This is the time for RADICAL self-care

I am with you. Take a deep breath. We’re going to be OK.

When I lead retreats, I often begin by asking each participant, “What are the calming, self-soothing words you *most need* to hear right now?” Perhaps they are: Breathe … This Too Shall Pass … or I am Safe, I am Protected.

What words most help you feel grounded, secure and embodied? Take 5-minutes to identify your mantra today and write this down and post it. Consider making it the home screen on your phone.

For 25 years I have been helping men/women around the globe find their center and reclaim balance by accessing the gifts that come from a daily self-care practice.

I understand we’re living in crazy times. But it’s essential we stay present and in the NOW. (If you missed it, read Living in the Future = Recipe for Stress).

Based on my extensive training in stress management, neuroscience, mindfulness and resiliency, there are many things I’ll be sharing with you this spring to help you find your center fast. But, the top three things I strongly encourage you to start doing TODAY, are:

1. Move it, move it. The issues are in the tissues. When we “move a muscle,” we change our thoughts. We need to be moving our bodies every day right now (I’m doing yoga and dance every morning and walking at night). Movement is one of the quickest ways to shake off anxiety and move into a more relaxed, grounded state. Don’t over-complicate this: walk, run, swim, dance, shake. Get out there and sweat and release!
2. Get outdoors. Now.  Nature boosts our immune health, calms our nervous system and recalibrate our psychological state. Find a spot in nature near water if you can; the quieter, the better. I spent two hours lying on a blanket next to the river yesterday and the calming affect was amazing!  At the least, visit your backyard and lie on your belly on a blanket (read more about the science of earthing) or stand barefoot on the earth for 10 minutes.
3. Limit information/news intake, especially in the morning!  How you start the day is how you do the day. It’s really crucial to be mindful and vigilant about how, when and where you take in news AND how you start your day. I strongly encourage you to enter your day with intention. You decide who and what affects your thoughts first thing in the a.m. Science tells us as little as five minutes of stillness first thing in the morning can dramatically impact the quality and tone of our day. Read more.

There are many tools and practices I use that I’ll be sharing with you to help you navigate these times (I love legs up the wall, Yoga Nidra iRest and Jill Miller’s Coregous Ball for stimulating the vagus nerve and quickly moving me out of a fight or flight state) but start with the three steps above and let me know how it goes.

Please share your best practices for finding your center in crazy times on our Live Inside Out Facebook community. I’d love to hear!

Check our our free Self-Care Comfort Cards mentioned in this post for a visual anchor. Remember: self-care is not about self-indulgence or being selfish, it’s about self-preservation.

LOOKING AHEAD (YES, IT’S OK TO LOOK AHEAD): 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 or retreat or via a Zoom call, I’d love to support your organization now or in the future. Learn more here.
• Ready to embrace new ways of being in 2020? Join me for a self-renewal retreat. I’ll be at the gorgeous 1440 Multiversity in the Santa Cruz Mountains July 17-19 and at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (MA) October 23-25: nourishing, healing, transformative and rejuvenating! Learn more. 

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance coach/author/speaker and mindfulness teacher 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.