There are 2 things come up time and again in my coaching practice - 2 things that hold my women back - 2 things that we’re not TAUGHT growing up.
But in my experience, the wisest women among us wake up to these 2 truths at some point in their adult years, and embody them.
Today I’m here to set the record straight and offer you these empowering and life changing truths.
You ready?
THING 1: Your Wellbeing Is Paramount.
When we don’t take care of ourselves, our physical bodies begin to LOOK out of shape and we can SEE the damage done by a destructive lifestyle - so we tend to pay more attention to it.
But our mental health - that’s not immediately visible. It’s a little harder to put a finger on, and so many of us just ignore it completely.
Unfortunately, sanity is not a given. Mental health is not something that we can just depend upon as though it can’t be taken from us.
Mental wellbeing is a direct product of a taking really good care of ourselves.
Interestingly, our bodies often send us signals that give us insight into how our minds are doing.
How often do you take notice of what's going on in your health via your body?
Is your body sending you any signals? Is it screaming, “hey, I need your attention!” ?
I'll give you an example.
I grew up with Eczema, and it was itchy, rashy, and awful.
The best that a doctor could do to help me was prescribe me a steroid cream. What I didn't realize until much later, is that that this Eczema was actually a warning signal for what was going on internally in my system - it was a signal of inflammation.
When I NOTICED the signal and paid attention to the cause, not the symptom, I was able to see what was happening and how it was all connected.
Does that make sense?
Our bodies communicate with us when our wellbeing isn't what it could be.
And if we DON’T pay attention, our bodies will send up red flag after red flag, symptom after symptom, and these signals accumulate.
The result is always the same: Not only do we feel like crap in our bodies, but our mental wellbeing goes in the crapper as well.
This is when the real trouble starts - if it’s hard to feel well and clear in our minds, it's hard to be present, and it's almost impossible to enjoy your life.
I believe that's part of the reason we're experiencing a mental illness pandemic right now is because we’re treating the symptoms and not going upstream to look for a cause.
We CAN actually do something about it and make a difference in ourselves and the lives of people around us.
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you lose your wellbeing, it takes a lot of hard work often to get it back, which is why it's just so much easier if we actively generate and maintain our well being instead.
Let me ask you this:
Where are you succeeding in taking care of yourself? Celebrate that. I love to celebrate because it’s part of what gives us the juice to keep going down a healthier path!
And the areas where your body is sending up red flags - I invite you to get curious about those - and see where a physical symptom could be tied to a mental or emotional problem. Connect the dots, and then seek support.
THING 2: It’s Okay to FEEL - And Your Feelings Are Important.
It’s not just okay to feel, but feelings are important. Being attuned to what you're feeling when you're feeling it allows you to become a chain-breaker!
It’s also okay to WANT. It's good to have a desire - to feel desire.
I think that that's a big taboo for a lot of us.
A lot of us were brought up and told not to feel - or feed - desire. That mentality is a wee bit crazy making.
Say it with me now:
I have desires. That's awesome. That's human, that's beautiful.
A caveat to this is noticing when a desire comes from a place of addiction - like sugar addiction for instance. You may have a desire for a donut - but is it tied to your truest self? Or is your body looking to compensate for some other unhealthy choice?
When you have a desire, try to start recognizing it as a desire / wish or as an addiction / compulsion - Noticing without judgement will give your the power to change or alter your behavior accordingly.
If you’d like some support around cultivating well being or tuning in to your desires and dreams, I encourage you to schedule a Beat Burnout Now Strategy Session with me at https://pages.marnaschwartz.com/beat-burnout
We can create a state for ourselves of relative wellbeing - one that's ongoing - when pay attention to our feelings, our desires, our emotions, and our truth. It'll guide you in the right direction - one of happiness.
ALRIGHT, so in review: Your wellbeing is of paramount importance, and sanity is not a given or to be taken for granted. It's OKAY to feel your feelings - they are important and your desires DO matter.
Are there places in your life where you could be paying more attention to your well being or to your desires?
Wishing you wholeness and joy,
Marna