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Developing a Personalized Self-Care Plan (That Really Works!)

For many, the idea of self-care is foreign or low on the priority list… especially in a season of giving to others!  Shortly after the holidays begins the new year, offering an opportunity to set goals and make change wherever necessary.  Is it possible to set New Year’s Resolutions in such a way that not only will you succeed in keeping them, but that they will truly be fulfilling to achieve and not stress-inducing?  The answer is an emphatic yes!  When you take the time to really align with your highest intentions, the process of manifesting them is not an uphill battle but instead it is a lovely journey full of beautiful scenery.  Here, we offer five simple steps to create a self-care plan that will not only support your wellness, but it will also be enjoyable part of your daily life!

1)  Assess your current situation.  This means being honest with how your self-care is going right now, and whether you feel it is where you would like it to be.  Do you take time for yourself and are you receiving what you need?  This does not mean to be hard on yourself or judge yourself, just to simply take note of how things are.  In fact, in this process honoring yourself for all of the things you are satisfied with and proud of as well is a good exercise in counterpoint.

2)  Visualize your goals.  What are you trying to achieve with self-care?  Would you like to work on stress management and reduction?  More clarity and focus?  Decreasing of symptoms of illness and building the immune system?  Think holistically and realize that any steps you take will benefit you on all levels of body-mind-spirit!  Write down your goals and even share them with a friend or loved one that can bear witness to them.

3)  Discover what works for the unique you.  There are many paths to the same result, so it is important that you seek the healing modalities, lifestyle choices and methods that are a good match for you- your personality, aesthetic, and elemental or archetypal constitution.  For example, exploring how exercise may manifest in your plan may mean for some intensive cardio workouts to stimulate, but for others, a gentle Tai Chi class will be more resonant.  There are many options so that you can find those that work for who you are.  Choosing things that are in alignment will make them much easier to sustain.

4)  Develop the personalized plan based on your discoveries.  If you take the time to really see what is available for you and see what ignites your enthusiasm and feels resonant not only with your intentions but with your unique self, then it is just a matter of creating the plan that makes practical sense.  A combination of healing modalities and lifestyle changes may look good on paper, but if it takes a lot of work to alter the current structures, it may not happen either.  So, find a way to integrate the things that will bring you the highest ROI (return on investment) with respect to your wellness goals.  Maybe receiving regular massage and doing Yoga three times a week is more viable than fundamentally altering your diet or meditating for an hour every morning.  Figure out what you will be able to do and what you will enjoy and look forward to.  The last thing you want is a plan that creates more stress!  Remember it is a work in progress, and your needs may change, so the plan will need to be flexible to take these shifts into account.

5)  Implement the new plan and watch your life transform! By developing a self-care plan that is not what you think it should be by some external calibration, but one that is aligned with the whole being that you are and what you really want, all you have to do is make it happen.  Getting a witness/accountability partner for this step may be quite beneficial as well.  There is no wrong way and there is nobody who you are in competition with, not even yourself.  Consider the plan a way of enacting love toward yourself, instead of something you have to prove or win.  Be gentle on yourself, and know that every baby step counts.  Each time you feel the amazing benefits of doing self-care in your own unique way, you will reinforce the action and look forward to more!

For support in learning about the options for wellness, determining what resonates with your uniqueness, or development of a personalized self-care plan (that really works!) feel free to contact Michelle or Annette, and they will assist in making the process both informative and empowering!

The Healing Power of Gratitude

For many, the holiday of Thanksgiving reminds us to be in gratitude, but it remains an isolated way of being that is limited in scope.  It is an opportunity to think of that which we are happy to have in life, whether it is health of any extent, friends and family, abundance, or success in whatever way that word unfolds for each of us in our unique paths.   It is a festive feast of fellowship, a joining together around the table to enjoy one another and the gifts we all bring by being ourselves.  Why must this amazing feeling of interconnectedness and abundance be but once a year?  It is possible to have that deep sense of gratitude each and every day that we are focused on that feeling… what a powerful and healing practice that would be!

Developing a practice of gratitude is a worthy endeavor with many benefits for body, mind, and spirit.  Gratitude is inherently stress reducing.  It helps increase immunity and decrease subsequent illness.  It also aids in digestion and thus assimilation of essential nutrients that the body needs to function optimally.  This is why it is a common tradition to say grace before a meal.  Gratitude also has the ability to decrease stress by focusing our energy on positive and abundant thinking, rather than fear and scarcity, which is stress inducing.  Being thankful for what one has allows the mind and energy to be single focused, and in present moment awareness.  This prevents anxiety or worry about the future, or draining one’s energy on mulling over the past which cannot be changed.  Thus, the practice of gratitude is a tool for healing and cultivation of deeper consciousness.  Another benefit of developing a practice of gratitude is in building a strong foundation for furthering one’s intentions and creating a life of authenticity.

A wonderful way to begin a practice of gratitude is to make a list of that which you are thankful for.  Anything that comes to mind, write it down.  Think about all areas of life and include those people and things that create a deep sense of peace and joy when you hold them in your heart and mind.  Next, create an altar of gratitude.  Place your lists upon it daily, along with objects that resonate with your list, such as photos, stones, plants, or other objects that hold deep meaning for you.  If that practice seems too involved, or is too much of a commitment at this time, then start where you are and do what you can.  Every effort is a step in the right direction!  If you jot some things on a post-it at work, or type your list on your Blackberry, it still resonates that energy out into the world!  A final thought on practicing gratitude:  it is not merely something you do in isolation.  Tell those that you are grateful for in your life how much they mean to you and freely share the love that comes flowing out of a heart that is deep in Thanksgiving!

Hello and Welcome!

We are happy to have internet presence. There is a feeling that comes along with this knowledge for me… a sense that maybe more people will have the opportunity to find us and be supported in their healing processes. I am grateful to Sid, the logo graphic designer, and to Tom the website artist for their work in making this possible, for their wisdom, patience, and intuition in the creation of this aesthetic and its correlation to the space we have tried to create and the philosophy we represent.