Self-Care – Page 2

The Beginner’s Guide to Self-Care in 2021

Self-care is critical because you can’t be your best, show up, and thoroughly enjoy your life if you don’t have the energy reserves to do so. Honestly, I am bad at balancing work with the rest of my life. But I am getting better at practicing self-care and prioritizing my health above my job.

There are days that I have enough energy to walk from my desk to the couch and crash. There are many days where I am chained to my computer for 9, 10, 11 hours at a time. That leaves me burnt out, strung out, and with very little energy left to enjoy life outside of work. And I know at least a handful of friends and colleagues who feel the same way and are struggling.

Keeping up with self-care has been a dynamic practice that I’ve developed over many years. I’m not perfect at it, and I still have to remind myself to get up, take a break, and move my body.

In a perfect world, we would all be authorities on self-care, personal development, and living our best lives. But that’s why I’m here, to put all of the information and resources in a one-stop-shop that you can use for inspiration.

I support you in putting everything down today and making you your number one priority.

What is Self-Care?

Self-care means taking the time to make your health, happiness, and wellbeing a priority. It means taking actions that nurture your body, energy levels, peace of mind, counterbalances, life stressors like a demanding job, taking care of the kids, or dealing with finances.

Although, I’d argue that getting your finances in order is one of the most caring things you can do for yourself. But that’s a whole other story.

What are some common misconceptions about self-care?

That it’s selfish. Hooey.

Or that it’s just for women. Also hooey.

Maybe you think you don’t have time. Practicing self-care is maintenance plain and simple. You wouldn’t let your kids go all day without eating and stare at the computer all day. Or never take your car in for a check-up. Not comparing kids to cars, it’s just an example. Men need self-care too. And self-care can look different from person to person. Maybe I like baths by candlelight, but your version of self-care is going for a run and treating yourself to a yummy smoothie after.

There is no narrowly defined version of what self-care needs to be.

How Do You Get Started Practicing Self-Care?

Luckily, you don’t need a whole lot of money to get started practicing self-care. You could try one new small act every day or the same little action every day for a week or a month. For example, I used to wake up, but the news on my phone, and get ready for work. I would feel anxious and tight in my chest, but I couldn’t let it go. I realized that I needed to change my routine, and to be honest, it was hard and a little anxiety-producing for a while.

Putting the news on was a crutch to fill in the dread I felt every morning, anticipating the stressful day of work ahead. But what I realized is that watching intense news stories first thing in the morning was making it worse. You may be thinking, well, duh, that’s obvious. But at the time, it was so ingrained in my routine that even though I knew it wasn’t healthy, I needed a plan to detach and fill that space with something else.

So now I take 15 minutes when I wake up to stretch, write thoughts in my journal, and take a breathe and sometimes for myself before I transition into go mode. And when I do, I’m much calmer and more grounded. Here are some more ideas on getting started practicing self-care that are easy to do and don’t cost much money.

Get good sleep

Sleep is #1 for taking care of yourself. Pretend that you’re a kid again and put yourself to bed at a reasonable hour. Yes, kids need a lot of sleep, but adults do too! The Department of Health & Human Services has helpful information on sleep that answers questions like, “Why is sleep important?” “How much sleep is enough?” and gives useful strategies for how you can get enough sleep.

Eat good food

You cannot expect a car to run on garbage gas, so why do we expect our bodies to run on garbage food? Garbage in, garbage out. Good food doesn’t need to be expensive. Check out Harvard’s healthy eating pyramid for a start.

Drink lots of water

I have a 40 oz water container at my desk, and I fill it at least twice every day. Water is life. You can go without food for a few weeks, but you can only survive without water for a few days.

Take breaks

There is no glory in always being busy. Being chronically stressed isn’t a badge of honor.

It means you’re not taking as much care of your needs as you could be. I should know it’s the story of my professional life, and I still struggle with it. I am in charge of multi-million dollar projects at work with strict deadlines. Recently, I had to take about six weeks off work for personal reasons I may share about one day. But the point is that it was an emergency, and I was able to hand off my workload in an afternoon, and my colleagues handled it. Does that mean I’m disposable?

No, they were thankful when I was back. It just means the world will not end if you put yourself before your work because it will take what it can get. And if you don’t put up boundaries for yourself, work sure won’t care to do the same. It can be a microbreak to stretch, walk around the block, and get some water. There are a ton of benefits to taking breaks. So, if you have to force yourself, do it.

Say no

Only you can push back and start creating healthy work boundaries for yourself. If you’re overextended, simplify. Cutting out tasks that someone else can do, or doesn’t result in a worthwhile return on your time, then prune as much as you can. There’s also no glory in martyring yourself. If you’re worried that if you say no, you’re vulnerable, fight the feeling. If you’re someone who has to be reminded to say no, then it’s highly likely that you are invaluable to your job, family, and team. They will figure it out, and you’ll be more energized to do all of the other things you do.

Common Questions/FAQ About Self-Care

What is a good self-care routine?

Getting started, I would recommend baby steps, so you don’t get overwhelmed. Try one new idea every week. You can either try something different week to week or have it be additive. For example, in week 1, you could meditate for 10 minutes once a day. Week two, you could meditate for 10 minutes once a day and take a 15-minute walk once a day. As time goes on, you’ll modify it as you feel what best serves you and what you don’t need. Everyone’s self-care routine can look different, so it’s what works best for you.

What is the first step in creating a self-care plan?

There’s always a first step, but I’ll give you a few more to work with.

Step 1

Write down how you currently practice self-care. It would help if you established existing conditions before you can know what needs changing. An example could be noting how much sleep you get, is it good quality sleep, do you feel tired when you wake up. Or you could write how much water you typically drink in a day.

Step 2

Do a brain dump of all the ways you like to relax or enjoy doing activities. Maybe you love doing your nails, alone, listening to music, with no disruptions. Or that morning latte or smoothie makes you feel like you can get through the day.

Step 3

Start implementing. Taking action could mean trying one new activity a week or a month. Like I mentioned earlier, start with baby steps. If you go full throttle first thing, you could get overwhelmed and stop altogether. The incremental benefits of starting small are better than doing nothing, so feel good about every little action you take.

Step 4

Check-in with yourself. If you journal, you could keep track of your progress. How many times did you meet your daily water goal? How many crap snacks did you replace with healthy ones? Did you take a walk every day? Monitoring not only keeps you accountable to yourself but also informs you of what works, what needs tweaking, and what may not be serving you. Data is everything.

Step 5

Keep at it. Be gentle with yourself. It won’t be perfect. You may backslide. And that is all okay. What’s important is you keep at it and celebrate every small win. We’re human. We do our best, and what matters is that we show up every day and try. If today’s trying is to drink a cup of tea instead of soda-success.

What are self-care goals?

Self-care goals will look different from person to person. Though, there are some common goals from which everyone can benefit. Here are a few examples:

What are some good daily self-care goals?

Drink 80 oz of water
Take a 15-minute walk
Journal one page
Go to sleep at a set time
Wake up at a set time
Take a (real) lunch break
Make your bed

What are some good weekly self-care goals?

No TV
No screens of any kind after X time
Try out a new exercise
Call a friend you haven’t talked to in ages
Try one new fruit or veggie

What are some good monthly self-care goals?

Clean your closet
Create a capsule wardrobe (Check out my new post all about this!)
Read a book
Cut sugar
Explore a new place
Try online learning (always wanted to try baking? Watch a tutorial)
Create a budget and stick to it
Try volunteering
Play hooky and take a mental health day from work

What are the eight key areas of self-care?

Emotional Self-Care

Means personal growth, managing stress, learning emotional literacy, and learning how to navigate your emotions. Here’s a related post that goes into more detail if you want to learn more (don’t miss out Sah and Dr. Winch’s videos!).

Suggestions to Try

Saying no
Journaling
Putting up healthy boundaries
Feeling our feelings without shame
Practicing loving yourself

Physical Self-Care

Means getting exercise and moving your body, eating healthy foods, drinking healthy fluids (water), getting adequate and good quality sleep, and resting.

Suggestions to Try

Go for a walk or run or whatever form of moving your body that feels good to you
swap soda for water or tea
set a sleep schedule
get fresh air
practice good hygiene

Spiritual Self-Care

Means living your life guided by your values and continuing to explore what that looks like for you.

Suggestions to Try

Meditate
Journal
Volunteer for a cause you believe in
Read books about spirituality that resonate

Psychological/Mental Health Self-Care

Means learning about personal development, being mindful, and getting therapy if you need it (I believe we all do).

Suggestions to Try

Read books that teach you about personal development
Use apps to help with mindfulness like Headspace/Calm/Fabulous/Noom
Take a break from social media
Be kind to yourself

Social Self-Care

Means building a trusted support network around yourself of friends, family, a support group, and maybe even a therapist

Suggestions to Try

Join a therapy processing group
Video chat a friend you’re overdue for a catchup with
Join a step/self-help group
Build relationships with new friends
Join a meetup group doing something you love
Ask for help and accept help, honor your commitments

Professional Self-Care

Means balancing work with the rest of your life, being clear about your priorities, creating healthy boundaries, and focusing on your strengths.

Suggestions to Try

Use your voice when something’s not right
Leave work at work (put it in a mental jar on the shelf)
Take time for professional development training

Environmental Self-Care

Means keeping your house in order, declutter, remove toxins from your space, create a healthy living environment.

Suggestions to Try

Make your bed every morning
Do the dishes every night
Declutter your life room by room
Recycle everything you can
Make purchases with a small environmental impact
Donate to organizations that are stewards of the environment

Financial Self-Care

Means taking care of your finances and being financially savvy so that you are in control.

Suggestions to Try

Create a budget and stick to it
Stay away from all debt or get out of it
Review your paystubs and understand what it means
Assign a purpose to each dollar you have (savings included)
Take control of your personal finances, think long-term and of your future self
Make sure you have the kinds of insurance you need like health, auto, and home

The Last Thing You Need to Know About Self-Care

If I could have you take away one thing, self-care is an act of love you give yourself. It is being trustworthy to yourself. After all, if you aren’t taking care of yourself, then no one is.
Please share this article if you know someone who needs a reminder to treat themselves better or may be burnt out. Even if it’s a time in life when you’re helping others first, you deserve a moment to stop, breathe, and recenter.

50 Most Popular Self-care Quotes to Use for Bullet Journal Art

In this post, you’ll find 50 of the most inspiring quotes on self care to put in your bullet journal and practice your hand lettering while practicing your self-care! But first, let’s take a step back and reflect on why journaling is such a stellar practice.

Draw an inspiring quote as a form of meditation

There are some days when we don’t know what to write, what to draw, or what to do.

Firstly, that is OK.

Those days are going to happen. And since that’s the case, why not practice some self care?!

Sometimes when I don’t know what else to do, I’ll find inspiring quotes and write them in my bullet journal.

For one, my type-A loves to document everything so I won’t forget it.

But writing my favorite quotes and spending the time to make them look nice is almost like a form of meditation. And meditating is a form of self-care. (If you like this post, check out my article on 365 simplicity quotes for your bullet journal!)

Doing nice things for yourself is taking your power back, lady! And it can help you de-stress and ground your energy.

Journaling is an act of self care

Sometimes we all need a reminder about why it is so important to put ourselves first and take care of business.

Self care is the most loving act we can do for ourselves.

Sometimes I try to remember the little girl that is still a part of me and that by taking care of the adult me, I’m also taking care of her.

Spending “me” time writing in my bullet journal is such an act of self-care.

While I was finding these quotes, I had some deep sigh moments because they really are nuggets of truth. Thinking to myself, oh yeah, life is messy and that’s why I need to take a break sometimes.

Otherwise, we’ll all be frazzled messes walking around. (BTW-If you feel like a frazzled mess, check out my post on tips to reduce your anxiety and ground your energy!) Let’s be real though, that happens on the regular.

Especially in COVID times, when we’re all couped up and trying to stay alive, little acts of self care can make a big difference.

The little things that we do for ourselves every day, though they seem insignificant, can have lasting and meaningful impacts.

So, I offer that you be gentle with yourself today.

Spend some time writing in your bullet journal. Journaling can help you process your thoughts and give your brain a break.

Here they are. 50 quotes to play with in your bullet journal. Have at it!

Top 50 List of the Best Self Care Quotes for Your Bullet Journal

Self care is how you take your power back. – Lalah Delia
Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause. – Cecilia Tran
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Self-care is giving the world the best of you, instead of what’s left of you. – Katie Reed
The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. – Joseph Campbell
When you say ‘yes’ to others make sure you are not saying ‘no’ to yourself. – Paolo Coehlo
Self care isn’t selfish. It’s self esteem. – Ashley Judd
If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit. – Banksy
Fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth. – Pema Chodron
Carve out and claim the time to care for yourself and kindle your own fire. – Amy Ippoliti

Work on yourself, for yourself, with yourself. – Neeti
Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love. – Brené Brown
Feel the fact that you are enough. – Mark Nepo
Adopt the pace of nature: her secrete is patience. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance. – Oscar Wilde
Nothing external has any power over you. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
The most powerful relationship you will ever have is the relationship with yourself. – Diane Von Furstenberg
I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival. – Audre Lorde
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. – Anne Lamott
Learning to love yourself is like learning to walk – essential, life-changing, and the only way to stand tall. – Vironika Tugaleva

If you feel “burnout” setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, to withdraw and restore yourself. – Dalai Lama
We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. – Dolly Parton
Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. – Edward Stanley
The real difficulty is to overcome how you think about yourself. – Maya Angelou
A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms. – Zen Shin
Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare. – Audre Lorde
Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one. – Eleanor Roosevelt
Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths. – Etty Hillesum
Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do. – Brené Brown
When women take care of their health, they become their best friend. – Maya Angelou
“I need help” is as important to self-care as “I can do this.” – Christine Bergsma
Tend to your life like a garden. Water the flowers, pull the weeds, and toss out the snakes. – Jessica de la Davies
I have found empowerment by taking authorship of my story. – Gillian Rose Rodriguez
An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly. – Unknown
Love yourself first, and everything else falls in line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world. – Lucille Ball
Taking care of yourself is part of taking care of others – Jennifer Williamson
There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub. – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
When you can’t find your purpose in a day, make it to look after yourself.“– Dodie Clark
Everyone of us needs to show how much we care for each other and, in the process, care for ourselves. – Diana, Princess of Wales
Taking care of myself doesn’t mean me first, it means me too. – L. R. Knost
Life is better when we don’t try to do everything. Learn to enjoy the slice of life you experience, and life turns out to be wonderful. – Leo Babauta
The only way to live is by accepting each minute as an unrepeatable miracle. – Tara Brach
If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete. – Jack Kornfield
Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most. – Buddha
Look past your thoughts, so you may drink the pure nectar of this moment. – Rumi
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. – Maya Angelou
Just because you take breaks doesn’t mean you’re broken. – Curtis Tyrone Jones
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
There is something wonderfully bold and liberating about saying yes to our entire imperfect and messy life. – Tara Brach
The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. – Anna Quindlen

I think it’s time to go put some of these quotes to good use and add them to my bullet journal. Let’s do this life thing one step at a time.

Are there any quotes that didn’t make the cut that you love to add to your bullet journal? Let me know in the comments!

13 Tips to Reduce Anxiety and Ground Your Energy

This post is all about how to reduce anxiety and ground your energy.

If you are feeling anxious today, I feel you and understand how hard it is. I have dealt with periods of extreme anxiety in my life that were debilitating. I’ll take depression over anxiety any day of the week.

Because of my struggles, I’ve tried everything I could to try and combat the anxiety. There were times I would wake up with the zaps in pure panic attack mode. It was exhausting and I felt like it would never get better.

These tips are all methods I have tried over the years and continue to this day. I hope there are some ideas in here that help to ground your energy, stabilize the spinning mind, and ease the heart palpitations.

Go for a walk

I am guilty of not getting myself up and moving as much as I know is healthy for my body and mind. My day job requires me sitting behind the computer for nine to even up to 15 hours a day. Then I am also behind the computer when I’m writing and working on my blog. Hours can role by without a thought of moving when you are in the flow state or trying to meet a deadline.

Get outside and move your body

I would venture to guess that if you’re reading this, then there is something that causes you stress in your life. Whether it’s a job, taking care of the kids, or plain old life. Whenever I leave the computer, get outside, and move around it makes all the difference in the world. I know that the same would help you, too!

It seems like a no brainer, but it is truly critical that we exercise our physical bodies, especially when we’re exercising our minds for so much of the day. It brings us into the now and is extremely powerful in breaking the tension in our necks and backs from hours of dealing with stressful situations.

Let the endorphins counterbalance the stress hormones so that your body and mind have a fighting chance to calm your nerves, get a good night’s rest, and meet each day with enough energy.

Get into nature

Nature heals, period.

We live in the city and whenever we are able to get out into nature it feels like we’re coming home. If you can, get yourself out there. The fresh air, the quiet from modern living, trees, moving water, sunshine-it all works together to reduce anxiety and create a sense of calm. Even better, go for a hike. You’re getting the benefits of exercise in nature, for a double whammy of feel-good energy.

I recommend putting your phone on mute and not listening to any music, even though I am a huge music lover. There’s something truly healing about being in nature and listening. You’ll start to hear all different kinds of sounds and your brain will get a chance to just be. No worrying about deadlines, no struggling through traffic. You can just be and take in the surroundings.

“The earth has its music for those who will listen.”
George Santayana

Listen to music

I just said to turn the music off in nature, but listening to music can reduce anxiety. Music is powerful. I use the free version of Spotify and create my own playlists. Some of my playlists are based on how I want to feel. For example, I have one that’s called “Calm the f#*% down.” It’s filled with songs that I know have made me feel good vibes over the years. Another great one is this Calm Down playlist that Spotify put together.

Without fail, I always get anxious when I go shopping, especially in bigger stores with lots of people. Kids are screaming, in-store announcements are blaring, obnoxious music intended to get you to buy more is pumping, ahhh! I always bring my headphones and play relaxing music. I’m telling you, it makes a huge difference.

Music can also fill empty spaces that may feel uncomfortable, like having a whole day to yourself with all of those hours to fill. Instead of putting the TV on for background noise, try music instead. It has the same effect but doesn’t zombify you from making use of your day.

Try Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping

EFT may seem a little out there to some. Ehrm, tapping my face-what?

But I have tried it and it works so well to reduce anxiety. I have been dancing with depression-related anxiety my entire life. Sometimes it has been extremely disruptive in my daily life. I have desperately searched for anything that would provide relief. I came across EFT a few years ago. It helped me through a rough patch last summer when I was experiencing debilitating anxiety. Tapping is an alternative therapy where you tap specific points on the body, mostly on the head and face, in a certain order, and sometimes with verbal queues.

EFT can ground you in your body by restoring the balance of energy in your body that may be out of whack from any kind of mental or physical issue. Tapping may not be for everyone. But if you are willing to give it a shot, then you may find some relief by trying it. Here is one of the YouTube videos that really helped me and I recommend you try out.

Check out Julie Schiffman’s video to try EFT for yourself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWu3rSEddZI

Try a protein smoothie

Of course, good nutrition plays a role in anxiety and how intense it shows up. There are a lot of foods that can add to the level of anxiety you’re feeling. More on that later (hello, sugar). A while back I was doing research on foods that can reduce anxiety and depression, based on how certain foods impact your microbiome or gut flora.

There is a whole area of nutrition science focused on the gut brain connection. I encourage you to investigate it if you have depression or anxiety. That is based solely on my life experience, though, and is not based on any medical training, whatsoever.

I found this recipe but have changed it to suit my tastes over the years. It sounds like it would be gross, but it tastes pretty good once it’s all mixed up. The combination of healthy protein, fruit, greens, and fats can bring me right back to earth. There have been a few times where I realized how much my brain had been swirling before I drank it and how much calmer it made me. If you are willing to give it a try, I think you may be surprised.

Grounding Berry Smoothie Recipe

1/2 cup of frozen berries
1/2 cup of frozen bananas
1 cup of coconut water or alternative milk
3 tablespoons of collagen
1 teaspoon of nut butter
3 pasteurized egg yolks
1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons of ghee
1-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 tablespoon of hemp or flax seeds
1 tablespoon of goji berries

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy smooth. I like to use a reusable stainless steel straw. If you have extra, I like to throw it into the freezer and eat it like ice cream later.

Cut the Caffeine Pronto to Reduce Anxiety

Cut.

Done.

No mas if you’re trying to reduce anxiety.

When I am feeling anxious, there is absolutely no way I am touching caffeine. Even when I’m not feeling anxious already, caffeine can bring it on fast.

There is no question that caffeine will get your heart pumping and your hands sweating like nothing else. Many moons ago when I was in grad school, I drank a huge americano before a presentation and had a panic attack. It was embarrassing as hell, and I was mad at myself for something that could have been avoided.

Now, not all caffeine is equal. Unfortunately, I have sworn off coffee, which is a travesty. I barista’d my way through college and americanos were my life for many, many years. Sometimes I allow myself to get a full-fat cappuccino if I know the quality is going to be good. Yes, quality matters. But if I want caffeine, I limit it to one cup of green tea on work mornings. Likely when it’s going to be an especially demanding day.

And soda, not even going to comment. Just don’t do it. Another choice to try if you miss the taste of coffee are teas that have a richer, more robust taste. I also love herbals and there is an unlimited number of flavors you can explore. Nothing will replace the real thing. But it is worth your mental health, and your nerves will thank you if you cut it out.

Take it easy on the sugar

Oh, sugar. How I love thee…

My husband will tell you that I have the hugest sweet tooth around. I crave sugar at all hours of the day. But I have learned that as the years go on, I am more sensitive to the sweet stuff. Last year I made a batch of “date-orade.” I drank the whole jar and less than 15 minutes later found myself shaking on the floor asking why. What was the problem?

All sugar, no fats to balance the shot of energy to your system. So, I recommend keeping sugar consumption to a minimum. A square of dark chocolate, chocolate covered almonds, or a small scoop of excellent quality ice cream. Because, it’s ice cream. We should not feel like we can’t enjoy a sweet treat, but it’s all about quality over quantity and moderation.

Meditate and Get your Yoga On

It is so easy to say, I have no time to sit and do nothing for 10 minutes.

Really? You don’t? Not even to reduce your anxiety significantly?

I am guilty of it and I am guessing you are too. If not, then kudos and keep up the excellent work. When I do make myself a priority and meditate, every single time I think, “Oh yeah. This is why I do it.”

It is like that with physical exercise, just as much with meditation. A swirling mind needs meditation. It needs a reminder to take deep breaths, focus just on breathing, in and out. Because at the end of the day, if we’re not breathing, well you know. I really enjoy meditation as a part of my yoga practice, which can lead to the same result. Yoga classes that integrate a spiritual aspect or breathwork. In my experience, have the power to truly bring your whole being into the present and ground that down.

It is powerful stuff.

During the pandemic, the Headspace app made their subscription service free, for which I will forever be grateful. Their sleep recordings helped me on many nights when I was completely overwhelmed with work pressures and deadlines. The Calm app is also a desirable choice, and they have an awesome free resources page.

Also, since the pandemic hit, I have been relying solely on YouTube yoga for my workouts besides going for walks. I recommend checking out Boho Beautiful’s videos. They offer a wide range of different practices. I love that each video is set in a different beautiful location.

But of course, there are great options to explore at home too. Both Calm and Headspace have great audio content that lead you through meditations for all kinds of emotions, from work, kids, sleep, focus, stress, and anxiety.

Practice deep breathing to ground your energy

Again, I mentioned breath work above, but it needs a category all its own. If you have not tried Kundalini Yoga, I don’t even know where to start. It is all based on a breathing practice. I have sobbed and then felt so wonderfully glowy in the same class. It may sound a little anxiety producing, but it is just that the impact of the breathwork is so amazingly powerful.

“The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.”
Caroline Myss

I know this post is about grounding, and I am talking about work that creates high energy. But experiencing those emotions in a class is a safe space to explore what the feelings are all about. You are not going to be the only one feeling deep feels. I miss going to classes in person, because the experience is so special in a class setting.

This article on verywellmind.com is a great explainer of Kundalini Yoga.

Color in the lines

I know, I know. I resisted jumping on the adult coloring book bandwagon. But when I was going through some intense life events last fall, I ordered a book and new pencils and had at it. I have to say, it was relaxing as all heck. I ordered a book of which I liked the designs.

It felt playful and reminded me of simpler times as a kid. Times when there was no adulting and why wouldn’t you just color in your book? It is a simple form of expression. But a tactile one that is unplugged. You can color outside in the sun with a big refreshing glass of water or a warm delicious cup of tea. Anxiety reduced, check!

Try Knitting

I started knitting a few months ago and I am in love. I tried it years ago and made some scarves. But this time I went for it. I knitted booties, a hat, and even a sweater. At first, it felt like a foreign language figuring out all of the codes. It is like a computer code that you have to decipher. Thanks to YouTube tutorials, I completed all my projects. In fact, here’s my latest masterpiece! So stinkin’ cute (IMHO)!

It was soooo relaxing and comforting. The soft yarn and repetitive motions of knitting.

I love that it is completely different from my life behind the computer. The women in my family have been knitters, crocheters, needle pointers, painters, and a slew of other craftiness. I love that I’m taking part in a craft that my grandma and my mom have enjoyed.

I recommend just taking your time and do not worry about the result. You WILL have to pull out rows when you make mistakes, and you are going to hate it. I would get so frustrated when I saw a big hole when I did not notice one before and have to pull it out. But you learn from pulling out mistakes too. And the result will be better for it. You’ll have learned how to pull your irritation out of the can and keep going. I started from scratch and had to buy the basics.

Here is what I got for yarn (I love Golden Yellow), double-pointed needles, circular needles, blunt needles, placeholders. They all worked great for me and are inexpensive.

Bake Up a Storm to Reduce Anxiety

Who didn’t bake over the last year of pandemic life?

I know I did. I baked cookies, bread, a birthday cake… It is one of those domestic activities that just make you feel warm and cozy.

You can’t help but reduce anxiety. The warm oven, the smells wafting throughout the apartment, and then the nom nom! I like to bake when I don’t know what else to do with myself. Sometimes I feel a little lost with what to do with the day. It is always there to comfort you.

I have such positive memories of baking as a kid with my mom and around the holidays especially. The smells bring back that positive energy and nostalgia. If you didn’t bake as a kid or have never tried it, then now is the time to create your own experiences.

I am an official Great British Baking Show freak.

So even watching other people bake makes me feel like I’m surrounded by feel-good vibes. If you don’t know about the Tassajara Bread Book, you need to. It has easy recipes and several of them are our family favorites. My go-to for bread is always the banana walnut recipe.

Get It On!

And the best for last! Get it on. Dance in the sheets. Do the wild thing. Get hanky with your panky.

Having sex releases feel-good hormones everywhere throughout your body, duh. I’m betting that after, you won’t even remember what was causing your anxiety. At least for a little while.

Whether it is with a partner or by yourself, it doesn’t matter. If you want to have a sure-fire way to reduce anxiety, hop into bed. Or heck, wherever you’re standing, just get it on!

I hope these ideas to ground your energy and reduce anxiety will help you to combat the anxiety monster. If you have any other tips that have helped you, please let me know in the comments or shoot me a message. I will be personally grateful and maybe it will inspire another blog post.

5 Ways I Want To Help My Audience

My blog exists to help women get planning, set goals, navigate life’s challenges, and create a life that you can truly say that you love.

Provide planning and organization tools to simplify to live your best life

I am a planner. No, literally, I am a planner of cities. I’ve been an urban planner for 15 years, so I am a ‘plannerd’ through and through. You develop many skills as a planner that translate into how you manage and organize your personal life. Like project management, budgeting, record keeping, serving the public, contract management, analyzing, researching, writing tons and tons of reports (in a way that anyone can understand), and on and on.

I’ll put all of my planning and organization tips I’ve learned in my career into the tips and tools for you. Because there’s nothing more I want than to help you feel in control, organized, and on top of your shit.

Keep reminding you that self-care is critical

If you’re anything like me, I have to continually slow myself down and remember that it’s a journey. And along the trip, we need to take care of ourselves. Part of my mission is to remind you that it’s ok to stop, take a pause, and do something that’s just for you.

Self-care is survival.

If you’re so burnt out and overextended that you’re hanging on by your finger nails, it doesn’t serve anything (she reminds herself). I have devoted much time during my life to figure out how I can live my best life, including what it means to make sure I am giving myself the care I deserve. It’s the same care you owe to yourself.

Help you to minimize your stuff

Stuff.

We have a lot of it. I want to help you get to a place where your stuff doesn’t dictate how you spend your time (think constant dusting and organizing), how you spend your money, and how you prioritize. I have been there, friends, trust in that.

Back in 2007, I lost my Dad and Grama within a year of each other. I couldn’t bear to get rid of their stuff. And it was all for sentimental reasons. Pretty soon, the obligation and weight of maintaining everything and my house filled with it all became suffocating. After a couple of years living with it, I decided to keep only the most precious things and let the rest go.

I want to help you release what no longer serves you or adds value to your life.

Keep you inspired to live your best life

Even though we know we’re not alone; the feeling can take over. I want you to feel like you have a friend in this. There are people and processes in my life that help me feel supported, and I want you to have that too. Even if it’s just a post online that makes you feel understood and gives you just a nugget of something to help.

Remember, if you’re feeling it, then there are tons of other people out there experiencing the same thing. We’re here to lift each other up so that we can all live our best life. One that we can honestly say we love.

Conclusion

So there it is. Plan & Bloom will be a space that provides helpful information to get everything in your life organized, make plans, and get your finances in order. Why?

So you do all of these things to take care of yourself and see forward motion. You’ll feel good that you are taking steps, putting one foot in front of the other. And ultimately so you can get out there and live your best life.

What is Plan and Bloom’s “why” behind the blog?

Plan and Bloom’s why is to create a space to share little tidbits to help you start to make plans to achieve your goals, improve your day, and make little changes to make you feel more content in life.

I am tired of feeling like there is no other option to support myself other than making someone else lots of money.

Or working to the bone for a cause that could have a positive impact, but also may not result in much change. That is not how you live your best life.

Only to spend the weekends catching up on cleaning and organizing the apartment and feeling too exhausted to do much else.

Often we stay in jobs we don’t love because we have debt. Or maybe we don’t know what else is possible.

We feel overwhelmed, exhausted, disenchanted, and at times desperate for change.

Burnout is the result of long hours, stressful deadlines, difficult co-workers, and missing out on time with friends and family.

It would be one thing if all energy was going into something that benefitted us beyond just paying the bills.

And I am sooo over hearing myself say, “work’s been crazy” or “my job is so stressful” when people ask how I’m doing.

Don’t get me wrong. I am grateful to have a job. Especially one that pays well and direct deposits a paycheck twice a month.

But, I still have that feeling of, is this it?

Is there nothing else out there for me that would make me excited in the morning to get going? And then negative thoughts start to pop in. How would I make ends meet if I tried something else? How will I find the time to explore other ways to make money? I don’t have time for this. I can barely keep up with work and keeping the house together.

So I decided to create my little space on the interwebs to share what I can to help.

Let me explain the what’s, why’s, and how’s right now.

Plan and Bloom is Designed to Help You Feel Contented in Life

I started Plan and Bloom to share tools and tips to help you live a life that you feel great about.

I don’t want debt and bills to dictate how you spend most of your time. Or you to feel so overwhelmed with all of the things that you give up and retreat into binge-watching. Ahem, guilty. But why?

Because it is possible, there is a better way. It takes time and patience, and persistence. But it is possible to live a life you can confidently feel is exactly where you’re supposed to be—one where you are content and satisfied.

And I hope to help you on the path to get there. It may be uncomfortable at times. You may have to change your way of thinking. There will for sure be cutting back on the wants and likes, versus the needs and musts. And you will have to put yourself first for once. Self care at any time is needed for you to thrive, but especially during times of growth and taking actions.

But it will all be worth it.

This site will share the tools that allow you to live a life where you can breathe. A life that has flexibility and freedom and space in your every day now and for your future self.

Let’s do it!