How do you love yourself?

Have you ever had a young child run across a room to hug you? Or maybe gifted a dandelion bouquet? Possibly you’ve received an extra wet kiss from a baby, or a half-eaten cookie as a gesture of sharing. And you have likely experienced a moment when a child just wanted your undivided attention. Sometimes these experiences are endearing. Sometimes they make you giggle internally and sometimes your very exhausted self is a little worn out by the behavior. But each of those behaviors is that child's way of loving you. Remember that each child is just a small adult. They create their communication styles early. The child who offers you a dandelion bouquet communicates their love through the language of gifts. The child who offers you wet kisses is communicating through physical touch and the one asking for your undivided attention is asking for quality time. 

 

This concept is likely over the head of these children, but you will grasp it easily. To recap the five love...

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Map to Purely You

Trying something new is hard. It can be exciting, exhilarating even, but taking that first step is downright difficult. We tend to be creatures of habit and don’t often veer from our routines and normalcy. When we do finally take that leap, there is a whole world of possibilities out there. 

 

I always find it is easier to do something different when I know as much as possible about what is coming next. Like having a roadmap to my new destination. I know where I am now and where I want to be later, and I use the map to get me there. So here’s your map to Purely You! 

 

You have a few different options for finding your purest self. Which one you choose is up to you. Since you’re here reading this, then you’ve already taken the first step! You’re consuming content that helps you to grow, change your mindset and explore strategies to become the best version of yourself that you can be. Another easy way to do this is with Wednesday...

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WHAT is a Coach and WHY do I need one?

I am a nurse and a Women’s Wellness Coach. 

 

When I tell people that I usually get one of three replies. 

  1. What’s a coach? 
  2. Why do I need one? 
  3. And my favorite… “Do you have your own life together?” 

 

It seems that the term coach is being used for anything and everything these days. For many years we have recognized coaches for sports of all kinds, and even voice and speech coaches. It is in more recent years that coaches for every other aspect of life have started to emerge in droves. Nutrition, finances, mindset, meditation, lifting, running, you name it, they’re hireable. Other terms used for these people have been guide, mentor, and advisor. A rose by any other name… right? In this instance, coach, guide, mentor, advisor, etc, are basically the same. To coach, by definition is to train or instruct. As a Women’s Wellness Coach, I help coach you to find wellness, in your mind, body, and soul....

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Reevaluate Your Goals

As you reflect on the past year, have you accomplished your goals? Have your goals changed over the last 12 months? How have YOU changed? Sometimes it's hard to look back at the year and realize we didn't get anything done we had planned to do.  On the other hand, sometimes we look back and think,  man,  look at everything I accomplished this year.

 

There is not one result better than the other… the concern is when either one of those thoughts is still surrounded by feelings of emptiness, frustration, or sadness. We all set goals, dream dreams,  and find motivation as the unique person we are on the first of the year. 

 

But life happens. And that changes us. 

 

Maybe you lost a loved one. Maybe you gained a family member.  Maybe a new job. Maybe a house project that turned into a major renovation. Maybe there's a global pandemic and it disrupts everything. 

 

Whatever the circumstances of the time that passes, it...

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Be Well

There I was, working with a client in a routine wellness session and I was hit with one of those phrases that make me stop in my tracks and write it down. Why? Because it is so simple, yet at that moment feels so profound. I mean I teach these concepts to my clients every day. We are always working on some variety of self-care, self-discovery, setting boundaries, and healing from our past. I have been doing this for over 8 years, and every now and then, a phrase will hit me like a ton of bricks. This session was one of those times.

See, when we allow our boundaries to be ignored, when we put ourselves last, when we take care of everyone and everything else without also taking care of ourselves, we end up unwell. For some, that looks like burnout. For some, that manifests physically. Sometimes, it's chronic fatigue, a short temper, or turning to food, alcohol, or other substances to get through the day. That will due in the short term, but eventually, it causes distress that must be...

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Reminisce and smile or reflect and cringe?

How often do you reminisce about days gone by? A little walk down memory lane can be enjoyable, so much so that many social media apps even provide an easy way to look at all the things you were doing on this day x years ago. While I love to float on nostalgia and sit in tender moments of happiness and joy, sometimes I look back and think, “yikes! What was I thinking?!” Have you ever been there? 

 

I heard it said once that if you don’t look back and cringe, you’re not growing. I love that mentality. You don’t get to beat yourself up for your choices and don’t have to pretend that you’ve always made good ones. Instead, you look back at your younger self and know that each choice got you here, to the place you are now. Whether by grand design, or cause and effect, without the good, bad, and ugly decisions you have made, you wouldn’t be who you are now. 

 

The end of the year is often a time to reflect and set new...

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Beyond Your Comfort Zone

I have traveled to Guatemala twice for mission trips with the God’s Child Project. We built “houses” for multiple families on these trips. By houses, we’re talking 4 walls and a cement floor; something we would consider more like a garden shed here in the States. There is something so eye-opening about providing service in a third-world country. The stark differences between how we live our lives here in America, and how the people of Guatemala live their lives. I was 20 the first time I went and I remember one of the gentlemen from the Project helping us to process our emotions. Someone in my group had talked about feeling guilty for how “comfortably” she lived her life when the people we were building houses for were just grateful for 4 walls and a Quikcrete floor. That gentleman reminded us that our version of comfortable and their version of comfortable was different, but that didn’t mean our families had any more or fewer struggles than...

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I'm sorry... I just had to share

I'm sorry,  I just had to share



Have you ever heard the phrase,  "seen and not heard"? In past generations, it was believed that this should be true of women and even of children. Thankfully,  this belief system is primarily one of the past.  However,  old habits die hard… we still see remnants of that teaching in common behaviors today.  

 

One example of this is when we hear someone say,  "I'm sorry,  I just had to share…" 

 

As in,  "I have something on my heart that I'd like to share,  but I feel bad about drawing attention to myself." 

 

It is likely not conscious, you might not even realize you’re doing it. But I hear and read some semblance of that phrase far too often. 

 

We apologize for taking up space,  for being noticed, and for asking to be heard. We apologize for sharing stories, thoughts, ideas, and opinions. We apologize for something we really are not...

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Aware is Self-Care

Often we look into self-care when feeling exhausted, burnt out, and overwhelmed. But, what if you looked at it from prevention than from recovery? I’ve always been a supporter of routine maintenance over crisis management. In a perfect world, we would make time for self-care every day. If you’re looking for some quick strategies to support your self-care I have a good list of them HERE. There is one thing that isn’t on that list though. A variety of self-care that often is overlooked. 

 

Awareness. 

 

In particular, being aware of your own limits. Knowing your limits in all facets of life is vital for keeping you grounded, organized, and free from burnout. Let’s use this example from my high school days. My nephew was in the class below me and we were both involved in many of the same activities, track being one of them. He was a distance runner. I was a jumper. So when he wanted to “go for a run” his idea was 8+miles at a...

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Define Enough

If you're anything like me, you've set many different goals for yourself throughout your life. Some people set them every January, sometimes it is at your annual review at work, and sometimes, it is before starting the next academic year, shoot.... you may even set a goal for your day every morning. These things are all wonderful. It is important to have something to strive for and something to help keep you motivated. SMART goals are a great way to help you accomplish those things in life you want to be a part of your legacy. What happens when you reach that goal though? Do you set another one? Do you check it off your list, never to think of it again? Do you take the time to enjoy your success or immediately move on to something different, something more?

It depends on the goal you’re setting. Let’s use weight loss as an example. Many people set a weight loss goal at some time in their lives. Goal: Lose 20 pounds. So, you work at it. You decrease your caloric...

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