In the last several months I have had many clients come to talk about self-care and the challenges they are having physically, mentally, and emotionally. Stress seems overwhelming, and many have expressed the fear that they cannot heal. They have asked me what I do to stay healthy with my busy coaching, teaching and travel schedule. They wanted me to document my health plan and share it.
To fulfill this request, I had to slow down and write down my process. I believe questions are essential and I looked back in my journals to see what questions I asked myself as I began my process of radical self-care.
Here are the issues:
Are you exhausted?
Are you in overwhelm?
Are you putting others before you?
Are you mastering self-care?
Are you in denial as your body is asking you to slow down, rest, eat differently, or move more?
For me, the answer to many of these questions was yes. It was at that point I knew it was time to make a change. COMPASSION FATIGUE
As I dove deeper into my process, it became clear the motivating factor for my challenge was my desire to be in service. It’s interesting, many people experiencing burnout are people committed to high service.; AND this is the very thing tripping them up. In 2007 François Mathieu began to speak about compassion fatigue. He called it the cost of caring for others.
The people experiencing compassion fatigue experienced the following:
- Exhaustion and overwork
- Cynicism in work
- Resentment in caring for others
- Moving away from the thing that they are passionate about
Once I discovered this, it became clear that I had to find a new way to do my work and manage my life. I was called to look at every aspect of my lifestyle choices and decide what served me and what did not.
When I looked at this opportunity with my clients, they were amazed and ADMITTED THAT THEY DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO PUT THEMSELVES FIRST. They didn’t want to feel selfish or guilty.
That truth put us on a trajectory of non-negotiable self-care.
FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- 77% of people experience stress-related physical symptoms such as a headache, fatigue, and upset stomach.
- 73% of people experience psychological symptoms such as irritability, anger, nervousness, and crying.
- 45 % of people are more stressed today than they were five years ago.
FIVE STEPS TO SUPPORTING SELF-CARE
Get Real – The only way to shift a non-supportive habit is to do things differently. That means that the first step is, to be honest about your current reality. What beliefs and behaviors do not support your health and well-being?
Take Ownership – Your gifts are distinctive, and now one can deliver them in the way you can. Your job is to uncover and discover all the ways you can shine your light and share your magnificence.
Connect with Passion- I believe we are all here with gorgeous imaginations and the ability to manifest our dreams. Successful people had a dream or an idea and went about bringing it to form. AND it all started with getting clear about their passions and amplifying them.
Commit to Growth – Practice and focus are two powerful things that can move things into manifestation. Create a plan that is simple and doable. Do something on the plan daily. Daily can be an hour, 20 minutes or five minutes. What is important is that you commit the time to expand your vision and nurture your health.
Call in Accountability – If you could do this on your own, you would have done it by now. There is nothing shameful about needing help. Call in a coach, join a mastermind group, create a no-nonsense accountability partnership. Make sure these people are committed to helping your success and will not nurture your non-supportive behavior.
HOW DO YOU WANT TO AGE?
We are all aging, but we do not have to decay or move into states of atrophy. AND we are the ones required to choose health, self-honoring, and self-care.
Many years ago I was working so hard that my adrenals started to shut down. It was not the first time my body has asked me to care for it, BUT it was the most dramatic. I had to take time off and nurture myself, and I found it difficult. I discovered that my worth was somehow connected to how I worked and showed up for others. THIS WAS A HUGE AWAKENING. At that moment, I became clear that if I was going to age in a healthy manner I had to shift. So, I did the following:
- Stop eating my stress
- Change my diet
- Implement consistent workouts
- Learn that NO is a complete sentence
- PUT ME FIRST
That’s how I wrote my book; I CHOOSE ME The Art of Being A Phenomenally Successful Woman at Home and at Work.
I believe it has been a best seller on Amazon because people are starting to awaken to the absolute non-negotiable need for self-care.
So, if you need support in this arena, I have created the Self Care Mastery Online Class. IT IS SELF-DIRECTED and INCLUDES 15 VIDEOS, MEDITATIONS, AND WORKSHEETS. It is affordable, and I have a payment plan if you need it.
PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOU AND YOUR BODY. THE WORLD NEEDS YOU.
Love and Light,
Cynthia
If you have dreamed of a more fulfilling, abundant life, I can help. I offer a myriad of coaching programs and online services.
Cynthia James is a transformational coach. She helps women connect more deeply with their authentic selves, so all can create more prosperous, fuller lives. If you want to transform your life into the one you’ve always dreamed of, learn more about Cynthia’s life-changing in-person events.
