6 Coaches & Healers Share Their Top Self Care Practices

6 Coaches & Healers Share Their Top Self-Care Practices

We all know that self-care is important for our well-being, our health, and our happiness. Yet many of us don't take the time to add these practices into our daily lives.

 In this special guest blog post, 6 coaches and healers, including myself,  share some of our favorite self-care practices that you can start using today. I hope you enjoy!

Let's get started.

 Tina Stinson

One of my favorite most powerful deep-level self-care practices is bringing myself back into the present moment.

When I’m feeling stressed or anxious it's usually coming from a thought or a feeling from the past or a worry about something in the future. 

These are two things that don’t exist and we have complete control over how they affect us.

All I do is, as soon as I’m feeling that stressed anxious feeling, take a few deep breaths to ground myself in my body. I acknowledge how I’m feeling and ask myself what is it that is making me feel this way. 

If it’s from something that happened in the past, I release it and forgive if needed. I also remind myself that the past is done and does not exist anymore. 

If it’s something from the future that I’m worried about then I remind myself the future has not happened yet and I have control over how I can make it play out in a more positive way. 

I will then visualize how I want it to work out.

While taking a few more deep breaths I remind myself all that really exists is the present moment right now and at this moment I’m good, I’m ok, and I always have my own back.

This is a very quick effective way to get you out of that stress response and feeling better right away.

Tina Stinson

Mindset & Success Coach

Soul Aligned Self Care Podcast

Tinastinson.com

Joyce Appel

I was a burned-out middle-aged RN before I realized there was such a thing as self-care, and that it could include more than a hot bath and some decent sleep.

Then I learned the energy technique known as Reiki. In case you aren’t familiar with it, it is a Japanese technique for pain and stress reduction. It also helps you release emotions you may not even realize you’ve been hanging on to.

I wanted to learn Reiki so that I could provide it for others and hopefully get it started in the hospital where I worked.

Receiving Reiki from other practitioners helps you feel relaxed and overall amazing. But unless you are living with a Reiki person, you probably can’t get a Reiki session very often.  The pain and stress can just build up again if you aren’t able to do some kind of self-care in between sessions.

Did you know that once you become a Reiki practitioner that you can do self-Reiki?

Once I realized how much better I felt when I did regular self-care with Reiki, I was hooked forever. 

My favorite time of the day to do Reiki is as I am falling asleep. The tensions of the day tend to drift away more easily; muscles relax; any pain can be reduced. Sleep can come quickly and feel so luxurious! You may have vivid dreams too!

I do use Reiki at other times of the day too, whenever I need it. 

My life is better because of it. 

Joyce Appel

Spiritual Mentor, Reiki Master/Teacher

 https://www.wellnessconnects.com/new-york/bridgeport/business/joyce-appel-spiritual-mentor

Renee Hagar Smith

When I think about deep-level self-care, and I need to reconnect to my heart center--to recharge and find the compassion within--I place both hands over my heart and return to my breath. Allowing myself the soothing and supportive touch of my hands turns my attention inward and brings awareness to my physical state, as well as my emotional and spiritual state.

During this time, which might be 30 seconds or 30 minutes, I either work on lengthening my inhales and exhales and keeping my breath smooth or practicing a specific type of breathwork (pranayama) that will calm and relax my parasympathetic nervous system.

This simple self-care practice is available to me nearly everywhere I go, and I make a habit of using it every night before bed, as part of my before-sleep routine. Adding in a mantra or affirmation, such as “I am enough” or “I am held and supported” can also enhance that feeling of creating your own safety.

I find that this self-care practice is one I return to again and again--not just for me, but for my clients as well. To me, it is an integral part of practicing self-compassion and bringing my attention back to my inner light and the compassion within my heart. 

Renee Hagar Smith

Renee Hagar Smith Coaching

healingfromthesoulup.com

Danielle Wilk

WHAT

Processing my own triggers without projecting them onto anyone else has been a life-changing self-care routine. 

WHY

I’ve made myself a priority. Setting my standards, with healthy respectful boundaries and not compromising my care or myself for others. 

I no longer put my feelings on the back burner for others' feelings. I honor both parties. 

I USE THIS METHOD 

Whenever I’m uncertain about interaction in my relationships. If the other person needs or wants something different than what’s in alignment with my needs and wants we can respectfully let that part go. 

I no longer try to hold up relationships that are not reciprocal. I don’t take it personally I simply understand and respect we are in different places. Perhaps we’ll sync up down the road sometime. 

I allow myself to be exactly where I am and I allow others to be exactly where they are without trying to control or force things. 

This doesn’t mean I don’t get sad or frustrated of course I do I’m human! 

I allow myself my processes. I honor my triggers and emotions for myself. Meaning I allow myself to feel my feelings without judgment. I cry, write, yell, etc as needed. I process the trigger, integrate what I’ve learned in the spaces where I’ve purged the toxins, and allow the new more aligned version of me to settle in. 

I see triggers as an opportunity. Anytime I release old triggers I’ve now created space for more of who I truly am to get into my body.

Our triggers are so deep…they can be from personal experiences, but some of them are even deeper than that. Many of these triggers and patterns live very deep in our DNA…cellular memories passed down from our ancestors. 

Our ancestors were all survivors,  so they’ve certainly experienced a lot of triggers to get us here to this moment! 

I find it exceedingly beneficial to work with that internal process first. This has saved tremendous amounts of time and energy. It significantly cut down on chaos and confusion. 

If I need to process with the other person at some point and they are open to it, great. If not 

I do my best to take responsibility for my part and my part only. Letting go of judgments and expectations around what others choose. 

HOW IT MAKES ME FEEL 

Empowered and Stable. I’m no longer a victim of outside circumstances. No matter what’s happening or who’s involved I always have a choice to control myself. My reactions and responses dictate the outcome. No one else is responsible for my feelings or how I choose to align my life. 

Danielle Wilk

Intuitive and spiritual guide

Harmoniousheartliving.com

Jody Brown

I am so delighted to be asked to share my favorite self-care practice. I tested positive for COVID several weeks ago and I realized that I have not engaged in my favorite self-care practice, meditation, in quite some time.

I wonder, did that make me more vulnerable to getting sick? And writing this blog is such an excellent reminder that it is time to get back to my meditation practice.

Meditation is so good on so many levels. On the physical level, a meditation practice can help reduce blood pressure as well as lower your heart rate and respiration. These physical changes produce mental changes as well. People who meditate regularly report feeling calmer and more centered. My favorite part of this practice, however, is the feeling of connection to something greater than myself that usually occurs while I am meditating. So, my meditation practice is not only a self-care practice but a spiritual practice as well.

With all of these benefits of meditation, I am sure that you can understand why it is my favorite self-care practice. It is way past time for me to get back to this practice so excuse me while I go meditate!

Jody Brown

Wholly Education

www.whollyeducation.net

Jennifer Sutton

 Using Curiosity as a Daily Self-Care Practice

Step 1: Take some deep breaths to get to a feeling of calm.

Step 2: Decide how you WANT to feel. Do you want to feel safe? Peaceful? Happy? Joyful? Choose how you want to feel and then find a memory of a time you felt that way (any time you felt peaceful, happy, etc.). Let yourself go deep into that memory and let your body feel that peace or happiness as fully as you can at this moment.  

Step 3: Now bring positive curiosity into the situation while still feeling that feeling. Ask questions such as: “What if I can feel peaceful/happy (whatever your emotion is) again?” or “Who would I be if I could feel this way again?” or even “What would it look like if I felt safe and empowered now?” Asking these questions will help your brain start searching for positive and empowering feelings immediately! 

Step 4: When you feel even a little bit of how you want to feel, celebrate it! Say something like, “yes, thank you, more please!” or do a little thank you dance…whatever you want to do to mark the change so your brain realizes it’s the preferred response.

This is a very simple and powerful process that can help you shift all aspects of your life so that you feel your own power and you are living in your own choice, rather than falling into reactions that don’t feel as good for you.

Try it out and let me know what happens!

Jennifer Sutton

Curiosity Mindset Coach

She/Hers/Her

Www.whatifwellness.org

In closing, I hope out of all these powerful self-care practices you can use one or more to help you bring more balance and flow into your life.

I also hope you can see the importance of doing these practices to help take care of yourself at the highest level. When we do this we are able to put our best selves into the world!

So be sure to always add deep-level self-care into your life every single day!

Lots of love and care.

Xo, Tina