My #1 Practice for Navigating Overwhelm
I’m in a very intense life stretch: moving, building a house, changes to my business, family health crises and more. It’s been hard.
Yesterday morning, I looked around my current home (it’s a mess!), my office (even worse!) and my planner/task list for delayed work projects (whew!). I could feel overwhelm lapping at my feet.
I know when this feeling comes to visit–signified by a tightening in my chest, a discomfort in my belly–it’s time to pause and step away to get clear on what matters most. And, to ask, “What is uniquely mine to do and what most needs my attention right now?”
Since I started my first coaching business, Career Strategists, in 1999, I have been taking personal retreats each quarter to help me get focused on the best use of my time, energy and talents. I find these especially critical when my plate is really full. I live by the reminder that “Life is not a thing to be managed, but a mystery to be lived,” and in order to live into the mystery, I have to pause frequently to reassess how I’m using my energy.
Intrigued? This week, I invite you to consider getting a personal planning retreat on your calendar (it’s free and your retreat can be as short as four hours or as long as an entire weekend). Here are my tips for taking a personal retreat. And if you’d like personal mentoring from me around, “What is yours to do?” consider joining me and amazing soulful women October 16-18th for Awaken Your Wild Soul: Reclaim Your Purpose, Power & Inner Wisdom ~ A Women’s Self-Renewal Retreat at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Details here.
Let me know how it goes and what you uncover this week. These planned breaks are great for getting the “30,000-foot view” of your life and are a wonderful, nurturing way for you to invest in yourself. “From stillness comes discernment.”
Warmly ~
WANT SUPPORT FOR FINDING BALANCE? HERE ARE FOUR OPPORTUNITIES:
- Want to offer new ways to help your employees or organization feel more creative, focused and energized? For more than 25 years I’ve been designing multi-dimensional work-life alignment workshops, keynotes, and retreats for groups around the globe. Learn more.
- Can’t join me in-person? Download your self-guided retreat today! Ready to prioritize your self-care, relax your body and enjoy empowering mentoring from Renee 24/7 from the comfort of your home, car or office? Our highly popular self-paced online retreats are only $59. Download & enjoy today. Learn more.
- Are you feeling called to facilitate women’s groups/retreats? Check out Secrets to Facilitating Life-Changing Women’s Groups/Retreats ~ an online, self-paced training & mentoring course. Only $195. Learn more/enroll here.
- Live in the Southeast or near North Carolina? Join me in the NC Blue Ridge Mountains for a Wild Souls Adventure: authentic movement classes, community song circles, full moon hikes, meditation/resiliency workshops, women’s circles & more or have me design a custom experience/ritual for your team/friends: learn more. Join us at for a Mother’s Day Wild Souls Authentic Movement class on Sunday, May 10th in Brevard, NC; learn more here.
Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by transformational coach/author/speaker and self-care evangelist Renée Peterson Trudeau. Passionate about helping men and women live more intentionally and 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 several books on life balance including the award-winning The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal: How to Reclaim, Rejuvenate and Re-Balance Your Life. Renee and her husband live in Western North Carolina and they have one son in New York City. Her latest venture is Wild Souls Nature Adventures. More on Renee here.
