by Caroline | Dec 14, 2017 | Self Care
I don’t know about you, but I love the seasons; well NOW I do. I used to go into fall and winter kicking and screaming, because the joy and warmth of summer was gone, and all there was to look forward to was long months of cold, dead, nothingness.
(cue the emo music) 😔
BUT I started to tune into my natural inclination to slow down and go inward this time of year. I let myself retreat without feeling like a total waste of life. Okay I couldn’t completely hibernate, because you know jobs and stuff. However, I leaned into taking some stuff off my plate, staying in more, journaling, dreaming, taking more bubble baths.
It was there I learned a great lesson: When I stoped resisting and leaned into what my natural instinct was telling me to do, I learned that there is actually a productive purpose in slowing down.
Yes, my friends, Winter actually has a purpose! I’ll get to that in a minute.
From there I began to tune into the energy of all seasons, so that I may better align my self-care with what I needed during a specific time of year. This is when I first created the Seasonal Self-Care Guides.
Everything has a cycle; the seasons, the moon, our bodies, and our lives as a whole.
Let me illustrate.
Everything has its Winter; a period of no growth, dormancy, where it feels like things are going nowhere, and we may feel even a bit depressed. Following periods of Winter we have our Spring, where we finally feel like we’re coming out of the darkness, and begin to take small actions with intention to create new growth in our lives. Then we experience the fruits of planting those seeds and we get results. This is our Summer. Where we are energized from the rest we took in our Winter, and reap the benefits of the seeds we planted in our Spring. Naturally following any arch of expansion is the turn downward, finishing projects, having chapters come to a close, and preparing to take a rest. This is our Fall.
Without each cycle the next one wouldn’t be able to follow, and something would get stuck.
Now nature is smart. It doesn’t get stuck. Nature always spends the right amount of time in each phase, in preparation for the next, without rushing things along. *Can you imagine mother nature being like “Come on Winter, WON’T YOU JUST END ALREADY, WTF!?”*
So when we are out of tune with the phases playing out in our own lives, and trying to be perfect and productive 100% of the time, we may start to feel a bit stuck, or just burnt out AF.
I see these cycles play out with the phases of the moon. If you follow lunar rituals you know that we set release things that are no longer serving us and set intentions for growth on the new moon, watch them slowly come to fruition as we take intuitive action, finally experiencing the manifestation and high energy during the full moon, which winds down again as we approach the next new moon.
Our bodies play out this same cycle. When we ladies have our period we kinda want to hide away from the world and just be alone. You tune inward, and experience the darker aspects of yourself, which is actually a good thing because it allows your shadows to be exposed so they can be healed and make room for the new things that we are cultivating in our lives. Following that, the cycles of our hormones take us into a phase of high energy, creation, and inspiration during ovulation, and then back down again, in preparation for the next cycle.
Lastly, the grand arc of our lives mimic these cycles. Childhood and adolescence are like our Spring, where we are learning, growing into ourselves, and planting the seeds for who we will become. Adulthood is our Summer, where we are out in the world making things happen, doing the jobs, raising the kids, always going. Later adulthood imitates the energy of Fall, where we begin to wind down, sell the house, retire, take afternoon naps with golf on in the background. Then finally the elderly years are like Winter. No expansive growth is taking place, and things are beginning to shut down. I don’t mean to make it sad because there’s something so beautiful in the energy of being still and slow, preparing for the next phase, whatever that will be. And though we don’t know for sure what comes next, by looking at every cycle in nature there’s always rebirth after death. I find comfort in that, and use it almost as evidence that we don’t just evaporate when we die.
When I realized that not only do all these aspects of our lives have a beautiful synchronicity to them, mirroring each other, but they can also be USED TO OUR BENEFIT!
Instead of living this linear existence, where every day we are expected to feel, think, and perform exactly the same way, what if we used the downward cycles to rest up, look at our lives, and clear out what’s not serving us? That way we could harness the energy already present in the earth and in our bodies to ride the upward cycles toward greater health, clarity, abundance, and productivity?
Would you like to learn about how the cycles of nature impact your performance, and how you can use them to your benefit to get more satisfaction and peace in all aspects of your life?
I’ll be doing a live training on this topic on December 21st 2017, so bring your cozy slippers and a pen, because you don’t want to go into the new year without this information. It has changed my life! Click here to get access to the FREE live training.
by Caroline | Oct 8, 2017 | Self Care, Wellness
Getting enough sleep is important, but you shouldn’t underestimate the importance of getting QUALITY sleep. It’s not just the quantity, but the quality of the hours you’re sleeping each night that can make the difference in your energy and stamina the next day. With good sleep hygiene, you can improve the quality of your sleep. Sleeping better ensures that you get the restorative rest you need to perform your best each day.
Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene means practicing good sleep habits. Important elements include maintaining a comfortable temperature, darkness and quiet in your bedroom, and comfortable bedding. You should go to bed at the same time each night, and avoid screen time, caffeine, and late naps. Sleep hygiene can also include incorporating relaxing exercises into your pre-bedtime routine, such as yoga and meditation.
Just like how you take care of your personal hygiene by brushing your teeth, your sleep hygiene should become a non-negotihtble part of your routine.
Yoga and Sleep
Practicing yoga poses an help you calm your mind and body. This makes it easier to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep through the night. You can practice some yoga poses in bed including:
- Legs up the wall
- Forward bend
- Happy baby pose
- Child’s pose
- Corpse pose
- Reclining Goddess pose
When you practice yoga in bed it’s a good idea to move pillows and comforters to that you have a large flat surface. You hold choose a mattress with a good support core so you’ll have a comfortable sleeping environment as well as a good place to stretch and do seated poses.
Meditation and Sleep
Meditation can be helpful for sleep, practiced with or without yoga. It can relieve stress, and can calm your mind so you can get to sleep quickly and experience restful, restorative sleep.
Meditation has been proven to:
- Reduce fatigue
- Diminish Anxiety and depression
- Rewire Brains
- Repair genes
Meditation can help you get good quality sleep by triggering a relaxation response, and it can hep yo if you’re short on sleep. it shifts your focus, helping you focus on the preset moment.
We can practice meditation for better sleep and daytime focus with:
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- mindful breathing
- counting meditation
- guided meditation
How You Can Improve Sleep Hygiene for Better Sleep
Improving your sleep habits can improve your sleep. Get better sleep by following thee sleep hygiene tips:
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Maintain a comfortable temperature. Your bedroom shouldn’t be too hot or too cold. Most people tend to sleep best in a cool room. Make sure your mattress, bedding, and pajamas are breathable and appropriate for the season.
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Keep your bedroom dark. Bright lights can interfere with your circadian rhythm, telling your brain it’s time to wake up even when you’re trying to go to sleep. Consider blackout curtains if your bedroom isn’t dark enough.
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Keep your bedroom quiet. Loud noises can keep you up or jar you awake. Limit nighttime noise and consider using a white noise machine if you’re bothered by noises at night.
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Invest in comfortable bedding. The right mattress can help you stay comfortable at night, aligning your spine and offering the support you need for restorative sleep.
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Limit screen time before bed. Just as bright lights can interfere with your brain’s sleep signals, screen time can be confusing as well. Avoid using screens in the hour (or more) before bed to avoid sending your brain a signal that it’s daytime and time to stay awake.
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Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bed. Consuming these items can interfere with sleep quality, or make it difficult to fall asleep.
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Go to bed at the same time each night. Setting a consistent sleep time can train your brain and body to get sleepy at a regular time. This will make it easier to drift off to sleep each night.
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Nap wisely. Avoid naps late in the day, or napping for too long, as they can interfere with sleeping well at night.
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Use your bed as a dedicated place for sleep and rest. Your bed should only be used for sleep, sex, and restful activities, such as yoga and meditation. Avoid working, eating, and other activities in bed.
This post was graciously submitted to Bloom & Spark by Sara Westgreen. Sara Westgreen is a researcher for the sleep science hub Tuck.com. She sleeps on a king size bed in Texas, where she defends her territory against cats all night. A mother of three, she enjoys beer, board games, and getting as much sleep as she can get her hands on.
by Caroline | Jul 23, 2017 | Self Care
If I’ve learned anything in recent years is that more people experience stress and anxiety than almost any other condition. The fast pace of our daily lives, and the pressure of our jobs and families can add up over time. I’ve spent a lot of time learning different ways to relieve my stress and anxiety. Many of these seem simple but all new habits take time to implement so give yourself a break, and try out one or two of these practical hacks for stress relief.
Keep cell phones out of the bedroom– I know this one is so hard!!! I am a total hypocrite for even writing this because I fall back into this habit all the time. I like to fall asleep to Gilmore Girls what can I say! It really does make a difference to take your phones out of the bedroom for many reasons. For one, blue light from screens has been known to disrupt melatonin in the brain which helps us wind down for sleep. This causes us to not only lose sleep but also lose quality sleep because our brains remain more active even when we are sleeping. They do make glasses that block blue light from screens like these (which I totally have by the way cuz I’m cool like that) that are supposed to help. I can honestly say that I have a harder time waking up in the morning after nights when I use my phone before falling asleep- and since Instagram stories became a thing it’s been a major problem in my life.
Exercise or Yoga– One word…Endorphins!!!! Movement releases stress-relieving hormones, duh. This is not breaking news people. But here’s where you can take it to the next level. Instead of just pushing through your workout, try turning down the volume on the workout video or stop watching f*cking CNN at the gym and listen to a motivational or personal development podcast while you workout. I seriously push myself so much harder when listening to this type of stuff. I get a better workout, and my mind gets a boost too! For a more calming type of stress relief give Yin Yoga a try!
Establish morning and evening routines– Stress relief is often cumulative. When you do stress reliving activities on a regular basis you experience far less stress than if you only engaged in stress relief when you were really stressed out. Therefore, establishing a regular morning and evening routine that you do every day will help maintain your happy relaxed state over the long term. A typical morning routine may include exercise, yoga, meditation/prayer, journaling, gratitude, and a quiet meal free of distractions.
Sleep Hygiene– Sleep hygiene refers to how well you take care of yourself and your environment in preparation for optimal sleep. Some of the fundamentals of sleep hygiene include a dark space and limiting noises and light from phones, tv’s, and digital alarm clocks. Maintaining an environment that promotes optimal sleep is key in sleep hygiene. Also very important are how we treat our bodies before bed. That includes limiting alcohol (oops, sipping wine as I write this no joke), caffeine, sugar, and any other stimulants several hours before bedtime, as well as turning off all screens at least an hour before turning in.
Guided Meditation or Deep Breathing- Yes I am a yoga instructor. Yes I tell people all the time how important the breath is. Does it ever get old? HELL to the NO! Breathing is LITERALLY something you do every second of your life, yet so many of us actually breathe wrong. Yes you read that correctly. There’s a good chance you’re breathing wrong right now. No need to freak out though! Guided meditations are everywhere these days, and most of the time you can find great ones for free on youtube and spotify.
If you found these helpful share them with a friend or hit the PIN IT button when you hover over the picture!
xo,
by Caroline | May 25, 2017 | Self Care
I woke up this morning with a really bad headache and no desire to workout. My thought process was all over the place, everywhere from “you deserve to sleep in, take care of yourself” to “get up and do the damn thing, you never want to workout but you just do it.” Somewhere along the way I realized it’s friggin hard to balance self-care and self-discipline. We all need both at different times, but how do you know when you really need a day off or when you’re just making excuses?
I used to make excuses all the time. Every day actually. My previous routine would go something like this: lay out my workout clothes the night before and set my alarm 30 minutes early. When the alarm went off it was usually dark and cold outside and my bed always felt so much better, so I would snooze for an hour finding some excuse why I “needed to sleep.” Day after day I went through the same cycle of wanting to get into healthy morning routine, and then sabotaging myself with excuses, citing “self-care.”
Does your self-care ever become self-sabotage?
Right? When we say “I deserve this…” what is the intention behind it? Is it to avoid something that would actually benefit us (like working out or eating right), or is it because we might actually need it.
Self-discipline is essential in creating lasting positive change in your life. The weights don’t lift themselves! You have to get up and do the damn thing! And sometimes it’s pushing through those days where you really don’t want to, that we solidify the habits we wish to create. We need self-discipline, just as much as we need self-care.
I’ve been in phases of my life where I was all one, and none of the other. That’s not healthy either, and certain’y doesn’t lead to a happy and balanced life.
So how can we tell if our self-care excuses are really self-sabotage?
- Check in with your body. If you have a torn ligament, a fever, or a migraine it’s probably time to do some self care. BUT if you’re just low in energy, feeling sluggish, or a little sore from yesterday’s workout then you should probably get up and push through it. It’s not just doing the thing every day, it’s doing the thing when you LEAST want to do it that will really create those habits.
- Ask yourself, what do I WANT more? Your want has to be strong, right? If you want to meditate every morning, or if you want to practice yoga before the day starts, then you sure as hell better WANT to do it. If you want to lose the weight, or feel confident in your own skin, then you gotta WANT to press play on your workouts each day. So if you’re like me, laying in bed, contemplating going back to sleep or getting up, ask yourself what do I want more: to make another excuse, or to go after my dreams?
- Ask yourself what do I NEED more? This is where the balance part comes in. So you’ve identified what you want; now you have to be honest with yourself. Only you will know the answer to this. Do you need to sit on the couch and watch another episode of Pretty Little Liars or do you need to get up and move your body and elevate your energy? Usually the answer is going to point you toward doing the thing you don’t want to do.
- Make a plan: My plan is to exercise 5-6 days a week, I don’t have an assigned rest day, I just take it when I need it. That way when something comes up and I need to take a rest day, it’s always there for me, just not every day. The same goes for clean eating. Usually during week days I stick to a really clean eating routine, so if I get invited to a party on Saturday I can have some treats and not go through the whole psychological battle of whether I “deserve” it or not.
Always rely on your inner guidance system. When you connect to that deep knowing within, you can’t go wrong.
Take care of yourself,
