We must keep showing up for ourselves

I just finished a meditation and yoga session in my small, sweet living room in my vacation cottage in Western North Carolina. I’m staying at a friend’s place right now, recalibrating from my spring car accident.

When I awoke this morning one of my favorite mantras, “We are constantly creating from our CURRENT state of being,” came flooding in as I was lying in bed and considering ditching my online yoga class.

Between the pandemic, economic upheaval and racial/societal unrest this is an unbelievable time to be a human.

Without a doubt, we must listen like we never have before, care for each other with unfaltering compassion, speak up and act bravely, use and understand privilege, keep asking how we can be the change and dig deep to unearth what must come to light. (I’ve been listening to White Fragility which I highly recommend and tapping this excellent Anti-Racism Resource list from CA community song leader Heather Houston).

For more than 20 years, my focus has been helping men and women come into balance through the art and science of self-care on all levels: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. My hope is that by providing everyday tools and practices to nurture your emotional and spiritual well-being, I can support you in fortifying your inner world, which in turn affects how you show up in the outer world.

What are you doing to cultivate your desired state of being right now? We must keep showing up for ourselves every day both on the mat and off. It’s absolutely essential. We speak, write, relate, lead, parent, teach and nurture from our current state of being. When we put our self-care first and take time to nourish ourselves before we help others, we show up as our most powerful, vibrant, effective selves. (New to this? Read more on how to start a self-care practice.)

Last night on our weekly Zoom family support circle, we explored how can each bring peace to our hearts this week. For some of us that looked like letting go and releasing control. For others it was about creating a physical environment that supports grounding and for someone else it was about handling “first things first,” and addressing issues that were causing them angst.  And, we all agreed that as Lao Tse shared, peace must start in our own hearts.

“If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.”  ― Lao Tse

This week reflect: how you can create peace in your heart? What does that feel and look like for you? Practicing self-care is not about adding something to your to-do list, becoming you version 2.0 or following advice from a wellness guru.  It’s about meeting yourself where you are with compassion and acceptance and asking, “What do I need today?” Then, wholeheartedly giving yourself that so you can go out into the world and do your good work.

“Self-care is not about self-indulgence, it’s about self-preservation” Audre Lorde

SEEKING SUPPORT FOR YOURSELF OR YOUR TEAM? HERE ARE TWO OPPORTUNITIES:

• Consider hiring me to create a workshop to help your team, organization or employees feel less stressed and more resilient, energized and focused.My primary work is speaking to professionals worldwide on how to find balance through practicing the art/science of self-care. Whether it’s an in-person workshop, keynote or via a Zoom session, I’d love to discuss how I can support your organization. Learn more here.
• Could you use a day-away focused on extreme self-care? Me, too! I’m exploring facilitating a July 17th one-day retreat for 10 women in a beautiful natural hill country setting (social distancing). Interested in getting a pre-invite? Email info at reneetrudeau dot com with the subject: “YES! Summer self-renewal retreats!” to be added to our inner circle list. Learn more about all retreats.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance author/speaker and self-care evangelist Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women find balance through the art/science of self-care, her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 400 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead self-renewal groups and women’s retreats based on her work. She’s the author of two books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 18-year-old son. More on Renee here.