How Are You Nurturing Your Heart?

Yesterday I felt fabulously nourished and complete (this was contrasted with feeling spiritually malnourished just a week ago). What had changed? I attended a soul-nurturing women’s group, enjoyed a heart-centered yoga class, I led a really beautiful Wild Souls Movement class focused on emotional self-care, I hosted a deeply connective evening of song/poetry and I got to walk with my wise soul sister who accepts me exactly as I am. All of this “belly time” (face-to-face connection) and heart-nurturing left me feeling buoyant, replenished and seen and heard. 

Emotional self-care (ex: heart-felt communication with friends who let us show up “warts and all,” asking for support from a minister/therapist/coach when needed, journaling and self-reflection) is key to resiliency, lower stress levels and it has an enormous impact on our overall sense of happiness and well-being. In fact, did you know that women release oxytocin, the cuddle hormone, when they gather with other women and have conversations that matter (join me April 26-28th at Kripalu Center to experience this)? 

The care and feeding of our hearts is just as important as physical self-care and it’s essential to feeling whole and alive. But so often we forget this or push aside dates with friends in order to stay slaves to our to-do lists.  

During a time when so much focus is around romantic love and candy hearts–what will you do this week to love and nurture your inner landscape and tend to your emotional well-being? Numerous studies report one of the biggest factors that affect our quality of life as we age is how deep and consistent our social interactions are with our friend circle (read about the importance of connection). Alternately, when we’re disconnected from ourselves and others, this can lead to depression, anxiety and worse.

We need each other fully and completely: hearts, minds, bodies and souls. Not just through rapid fire texts, emojis or Instagram likes. This week I challenge you to find ways to connect more deeply and authentically. Try picking up the phone to call a friend you haven’t spoken to in months, setting up a date for a hike with someone that feeds your soul, or (gasp!) dropping by a friend’s home unexpectedly just for a hug and to say hi. Your heart will thank you for it. 

YOUR HOMEWORK: One of my favorite exercises for emotional self-care is my Quickie Journaling Exercise (from my book Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Find Peace & Harmony in Everyday Life). Take 5 minutes to answer these three simple questions and record your answers in a notebook. It often helps to write in a stream of consciousness–let whatever wants to emerge–and place your hand over the center of your chest while reflecting on each question. How do I feel? What do I need (at this moment, at this life stage)? What do I want (what is my heart’s greatest desire)? Try this exercise every morning for one week. Often, in just five minutes, you are able to feel a sense of deep nourishment, simply from taking time to thoughtfully check-in. 

Enjoy my blog? Every Tuesday for more than 25 years I’ve been blogging about how to come into balance through the art and science of self-care. Grab your favorite beverage, curl up in a chair and peruse my popular past posts. And share this resource with someone you care about!

HOW CAN I SUPPORT YOU IN FINDING BALANCE & RESILIENCY? HERE ARE THREE OPPORTUNITIES:  

• April 26-28th ~ Awakening Your Wild Soul: A Women’s Self-Care Retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (pictured above) ~ Join me for a spring re-set: replenishing rest, divine natural foods cuisine, healing bodywork, restorative yoga and more. Awakening Your Wild Soul: A Women’s Self-Care Retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (Berkshire Mountains, MA) will help you revere your energy and learn how to direct it to what matters most. Packages start at just $635 for this empowering and deeply supportive weekend. Learn more/register.
• *Available for a limited time* ~ Still, Dark & Quiet: A Deep Rest Virtual Retreat ~ It’s still winter until March 21st,  a time for reflection/gestation. You’re invited to slow down, go inward and relax in silence. Enjoy this 2.5-hour meditative virtual retreat 24/7 from the comfort of your home. Includes a long Yoga Nidra session. Learn more/download today. Only $49
• Wild Souls Nature Adventures (based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western NC): authentic movement classes, community song circles, full moon hikes, meditation workshops, women’s circles & more. New offerings are listed each week; have me design a custom experience for your team/friends. Join us Sun. February 18th from 9:30-11 a.m. for Wild Souls Authentic Movement class near Asheville, NC. No experience needed, come as you are. Learn more.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by mindfulness coach/author/speaker and self-care evangelist Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women find balance through the art/science of self-care, Renee has been facilitating high-impact, interactive workshops for Fortune 500 companies, national nonprofits/conferences and organizations/teams worldwide for 25 years. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Fast Company, Good Housekeeping, US News & World Report, AARP, Spirituality & Health and more. She and her team have certified more than 450 facilitators in 10 countries around the globe to lead self-renewal groups/retreats based on her pioneering self-care curriculum. She’s the author of two books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life. She and her husband live in Western North Carolina; her latest venture is Wild Souls Nature Adventures. More on Renee here.