The Healing Power of Intuitive Self-Care
Greetings! Though you haven’t heard from me in a while, you have been on my mind. I have spent the last two months immersed in family. Most of our focus has been on helping my father-in-law during his transition through his final phase of this life and onto whatever may come next.
The experience was painful and poignant, grueling and sacred. It was a gift to be able to have him at home on hospice, and a marked loss to say our final goodbyes and let him go. After he passed, we helped our daughter transition to her new home across the country. At that point, I found myself depleted and needing deep self-care.
Recognizing this, I asked myself what form my healing needed to take. Through my search, I discovered an opportunity to settle into an affordable not-for-profit secluded retreat center, Saranam, in the mountains of West Virginia. Mine was not a well-orchestrated, planned retreat like those I lead. It was crafted upon a deep sense of knowing what I needed and listening to my intuition. Each moment of my week there, I tapped into listening and responding. I rested, read, practiced yoga and meditation, hiked, and even had a vigorous day of skiing. I fed my body what it needed and let food nourish me.
I am grateful for the privilege that allowed me the healing time I needed. It reminded me that sometimes, when life is hard, we know what we need. We just aren’t accustomed to listening and responding in a way that supports our wellbeing. Doing so is countercultural!
Of course, we can’t always respond by taking a week away. But we can always respond with self-compassion and self-care. We can choose to pay more attention to our intuition that guides us to loving self-care than we pay to the voices, fueled by mass media and perceived external expectations, that drive us to depletion.
Each of us are creative, resourceful, and whole. We all have access to deep knowledge that supports our wellbeing. That knowledge helps guide us to nourishing foods, movement that feels good, creative expression that aligns with our authenticity, and connection to people and environments that support us.
However, trusting our intuition can take work. It can also be scary and require courage.
Having a health and wellness coach as a guide is like having a touchstone who reflects the choices you make. Sometimes gently, and sometimes more insistently, they can help you discern whether that choice is a good fit for you. As a team, we craft a plan with tiny steps, exploratory experiences, accountability, reflection, and celebrations.
Bit by bit, a new way of being emerges, guiding you to trust your intuition. Following that intuition leaves you less dialed into external noise and more tuned into inner strength, resilience, and peace.
My greatest joy in my work today is helping individuals use their intuition for self-care. Whether it’s through coaching, yoga, workshops or retreats, I will be privileged to serve as your guide.