The Power of Intuition: How to Understand, Elevate, and Use it in Your Life
This episode is for you if you want to learn how to make decisions easier, navigate problems and roadblocks, and create more flow and efficiency in your life. In this episode, I’ll share the three things that have helped me strengthen my intuition. These tools are cycle tracking, human design, and astrology.
How To Avoid BurnOut
How to avoid burnout should be at the top of your list for self-care. I have always had the mindset to pick what I think would work and stick to it, even if it leads to burnout. I always had this self-inflicted pressure to choose and not give up, even when it inevitably drains me. Ways my burnout affected my well-being: Exhaustion My body & immune system shut down Lack of boundaries Little to no patience Holding on to the past and negative behaviors Not giving myself the space and time I need to thrive Not being the best version of myself Taking frustrations out on others and many other difficulties But here is the thing, that’s what set me up for failure at the end of my career. The signs were all there for me to move on to another chapter of my life. But, unfortunately, I was too set in my ways to see it right in front of me. So I hope I can share how to avoid burnout with you. I had a slight feeling my career was missing something but not enough to take significant action. My body was giving me signs that it was time to move on. Constantly being sick, hip problems, and sometimes I could barely move my wrist after a day of work. I would get off from working all day and have zero energy for anything. This way of living made me sad for my children. Unfortunately, society has conditioned us to think that we should feel this way after getting off work. This type of life is not what I want my relationship with work to feel like. Setting healthy boundaries is critical in how to avoid burnout The Covid shutdown is when the true feelings of my job came to life. I wasn’t feeling guilty that I wasn’t working because most people had to stop working during that time. It was the first time in my life since I was 14 where I just allowed myself to embrace the moment of now. It was like I was finally free. Here is the thing though I LOVE my clients, coworkers, bosses, and place of employment, so it was still a tough decision to move on. But, having no choice but not to work was the best thing that ever happened to me. I knew deep down I wanted to have a career that allowed me to work when I was most productive. But, unfortunately, that is practically impossible as a hairstylist. People book months in advance and won’t wait for your most productive time. I would plan better with some cyclical planning, but it was still not what I was craving. Another part of realizing I had to take a step back from being a hairstylist was the lack of boundaries and energy protection, leading straight to burnout. I was coming home from a long day with zero energy, and I didn’t know how to create that barrier. I would bring home the heavy energy my clients bring into my chair. Even worse than that, I would allow the energy from each client to linger on to the next. I always had this “I want to help my clients” outlook, but it turned into a “let me take on your energy” vibe. Until I stopped working, I didn’t realize how heavy that made my heart. We all process information differently, so have grace for yourself in the process One of the big things that have helped me learn more about myself has been Human Design. Reading my chart was mind-blowing, and I finally realized we are all built differently, and life becomes more manageable when we can honor that. It opened my eyes to how we all have different perceptions. Every person processes information differently. Our decision-making is different. We all need to take our route to get to where we want to be. Just because something works for me doesn’t mean it will work for you. One of the learnings from my HD chart was that my emotional center is wide open. What does that mean? I easily absorb other people’s energy. I have felt this my whole life but never knew how to explain or deal with it. When I walk into a room, I can feel sad, impatient, or excited about something. When a fight is happening, and I’m not involved, my nervous system still thinks I’m involved. The downside is most times, when the energy around me has an intense vibration, I can’t decipher if I am sad, angry, or hurt, or if it’s someone else’s energy I’m picking up. Having this center open is where my lack of energetic hygiene isn’t in my favor. But, having this center open can be a great gift if you know how to protect yourself. I’m still learning how to protect my space while supporting someone else. Essential steps in how to avoid burnout are to honor how you feel and listen to your body I’ve dealt with social anxiety my whole life when going into crowded spaces. Even if I know all the people in the room, it can be so overwhelming. Now I know it’s because there are so many emotions in the room my nervous system goes into overdrive. As I learn about this, I can find ways to protect my energy field before the event and even take a break to reset. An essential step I’ve learned is to honor how I feel and listen to my body. It’s taken practice, and it is a never-ending learning experience. Ways I tune into my body for finding myself: Meditate/Pray Energy Protection Energy Release Nature Walking Taking a 5-minute timeout (no electronics during this time) Breathwork Journaling Ocean sounds Check out my post on Self-Care for more ways to connect with yourself. For most of my life, I found ways to drown out all the energies and expectations (self-inflicted) by numbing myself with tv, social
Self-Care Tips And How You Can Improve Your Practice
What is self-care? I guess it can be a topic for discussion. Some people think binging on Netflix while eating pizza is self-care. Some people think it’s going to an expensive spa. I’ve been guilty of thinking both are self-care. The spa can be a way to nourish your body, but it isn’t at all necessary to achieve self-care. I want to give you some self-care tips and how to improve your practice. The last year has opened my eyes to what caring for my body can do. It has also brought to light the habits I engage in that don’t do well for my body. Sometimes those pesky bad habits sneak back in, like scrolling on TikTok for hours or indulging in sugar. I’m only human and know that sometimes we need to shut out the world and indulge. Self-care is taking small steps every day to take on new healthy habits. So back to what self-care is…. it’s in the name, caring for the self. Do you think eating sugar while watching mindless media is caring for the body? It doesn’t sound like it, and my mind and body never feel good after the fact. I either overeat or waste too much time when I could be doing something that makes me feel good. Here are some great ways for self-care: Turn your phone off Sit and honor your feelings and emotions A nice warm bath with some candles and music Walk-in nature Meditation Yoga Massaging your body with oil Journaling (check out my free daily gratitude journal) A whole day of healthy eating We should do self-care as a part of our daily life, not something we resort to when we can’t give anymore. My husband, kids, and I took a trip to Hilton Head for a long weekend over Mother’s Day in 2019. It was just a few weeks after my son of four months had to have surgery, and I was ready for some R&R! We were out to dinner on Mother’s Day, and my daughter’s finger got caught in a door. After spending the night at the ER and my daughter having to have emergency surgery, it wasn’t the best way to spend Mother’s Day. To make up for this Mother’s Day gone wrong, I had booked a yoga retreat at the Art of Living Center in Boone, NC, for the fall of 2019. In my mind, I needed this yoga retreat away to get the relaxation and rest I desperately craved. I was to the point where I couldn’t care for others until I gave myself the care I needed. Self-care wasn’t daily practice in my life. It started great, and the idea of the place is impressive. It had yoga, a spa, and nature. It wasn’t the luxurious type of spa that I had been to a couple of times before, but it had the peaceful vibe I needed. The first morning I woke up not feeling the best. I was in denial; I was getting weaker as the day went on. I was on my way to being pretty sick, but I hadn’t allowed myself to process it. I still did most of the activities planned, but by evening I had excused myself to get to bed early. I barely slept and woke up feeling terrible. I went to the yoga class and breakfast, thinking that it would help get my body moving. I planned on going for a hike after checking out, but I had no energy for such an adventurous task. I felt so bad I wasn’t sure I could drive a few hours back home, but I kept on trucking. During the drive home, my husband informed me both kids were also pretty sick. I felt so guilty I had been away, and now I had to tend to the kids even though I felt horrible. My daughter had an ear infection, while my son and I both had double ear infections. They were so bad the infection was in our eyes. Looking back at this time of my life, I pushed myself so hard to do it all; my body was shutting down. Now let’s fast forward to February 2020. We were taking a family ski trip to visit my husband’s family. We were bringing my nephew for his Christmas and birthday present. I didn’t have any relaxation expectations for this trip since I don’t ski and would be hanging back with my son. We were all staying at a rental property in the cute little town about twenty minutes away from my sister-in-law and brother-in-law’s house. I was happy to get the family time in. One afternoon I had asked to use my brother-in-law’s infrared sauna since it is highly suggested when detoxing my body from the mold. They were happy for me to use it and said to take as long as I needed. I don’t think I had done anything for as long as I wanted without a time stamp on it for a very long time. I took the twenty-minute drive to their house and played my favorite music. I even stopped off to check out the gorgeous views of the New River Gorge. That time in the sauna was the most impactful self-care I have ever done. I sat, I journaled, and I listened to music at separate times. I cried, prayed, and gave gratitude for every moment I had experienced in my life. I sat on their front porch and stared at the snow-covered trees. I experienced the “NOW.” So my point of those very different trips is that giving your mind and body the attention it needs is self-care. You don’t need a fancy spa or a weekend retreat to provide yourself with the care you need. You need to set the boundaries, make the effort and turn your phone