Do you feel that way?

So often, our passion for what we do is what keeps us going when challenges seem determined to stop us. Passion is the true “igniter” of fresh ideas and solutions, creativity and the ability to expand thinking so we are able to hold a bigger vision for ourselves.
Once ignited, the key is then to add enough of what we need in order to keep those internal fires burning brightly. That’s where well-matched self-care comes in.

What one thing can you do today that would help you feel more supported as you share your gifts with the world?

If stress has thrown you off track and you’re having no luck recovering your balance, here are five ways to identify the need for a more radical approach:

1. Your “old favorites” aren’t working.

Sometimes we are so busy trying to make things work, we can’t see the truth– that what we are doing simply isn’t working. If you find that you can no longer manage stress with tools that have worked for you in the past, it’s time to take an avid approach.

2. You feel stuck in high gear.

Is your adrenaline pumping 24/7? If you feel like you’re in “push-mode” all the time—even when you’re not chasing deadlines––a drastic reset is definitely needed.

3. Rumination is your new “default mode.”

You know it’s time for wholehearted measures when your thoughts constantly gravitate toward past concerns or worrying about the future.

4. Inspiration is snoozing.

Have you taken steps to restore yourself but find things like creativity and motivation are still asleep at the wheel? Extreme stress makeover time!

5. Your energy has fallen flat.

When extra sleep and nurturing hasn’t helped you find your spark, it’s time for either a sabbatical, or something radical!

Radical Resets always involves raising the bar on self-care. If the idea of stepping up self-nurturing is met with inner resistance, look at it this way: If you were thinking of investing in your business, you would look at how the investment would pay off now, and in the long run. Self-care can be that simple.

Since investing in you pays off now and in the future, go on–– reach for something radical!

*Take a whole day to play.

*Get away for the weekend to be pampered.

*Clear your calendar for an entire week and allow yourself to reconnect with your essence.

The size and scope of more far-reaching approaches vary, but it’s important to embrace your Radical Reset choices without guilt. Since placing yourself at the top of the list helps you recover and maintain your clarity, connection and vitality, you, your business, and your relationships share in the benefits!

If an easy, step-by-step approach sounds like the support you need to reset, Effortless Phoenix: 8 Steps For Bouncing Back From Illness Or Crisis––part of my Effortless Life Series––has proven tools to help you rebound. Find out more here: EffortlessLifeSeries.com

I’m back– and feeling fine.

When life seems to throw too much at us at once, it may not matter if we have a bag full of tools to manage stress. What matters is if we are getting what we need so we can balance what’s coming our way.

I tend to be the one in the crowd that has a very high level of self-care. For many years, I add daily doses of stillness, eat intuitively and do a variety of other things that work well for me. It is the lifestyle I have. Yet after months of family illnesses, friends and family funerals, my eighteen year-old dog passing away, and surgery, I found myself face to face with true imbalance. I threw more self-care and nurturing my way, but what I needed was a radical reset.

I took a break from several things in order to totally reboot––and it worked! Balance is back.

If I were a client, I would have probably seen the need sooner, but I kept telling myself that I already have superior care. Silly, huh?

The next time you feel imbalance tapping you on the shoulder, stop and pay attention a moment. And instead of judging based on how much self-care you think you already have, listen deeply to what has changed and update the way you meet your needs so your care matches what is going on in the present.

A quick review may be all it takes to see clearly that stress has been playing a bigger game. When you see that, you know that you have to change the way you respond. It really is that simple.

Next, I’ll share five ways to recognize when you need a radical response to stress…

I have been basking in the warm sun on this chilly morning, teacup in hand, looking back over my holiday time spent with friends and family. We really dove into some downtime here. Unlike I do on some breaks, I stopped work and handed myself over to 24/7 time with family––and we all had twice the amount of laughter and lightness to show for it! (I know it’s been a great holiday when, instead of waiting for things to “get back to normal,” I find that I’m drinking in dozens of happy memories as I drink my tea.)

I talk and write a lot about the need for small breaks and pauses throughout the day or week, but maybe not enough about truly stopping. While mini respites do help us to restore and manage stress, when we truly stop we open ourselves up to deeper levels of rejuvenation.

If your holiday time was more labor than leisure, it’s not too late to use a new year as an excuse to start stopping…

• If you want to stop eating junk food, pick up some healthier fare the next time you’re at the store.
• Are you tired of too many projects sitting around? Stop TV time for a few days and make a little room to catch up.
• If you want to stop self-neglect, book some regular nurturing time when you fill in the pages of your new planner. If you crave more time with your children or friends, write that down, too! We typically write down the things that are most important. Shouldn’t you and the people you love be included?

Most people do best trying one stop at a time. And remember: changes only seem daunting until we take action!

I invite everyone reading this to add more laughter and lightness to your days by practicing the fine art of stopping. And feel free to share the first thing you chose to stop with the rest of us.

This was the case when I decided to prepare for my vacation by stacking my schedule, omitting my “studio days” for a few weeks. I thought it would prevent some post-vacation stress to get more done before the trip. But my plan backfired, and I came down with a case of overwhelm before I even left.

Studio days are the one day a week that I hand myself over to painting, photography, drawing or something else associated with art or creativity. I had it in my head that since I was going to take a few weeks off for a photography-rich vacation, I could do without my weekly fix for a time. I could not have been more wrong. But overload can arrive bearing gifts of insight. Like reminding me that even those little “luxuries” woven into my life aren’t luxuries at all. They’re the glue that keeps me together when life pulls me in too many directions.

I headed out on our road trip remembering that what’s essential to my life balance mustn’t be judged. My weekly art time, those lovely blank spaces in my planner, movement and massages… these are just a few of the proven essentials that continually invite me back “home” to balance– and I’m sticking with what works.

Have you ever shaved something from your schedule and felt your scales start to tip? Perhaps the seemingly insignificant omission was actually a vital part of your life balance. Why not take a moment to consider which routines currently act as your glue, and you may avoid accidentally breaking what’s working well for you.