work best for your mental wellness.

Some of these tools can be the practice of better habits like adequate rest and nutrition, but some of them can be actual items that can be collected in your personal Mental Health Toolbox and need to be stored. The object is to have it within quick access when you are in need of self-care or relief from any of life’s day-to-day strains. These items can range from some of your favorite photos, a variety of journals, an uplifting book, scent oils or incense, bath bombs, healthy snacks, business cards for on-call massage therapists, your favorite teas, stress balls and anything under that sun that can act as a little friend to help get you through the day.

DIY Your Mental Health Toolbox into Life!

Because these items can go a long way in providing relief and relaxation, they most certainly deserve a good home!

DIY Your Mental Health Toolbox into Life!

DIY Your Mental Health Toolbox into Life!

DIY Your Mental Health Toolbox into Life!

I’ve found some of my favorite DIY self-care box ideas on Pinterest, posted below with an approximation on the cost of materials. I absolutely loved this neutral eco-friendly box that essentially costs nothing and would look beautiful in any room. Here’s what you need: - An old box suitable to fit your self-care items - A roll of Jute- A glue gun Approximate cost – Under $10When I came across this box, I immediately thought of the pile of magazines that I always keep handy for creative projects. This may be a little more time intensive but I can expect quiet, creative time in a well-lit room during the weekend could prove to be therapeutic. The love that you put into making this box will flow through to your self-care babies and glaze over you like warm sunlight on the days you need it most. Approximate cost - under $5 for glue stick and clips. If you're looking to express your self care in the form of de-cluttering, this DIY storage box is a perfect alternative home for old sweaters, leggings or flip-flops. My favorite things about this project is that I wouldn’t have to give up some of my favorite pieces because I have a great place to store them now. Approximate cost – under $5 for glue sticks; under $10 if you don’t already own a glue gun. Self-care should be as much prioritized as paying your monthly rent or mortgage, because it is essential for balance and personal success. But let's face it--self-care has to be practical or we won't follow through and do it! When you dedicate your self-love creatively with a calming project such as this, you reinforce your priority to yourself and your needs. Go ahead and DIY your Mental Health Toolbox. I’d love to see your toolbox photos!

I’m always available to talk about this more. Just contact me for you 30-minute complimentary consultation. Take care!

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Self-injury awareness

self-injury awareness

Self-injury awareness

Sixteen year old Allison** has been cutting her arms for years. She has many scars that tell a story of self-hate and loathing due to past sexual abuse. She was violated as a young girl by her sister's boyfriend. When she experiences intense emotions she feels she can't tolerate, Allison** takes any object she can find--a razor blade, thumbtack, paperclip just to name a few--and slowly drags the object across her skin. She tell me that the intense emotional pain she was feeling is now drowned out by the immediate physical pain from the tearing of her skin. She feels in control now because she has the power to stop or intensify the physical pain. Allison** is not an anomaly. In fact, she is one in two million people who are actively self-harming also known as self-injury. March is self-injury awareness month. Keep reading for more information.

What is self-harm?

Self-harm is defined as the intentional injury against oneself due to an inability to effectively manage intense emotions.  Physical injury can include the slicing, scraping and/or burning of one’s own skin, excessive pulling of hair, head-banging against a wall or hard object, breaking of bones and several other damaging acts aimed at hurting oneself. Although these behaviors are demonstrated by multiple demographics, the more common sufferers of self-injury tend to be adolescent females, victims of abuse and individuals with mood disorders and lacking skills in expression and emotional regulation. In the U.S., there are at least 2 million reported self-injury cases each year. Clinically, this type of behavior is called Non-Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI).  

Why self-harm?

The sight of blood, the stinging of pain, the sound of a skull hitting the wall is, for many, the only instant distraction from intense and often stressful emotions and situations. If the skills to process and reasonably handle a difficult situation are not instilled within an individual, the act of self-injury acts as an immediate silencer from the alarms screaming inside the brain that are associated with intense stress. In some cases, self-mutilation is an act of punishment, or even a way to snap out of emotional numbness associated with depression or other mental illnesses. Regardless of the reasoning behind coping with stressful stimulant, the relief is temporary and unfortunately, self-injury serves only to perpetuate the underlying trigger that caused it. Understanding the why helps bring understanding to self-injury awareness.

Many times, self-injury breeds and continues the cycle of negative feelings as an individual is painfully reminded of the wounds or bruising during the physical healing process. Shame, guilt and even reliving the initial stressor that led to the act only further buries them into sorrow, oftentimes creating a new trigger cycle and more suffering. Mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, trauma and other emotional challenges are at the root of the self-injury entanglement.

Myths around self-injury

Information from self-harmers reveal that there are several myths surrounding the subject. The idea that individuals do it for attention or are ‘suicidal’ are not always true. Reading into the voices of some of these sufferers helps to better understand their coping mechanism. In the end, the act of hurting oneself is a desperate attempt to express dark emotions through physical pain rather than endure the internal pain and emotional agony within. Although this may be a common coping mechanism to handle stress for individuals with mental illness, it is not physically, mentally or spiritually healthy. The practice erodes the potential of circumstances improving, but thankfully there are ways to evolve the habit and replace with more effective cathartic ways of regulating stress and intense feelings. The first step in addressing any problem is to identify and name it as such.

Getting through self-injury

Mindfulness is an effective mental health tool in confronting the afflictions of the mind. There are several alternative mental road maps to take once that trigger is identified, and thankfully, many of them are within arm’s reach! Seeking support, be it confiding in friends, family or even a therapist can also provide relief and begin to teach methods that override the urges to self harm.  Therapy can also help build other social skills such as confidence and trust, feelings of empowerment and self-control and the potential for the evolution of mental well-being. I am here to support you and welcome a 30-minute free consultation.

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Allison** continues to struggle with effectively managing her emotional distress but she has made great progress. She hasn't self-harmed in months which is a great achievement!! She uses less and less self-injury and has learned healthy coping skills to manage her intense emotions. We continue to see each other and I'll continue to support her emotional growth.

**Client name changed to protect her identity

Resources

1-800-DON'T-CUT – More info on self-injury

*http://www.selfinjury.com – Referrals for therapists and tips for how to stop.

*1-800-273-TALK – A 24-hour crisis hotline if you're about to self-harm or are in an emergency situation.

*To Write Love On Her Arms (http://www.TWLOHA.com) - A non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.

*1-800-SUICIDE – Hotline for people contemplating suicide.

*1-800-334-HELP – Self Injury Foundation's 24-hour national crisis line.

*1-800-799-SAFE – Domestic violence hotline.

*1-877-332-7333 – Real Help For Teens' help line.

The Mental Choice to be Happy

The mental choice to be happy

The Mental Choice to be Happy

The mental choice to be happy is tough at times but can be done. Most of us make the mental choice to get out of bed every morning and brush our teeth groggily; we choose milk and sugar with our coffee and choose a radio station on the way to work almost every day, without even thinking about it. So why is it so hard then, to choose to be happy, every day, all (if not most of) the time?

Happiness with a scientific flair

Variations in genetics and upbringing will affect the level of happiness within a person however, it’s important to know there’s scientific evidence that at least 40% of those happy levels are self-controlled. Yes! YOU are in charge of a big piece of that happy pie! And when you refine that mental choice to be happy with supplemental self-care practices such as exercise, proper nutrition and meditation, happiness becomes a natural state of being, rather than a far-fetched destination millions of mental miles away. A lot of what may cloud the awareness of choice are the layers of mental noise and excessive thought, distractions of a 9 to 5, and just the daily hustle and bustle of life’s to-do lists that we can never seem to catch up with. It’s easy for our souls to get swept away by the turbulent thoughts and schedules, but there is a way to take charge and evolve into a new mental pattern where making the choice to be happy is habitual to the mind, body and soul.

Talking yourself out of happiness

If you feel you are on a consistent path of a melancholy mindset or avenue of anxiety, you’ll find hope in learning that shifting away from that dark place begins with the openness to choose differently. Experimental studies show that acknowledging you have a choice goes a long way in the brain’s road-map to happiness. A simple self-talk, such as verbally or mentally telling yourself “I choose to be happy today” is the first step in making a positive difference in your mood and mental well-being! Try it now. And tomorrow. And every morning as part of your daily routine. Picking out a specific cue, like your alarm clock going off, or reaching for the toothbrush before looking at your mirror to smile and recite the magic words is extremely helpful in developing the easy habit.  Remember that habits become second nature behavior after only a few repetitions. Ingraining this self-talk habit into your routine is the first easy and manageable step in evolving your mental health.

Happiness habits

Many of you walk (or dance, crawl, run, fly) through life on the shirttails of common goals like saving money, avoiding junk food, reading 1 book per month or hitting sales quota at work.  Happiness should be at the top of your list. It’s no wonder why experts recommend the goal because if happiness is achieved, the rest of your goals are far more pleasant and attainable. Happiness chips away at the weights of life that once slowed down your personal progress. The question then becomes: how do you attain happiness once you’ve made the choice to make it your daily mindset? Once you've made the mental choice to be happy, there are several tweaks you can apply in your daily routine that will help reinforce the notion. Starting off with simple things like activating the muscles around your mouth that cause you to smile sends a signal to your brain that generates happiness. Try it this very second. That forced smile just stimulated the cingulate cortex, the section of your brain that controls the links between happiness and smiling. It’s like reverse activation, rather than an independent thought or circumstance igniting the happiness that creates the smile, by smiling first you are lighting a happy light in your brain on command. You simply have to make the choice to do it! Perhaps after a fresh tooth brushing in the morning, just after you’ve repeated your new happiness mantra. Give yourself a sparkle of your own self and start the day off right. Smile!!

Mental Health Toolbox

Now that you know how to apply two of the simplest, easiest actions that can get you closer to experiencing happiness as a second nature, you can begin integrating new habits as you evolve your mental well-being. Take your time, ease into it and be kind to yourself. Here is a helpful list to add to your life goals that will help you effectively accomplish the choice of being happy. If you are challenged by a mental illness like anxiety, depression or trauma, you can take the brave step of creating a mental health toolbox. It’s a personal arsenal of tools that not only help eradicate the negative mental patterns you live with, but also a great way to empower, educate and evolve into the best possible version of yourself. (Please remember that I am available to assist with added guidance.) Take care and make the mental choice to be happy!!

wh

Begin with sleep

begin with sleep

Begin with Sleep

As our everyday surroundings become inundated with advertisements to medicinally tackle mental illness, it’s easy to forget that many of the answers to well-being are free, easily accessible and natural. One of them is as comfortable as a just-washed down comforter, bamboo sheets and a mountain of pillows. Looking for overall wellness? Begin with sleep!!Among the most basic of survival functions, restful sleep can double as a weapon of mass destruction against mental illness. It comes down to the same biochemical targets aimed at by the pharmaceutical industries, only sleep costs nothing and negative side effects are obsolete.

Why is sleep so important

Circadian rhythm, or as many of us know it, the ‘body clock’ is the compass within us that tells our body when to sleep, wake up and eat, among many other basic physiological processes. How does it know? Sunlight, darkness, temperature and other biological changes within the body signal to the brain that it’s time for rest, food energy, and wakefulness with very precise timing. Think of a car and the signals you see on your dashboard when it’s time to change the oil, refill for gas or stop for a cool down due to overheating. If those signals are ignored, you can end up broken down on the side of the road with a thirsty engine or even motor damage. The human body’s functions work similarly. If the circadian rhythm is disrupted when our bodies don’t follow that internal clock, our mental health and balance are thrown off, which can be a major factor that leads to mood disorders, immune system breakdowns and physical ailments. To keep the body functioning at optimal level is to begin with sleep.

What happens when we sleep

While we sleep, although or bodies are almost at a 100% standstill, our minds and physiological systems are hard at work performing various functions involving the removal of toxins, reparation of cells, consolidation of memory and processing of information from the previous day. If these functions are not wholly implemented with adequate sleep, the following day often results in cranky moods, coffee dependence, impulsive decision-making, fuzzy concentration, decreased creativity and even a weakened immune system to name a few. The accumulation of these sleepless byproducts in turn begins to build a platform for more permanent mental damage that can lead to illness like depression or anxiety. If there is a history of past trauma, obtaining good restorative sleep may be near impossible. Even worse, these mental illnesses only perpetuate the sleep disruption, sending one further down the black hole of a choppy circadian rhythm, making it harder to get back on the right track.

Being proactive is key

The protective barrier of sleep is a must within our daily routines if we aim to be healthy and balanced individuals. Of course 7-8 hours of daily sleep won’t be an instant fix for any mental health disorders however it’s a definite factor that should be included in a balanced life. With adequate sleep should come proper nutrition and exercise with the added bells and whistles of mindfulness, grounding and meditation you’ve got a proactive health routine. Going proactive with your health helps prevent prescriptions, doctor and hospital visits which are typically factors of a reactive health routine. It’s recommended to stop any ill-health symptoms before they start!

First steps...

The remedies to a healthy balance of mind, body and soul can be as simple as intentionally making the choice to sleep adequately. Of course, changes in life-long habits may not come easy, and popping a pill may sound more convenient. However, understanding and digesting the long-term benefits of a clean, nourished and rested body should be enough to reject the medicine cabinet and into a more holistic balance for a better quality of life. Making daily use of your Mental Health Toolbox and taking the initiative to seek help with implementing healthy habits are great first steps in solidifying a consistent balance and healthy mental and physical state-of-being. I'm here to support your journey. Begin with sleep!!

Building the Mental Health Toolbox

Building the Mental Health Toolbox

As with all tasks, having the proper tools empowers one to be prepared, knowledgeable and ultimately successful. When thinking of mental health and developing one's sense of well-being there is no difference. Building a Mental Health Toolbox is essential to the positive evolution of one's mental health overall. If we all adapt this mindset, then we're all under construction. So grab your hardhat and let's get busy! 

Understand the diagnostic label

Whether it’s a therapist, a close friend or even your own research that finally attributes your troubles to a mental illness or disorder of sorts, it can be a challenge to integrate the diagnostic label as a part of your existence. Although many find relief in finally understanding why a happy life has been so hard to come by, accepting the new label may be as difficult as adjusting to a third arm or sixth toe. And that’s okay. That extension of your persona has likely been in existence for a large part of your life. A new name for a characteristic of your psyche doesn’t make you less of a human and most certainly doesn’t define you. A diagnostic label is meant to classify you by a set of observable traits to determine the treatment most suitable for you. But in no way is this meant to segregate all clients with one label as the exact same – each person is an individual with specific challenges, experiences and varying degrees of these traits. Every client living with anxiety, PTSD or depression is unique beyond the diagnostic label used in doctor and insurance offices across the country and its important that they are treated as such.

By embracing your label, you take the first step in acceptance of who you are, a key element of the self-love necessary to evolve. There is a possibility that you, or those close to you have subconsciously adopted a stereotype of certain labels, and working through the stigma can also sometimes be a part of learning how to utilize your mental health toolbox. Imagine yourself without the label and any of the characteristics that may have come of it. Would you be as strong of a person? Would your emotional intuition be as fine-tuned? Would your resilience be as elastic? Though you may feel that your label contributed to unpleasant experiences and traits, the silver lining is that you had several opportunities to develop important survival skills in the process. Now that you’ve arrived at the phase of your life to want to evolve from your mental problems, your subsequent emotional intelligence continues to stick around to catapult you through life’s never-ending challenges. Love yourself and embrace your label, because as troublesome as it’s been in the past, it has made you beautifully strong enough to take on this evolution.

Maintaining physical well-being

The body can act as a remote control for the mind with buttons for relaxation, mood boost, patience, energy and the list goes on, as both are directly linked. To maintain the well-being of your body is to ensure a balanced foundation for the mind to solve life’s challenges. Efforts into continuous well-being automatically propel the mind’s evolution, clarity and awareness, so it’s well worth the daily undertaking.

Sleep

A set bedtime with plenty of hours to sleep can begin the habitual process of physical well-being. Everyone’s needs for adequate rest vary, but 6-8 hours should be the daily minimum to ensure physical and mental health fitness. A good night’s rest goes beyond feeling refreshed in the morning, with benefits building up in your heart, weight and of course your mind. During those hours of shut-eye your brain is also working to remove mental waste, like the toxic byproducts that contribute to degenerative brain disorders. It’s also working hard to cement memories and new skills you may have learned (like learning to battle anxiety!) Refreshing rest also contributes to better emotional regulation, an essential within the Mental Health Toolbox.

Cognition, attention and decision-making is enhanced with the right amount of zzz’s, making life that much less challenging just by closing your eyes every night. Loving yourself means loving your body, and that can be as easy as cuddling up under your covers and drifting to dreamland. There is empowerment in pillows when it comes to evolution!

Healthy Nutrition

Once you’ve absorbed a solid amount of rest and the sun has begun tickling your skin with its first rays of Vitamin D, nourishment should be the next priority to feed the body, as it’s likely been more than 8 hours since your last meal! Regenerating with the right nutrition is just as important as rest, and making time for eating right impacts your energy and mood for the day. Taking a little bit of time each day to understand your body and adopting healthy eating habits adds another strengthening layer of physical well-being. A good rule of thumb is to remember that the Earth herself provides many of the nutrients you need to feel optimal, so it’s easier to differentiate from the processed, sugary, greasy weaknesses that slow your body’s flow.

Exercise and physical activity

Another essential tool in the Mental Health Toolbox is exercise. The daily challenges of stress can be immediately combated with weapons of feel-good hormones. These are generated with the physical demands of exercise, and it doesn’t take an expensive personal trainer to get the job done. If your life is too busy and working out is an intimidating schedule shift, take a step back and identify areas in your daily tasks that can easily convert into a mini cheat exercise. Something as simple as opting for the stairs at your office building, or a nice 15-minute stroll during lunch can make the difference in your brain boosting chemicals. Even squeezing in 10 squats in the bathroom stall every time you make a run to the loo can get the blood going. A 30, 15 or even 10-minute commitment to muscle movement beats hours-long mental drains that affect your mood, productivity and sense of well-being.

Life Balance

Understand that your mind and body are one, and the two constantly communicate to ensure optimal existence. The key is to learn the language of your physical self to establish ongoing well-being. Become aware and listen internally. One of the most effective tools in your toolbox is developing a healthy sense of balance in all areas of your life. The Wheel of Life is a great place to start!!

Healthy lifestyle choices

When making the conscious decision to prioritize mental health, what is your motivation? Taking a holistic approach to a mental evolution? Reducing your depression or anxiety? Feeling like life is worth living? Better relationships with your loved ones? Maintaining employment? The get-up-and-go reasoning varies, but it’s important to keep a list of your reasons in constant visibility to serve as a reminder in making healthy lifestyle choices daily. Your lifestyle choices are those that you make determining your life and behavior, with a direct association to your preferences and values. Your motivation to prioritize your mental health is a strong indicator of your values.

To make the right choices, you must take a step back and determine first the areas in which you recognize your self-love practices. Are you sleeping enough and eating well? Is your monthly gym membership going to good use and are the dog leashes constantly missing from their wall hooks? Then think to yourself, in which areas can your lifestyle decisions improve to better align with your values and motivation for improving your mental health? Here’s a quick quiz to get you thinking and reflecting on your lifestyle choices.

Once you see your results, an easy start to making better lifestyle choices is to make a list of the obvious not-so-great choices. Things like drinking excessively, eating fast food multiple times a day or going through a pack of cigarettes in 48 hours. You’ll find that integrating better habits like exercise and good rest make the removal of the bad list much easier, all while boosting your mood, health and progress toward a better lifestyle! Even more eye opening, as your bad list habits fade, so do your chances of chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, cancer and many other conditions. That life balance that you’ve begun to work on will be an incredibly important tool within your Mental Health Toolbox.

A good way to structure your mental health maintenance is by relying on daily routines to keep these lifestyle choices in check. Aside from reinforcing good habits, they give you a sense of control that gradually makes these choices automatic. Just as your bad habits once required no effort, your new, healthy habits will become second nature! This further ensures longer bouts of mental stability refined and ready to tackle obstacles that perhaps once debilitated you.

Remember that learning to utilize the tools within your Mental Health Toolbox is a gradual process and it’s okay to feel overwhelmed but just don’t quit! Starting small is okay! Thankfully, good habits get stronger with each repetition, while the bad ones shrivel away with each neglected urge. Here are a few tricks to overcoming the challenges that sometimes come with learning new skills and retraining your brain.

Yoga

Science and personal experience can reinforce your faith in exercise, but one particular activity has begun to make a name for itself in the realm of mental health. Yoga, an ancient Indian practice integrating breathing techniques and postures has been associated with improved health and happiness. The practice promotes health throughout the body while reinforcing self-awareness, two of the most important tools in your Mental Health Toolbox for self-care.

Yoga is to the mind what cardio is to the body. From a mental health standpoint, yoga trains the brain circuits involved in stress response. Most people respond to stress with adrenaline and/or cortisol in the blood, which in turn create the rapid heartbeat, breath and other nervous system symptoms that we feel during stress. In a person who practices yoga regularly, the relaxation signal in the brain can be turned on by engaging in a pose to slow or even stop the stress response. This tool can then be used to counter stress on demand when combined with awareness, which is bolstered with the regular breathing and meditation techniques learned in yoga.

Regular yoga practice is a self-soothing ritual that promotes an ongoing relaxation and slowed thought process that inhibits anxiety and other negative feelings. Connecting the breath to the body via yoga also enhances the internal listening process with the body, so your mind is more in tune with your physical needs to stimulate consistent well-being. In addition, regular mindfulness practice is also a healthy way to release built-up emotional energy that tends to calcify and clog our efforts to mental health maintenance. By integrating yoga into your mental health routine, you ensure a regular cleansing that complements your self-care routine utilizing and important tool within your Mental Health Toolbox. Try some of these easy poses to get the blood flowing!!

Brain cardio, grounding techniques and meditation

The beautiful unraveling of life happens in this very moment. Unfortunately, it’s easy for many of us to get entangled in past stress or worries of what lies ahead. The reality of present life moments is robbed by the thief of thoughts, holding our minds prisoners to invisible imaginations. Try to picture life as a tightrope with no net. It’s obvious that one would have to journey through with a carefully balanced, inch-by-inch forward progression to survive, right? Now think, how often are your eyes off the tightrope? How often are your letting the present moment slip away? Is your reality surviving?

To stay on the tightrope mindfulness is the star tool within your Mental Health Toolbox. It is a strategy that peels your identity from your thoughts, as your thoughts can sometimes be an unreliable source in the sphere of mental illness. With mindfulness, rather than be your thoughts, you are above them as their creator and observer. Your higher self goes beyond the mental noise that can sometimes overwhelm your body and soul. An easy way to remind yourself to slow the thoughts is to take a deep, long breath, then follow the next five to ten breaths thereafter. If you do this constantly, you may start noticing how often you actually hold your breath unconsciously when intense anxiety or PTSD thoughts start clouding the mind. Observing the breath helps brings you back to the present moment. Mindfulness and a healthy state of mind go hand in hand.

There are various techniques that promote and preserve this present-moment awareness. They are the basis of yoga and several other Eastern religions and spiritual practices. Grounding is a technique that helps to bring you out of the sea of thoughts and into the present moment reality. These are especially helpful in moments of stressful emotions and feelings. There are several skills you can try and regardless of your diagnostic label, each one has a different level of effectiveness so it’s important to try several before finding your present-moment solution. The great thing about grounding techniques is that they’re so easy they’re almost effortless, yet they work wonderfully by acting as a net to fish you out of the turbulence of thoughts that sweep you from the present.

Meditation, a regular practice of yoga, can be also be practiced independently as part of your mental health routine. It is the practice of focusing your attention on a single point of reference, oftentimes the breath. Some like to focus on a mantra or intention. Ultimately, it is a way to pull your mind out of the stream of thought and observe rather than follow for a set amount of time. This sort of focused mental training helps rewire the brain patterns of entangled thoughts that pull you from the present moment. By training yourself to observe, the mind begins to silence itself from these thoughts and you become present. Once the session is over, your ability to remain focused on the present in real-life becomes easier, and you begin to experience life on the paradigm of the now, as life should be lived. Meditation is a helpful tool for mental health because it not only reduces stress by hushing the mental noise, but such effectiveness has shown it to work against the progression of illnesses like depression and anxiety. Regular meditation practice can actually change your brain’s stress response to promote you’re the effectiveness of your Mental Health Toolbox.

So....what's next?

Now that you’ve been educated and empowered with your very own set of tools, you can take charge in your mental health journey by applying your own personal strategy to evolving into the best version of you. Remember, we're all under construction and need to constantly add new tools to our arsenal. I’d love to hear from you on how you’ve adapted this basic concept and made it your own! Subscribe and like my blog to stay up-to-date on future additions to the Mental Health Toolbox.

~wh

Take back your time!

I don't know about you but I NEVER seem to have enough time. Time to do the things I need to do let alone time to do the things I want to do. Time to clean. Time to rest. Time to work. Time to love. Time to self-care. Did somebody say self-care? Learning to take back your time is self-care! So lets celebrate Take Back Your Time Awareness Week happening now!!

What steals your time away?

take back your time

I've been thinking a lot about that and here's what I've come up with:

To-do Lists

Problem: I'm a believer in lists but huge overwhelming to-do lists are a giant time sucker. I get so lost in the lines of smudged lead, vanishing ink and scraps of paper that I lose track of what I actually need to get done.

Solution: Just have one ongoing things to-do list in a notebook or in an app it doesn't matter but choose only three tasks a day that you're willing to commit to actually getting completed. If you complete those three, then by all means challenge yourself to do more but the feeling of accomplishment will feel great by crossing those three completed tasks off your daily calendar. Take back your time and check this out for some more time-saving ideas!

Anxiety

Problem: We get so lost in the alphabet list of things to get done and no time to do them in frame of mind that the anxiety kicks in!

Solution: I think I talk about this everyday but being mindful and in this present moment is a huge help when feeling overwhelmed and lost in the proverbial shuffle of life. Anxiety is another giant time sucker! Take a second to ground yourself. Next, take a mental note of what you have control over and focus on that specifically. Finally, take back your time and create a plan of action and prioritize needs and wants. Add them to your primary to-do list described above.

Got structure?

Problem:  Lack of structure is a huge time sucker. Time is a commodity that once spent it's gone forever. Many times I look up and see I've utilized and spent hours doing--well I don't really know.

Solution: Many of my friends laugh at me but I put EVERYTHING on my electronic calendar. I like to utilize Google but there's lots out there. If it's on my calendar then it's real and it exists and almost always gets done. Structure is necessary for there to be productivity. This is a good place to schedule your self-care too!! Take back your time and organize your day.

Self-talk

Problem: Looking at life through smudged lenses makes everything morph into unrecognizable shapes that we just can't see for what they truly are. In other words, be realistic!! You're not perfect! I know that's a newsflash but none of us are--so stop trying.

Solution: Stop expecting perfection. It's so simple. My mom in her younger days used to have these fantasies about all of the millions of things she could get done in a single day of 24 hours. She's bipolar and in her mania, would try and conquer the world. Of course she came close lots of times but it came with a great cost (that's another blog) but most of the time she was unsuccessful. She passed that mindset on to me and it's not only been a time sucker but also a huge manifestation of my own anxiety. Know your self-talk and combat it with reasonable expectations. Take back your time and be kind to yourself in the process.

Well that's it!! I encourage you to really begin to analyze what takes your time and how you can get that control back. Empower yourself with self-exploration. Educate yourself with information. Evolve into the best version of you. I’m always available for a 30-minute complimentary consultation to throw some of these ideas around!

Check back later for more information on time and self-care!!

wh