4 ways to be more compassionate with yourself
Self-Care
The quote my siblings and I chose for the front of my mom’s funeral service program was, “The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.” Mother Teresa
My mom’s ability to feel empathy, acceptance and deep compassion…
7 reasons I practice self-care
Self-Care
I was recently at a dinner party and found myself in a corner with a heart surgeon discussing the concept of self-care. Like many in healthcare, she saw self-care as something you “should do” for your physical health (exercise, eat well,…
Win my 2015 Year of Self-Care Mother’s Day Giveaway!
Life Balance
Self-care—the art of attuning and responding to your needs and desires—is a moment to moment process. It’s not about adding something to your to-do list; it’s about cultivating a kinder, gentler relationship with yourself. Renee…
7 reasons to choose love over fear
Self-Care
After a sweet early morning Easter meditation yesterday, I left my husband asleep and headed downstairs to see my 13 year-old. Reading on the couch in his pajamas, he looked up and begged me for raspberries and blueberry waffles for breakfast.…
Why I unplugged on my busiest day ever
Life Balance, Mindfulness
Last Monday morning I returned to mountains of work having been off for a week with my family for spring break (when we go on vacation we generally go "off the grid"). In addition to hundreds of emails, phone messages and requests for my…
Finding balance in a 24/7 world
Life Balance, Mindfulness
Growing up with a parent who suffered from clinical depression and navigating a heaping dose of dysfunction, stress, anxiety and "not feeling enough" the first thirty years of my life, left me highly motivated to want to FEEL GOOD.
The…
Rest = good self-care
Self-Care
"If we feel tired, we think something is wrong. Nothing is wrong. We are just tired. We need rest. Sometimes a lot of it, if we've gone for years vetoing our body's signals." Dr. Claudia Welch
A yoga teacher with a neurobiology background told…
7 reasons to ask for help (& support for getting started)
Life Balance, MindfulnessMy husband and I have been navigating some bumpy parenting terrain; unfortunately we're not alone. While at times, things can feel really tough, I find tremendous comfort from knowing we have a strong support network in place that we can turn…
7 ways to live inside-out
Mindfulness
Last week my husband I were at a dinner party with several other couples. Henry and Amy were lamenting about how much their lives had changed since our potluck dinner the month before. “Just a few weeks ago I was seriously contemplating…
What self-care is NOT
Self-Care
I was lying in bed Sunday morning reading from author Anne Lamott's beautiful little book Small Victories. In one of her stories about parenting, she shares with a little self-deprecation, but mostly tenderness, how she doesn't bake for…
What would your Wise Self say?
Self-Care, Women's Retreats
As I watch my five parentless siblings hit major life milestones — marriages, divorces, new babies, moves, career changes, health challenges— and observe their individual journeys toward emotional health and well-being, it makes me reflect…
10 gifts I’ve uncovered while living in the unknown
Mindfulness
Are you moving through a career, relationship or health crisis or challenge? Are you in transition and asking "What's next?" Do things seem particularly intense for you right now? For many of us it feels as if we’re headed into a brave,…