Honoring Your Need for Self Care: Get outside to find Peace!
2021 has been one of the more difficult and challenging years I’ve faced to date. I’ve kept pretty quiet about all that’s been going on because I believe that challenges in life are to embraced, and fully experienced to allow for us to fully grow.
If I share while I’m in it, I will draw my attention away from learning the lessons and being present with the process. I’m also not one of those people who share about being in the MIDDLE of a mess, because it’s not offering any real value to those I serve. Instead, I will wait until the cycle has completed itself so I can share the powerful takeaways and lessons therein to help you in your journey towards growth as well.
But to sum it up, I’ve been tried in many areas of my life from my core values and beliefs, to my ability to trust, surrender, be impeccably honest and share my truth, love more deeply than ever, and hold to unwavering faith. The lessons bringing these things to light have been hard, fast, and in many cases, quite raw.
I recently hiked the Mt. Morgan and Mt. Percival Loop Trail in Center Sandwich, New Hampshire. If you haven’t experienced it yet, Fall hiking in New Hampshire is out of this world.
This hike was no different. From breathtaking views, to bright and poppy foliage, to inner transformation.
This trail is a 5.2 mile loop with a challenging climb and descent. There were lessons to be had even in the very act of hiking that echoed ones I was facing in my own life and allowed for some deep reflection as I applied them and gained insights.
I felt a full range of speed, stamina, strength, endurance, movement, balance, presence, mental fortitude, receiving, accepting, abundance, and gratitude.
One thing that really struck me was that so often how we choose to see things is often a direct reflection of what we’re going through at that time or instance. What we see might be different depending on exact circumstances and how it aligns with our hearts and path.
The top is not the reward.
Perhaps one of the greatest lessons I walked away with was that the top was not the reward. Trust me, the view was stunning, but it was about the entire journey. From the moment I was asked to go, to this moment here where I reflect on it all. It was all important. It was all valid and part of the experience.
Are You Seeking Clarity? Peace? Quiet?
I find myself in the woods a lot these days. Stepping back and away. I’m gifting myself more self-care, more peace, quiet, and as I do, I’m laying the foundation of my truth, my trust, and my surrender.
I used to believe that my responsibilities superseded experiences, education, belonging, and pure and simple joy. No more. And I encourage you to think on this too.
There is medicine in the air, in nature, in the woods, the mountains, the ocean, in getting away, in stillness. Nature never lets us down or disappoints us.
And here’s the added bonus. Honoring your need for self-care creates more value to your responsibilities and gives you more space to create impact than it takes away.
Surround yourself with people you love, engage in conversations about life, with no agenda
Rest and rejuvenate in new places. Create the space you need to think with more ease and clarity.
When we return home with our own cups and hearts filled, we can pour that abundantly back into our families and businesses
The impact we are striving to make begins inside. The more time we can give to ourselves, the more impact we can create in our communities.
So, let me ask you…when was the last time you stepped away, took time away from your business, work, and responsibilities? Even just a day? Maybe you start simply with a social media vacation? What could it offer you if you chose to take the time to replenish? What could you create in awareness or in solution if you simply had space?
Let this be your permission, and even your invitation to choose to step away, have some damn fun, explore a new place, talk to new or distant people, and relax.
If you do, keep me posted on the amazing experience it was and how it created new momentum in how you re-engage.