Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
136. How To Chill Out and Beat Burnout with Angela D. Coleman
134 Plays1 year ago
If you’ve experienced your share of burnout lately, this episode is for you. This week, our guest is Angela D. Coleman, a holistic health expert and founder of the global nonprofit Sisterhood Agenda. Angela has written more than 20 books, including her latest, “The Art of Chilling Out for Women.”
In this episode, Angela shares practical strategies to embrace self-care, slow down and create balance in our lives. We talk about creating powerful affirmations for healing and restoration, ways to ground ourselves in nature, how to foster greater self-awareness, tips for protecting our energy and much more.
If you enjoy this episode, please feel free to rate and review the podcast on whatever app you’re listening on, and share with a friend!
OUR SPONSOR
Are you ready to feel more energized, focused, and supported? Go to https://zen.ai/wellnessandwanderlust1 and add nourishing, plant-based foods to fuel you from sunrise to sunset.
CONNECT WITH ANGELA
Website: angeladcoleman.com
Book: The Art of Chilling Out for Women
Instagram: @sisterhoodagenda
Facebook: facebook.com/sisterhoodagenda
CONNECT WITH THE SHOW
Website: WellnessAndWanderlust.net
Instagram: www.instagram.com/wellnessandwanderlustblog
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wellnessandwanderlustblog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/moses_says
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Podcast and Guest
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the wellness and wanderlust podcast. We're here to demystify wellness and help you add a little adventure to your life. Tune in for a new episode every week, where we'll hear from incredible guests and talk about ways to be happier and healthier in our new normal. I'm your host, Valerie Moses. Let's get started.
00:00:23
Speaker
Hey everyone, thank you for joining me and for being a part of this incredible community. Whether you're a longtime listener of the show or this is your very first time tuning in, I'm so glad you found us and I'm truly grateful to welcome you here today. This show is all about creating our best lives through small but mighty steps and I absolutely love that we get to embark on this journey together.
00:00:43
Speaker
If you've experienced your share of burnout lately, as I know I have, this episode is for you. This week, our guest is Angela D. Coleman, a holistic health expert and founder of the global nonprofit Sisterhood Agenda. Angela has written more than 20 books, including her latest, The Art of Chilling Out for Women, which I highly recommend if you haven't read it already. In this episode, Angela shares practical strategies to embrace self-care, slow down, and create balance in our lives.
00:01:09
Speaker
We talk about creating powerful affirmations for healing and restoration, ways to ground ourselves in nature, how to foster greater self-awareness, tips for protecting our energy, and so much more. It's a really important conversation and one that I know that I personally needed to have. So I hope it resonates with you just as much as it resonated
Sponsorship and Personal Wellness Journey
00:01:27
Speaker
with me. I'd like to thank Laird Superfood for sponsoring this episode. If you've been listening to the show for a while, you know that I'm always on the go and looking for quick lifestyle shifts that can make a major impact on my health.
00:01:38
Speaker
That is why I love layered superfood products. I'm a big fan of their functional mushroom coffee with chaga and lion's mane. It's a great way to boost my energy for the day while getting a lot more out of my cup. All layered products are sustainably sourced and thoroughly tested to ensure that you are incorporating the cleanest, finest fuel into your routine.
00:01:55
Speaker
They offer a variety of snacks and supplements full of wholesome plant-based ingredients to keep you charged for wherever life takes you. Are you ready to feel more energized, focused, and supported? Go to layeredsuperfood.com slash wanderlust and add nourishing plant-based foods to fuel you from sunrise to sunset. Use our promo code wanderlust at checkout to save 15% off your purchase today. All right, my friends, now let's dive into this week's conversation.
00:02:19
Speaker
Angela, thank you so much for joining us at Wellness and Wanderlust. Thank you for having me Valerie. Thank you so much. Well, I'm so excited to have you on the show. You've written a book about something that many of us struggle with, and I'm so excited to start talking with you about it and learn more about your journey. Before we get into that, why don't you first just tell our listeners a little bit about you and your wellness journey to now. Well, sure. I mean, my wellness journey is pretty multifaceted. Like I think most people's are.
00:02:47
Speaker
I didn't grow up eating the healthiest of food that might be generational, it might be specific to my household. But we have a very successful family and I think it was more of a diet based on convenience than anything else. And I learned over the years that, hey, this isn't necessarily what I want to do or where I want to be. And I was an athlete, you know, I still consider myself to be athletic, but I mean, when I
00:03:14
Speaker
was an athlete, it became even more important for me to really look at what I was eating and how I was eating. I also was very into the earth and protecting animals. And so I became a vegetarian when I was like 15, but I was kind of a junk food vegetarian. I didn't know I should really be eating. I wasn't nutritionally savvy. I learned these things along the way. I got trained to do that as a peer counselor.
00:03:44
Speaker
and sexual health and fitness and exercise. And that just opened up a whole new kind of way of me thinking, hey, I might actually want to do this someday. I think it's helpful. But a lot of it has been trial and error as far as what works for me.
00:03:59
Speaker
And then as I've developed myself spiritually, my wellness program, my holistic health concepts have developed as well.
Women's Wellness and Burnout
00:04:06
Speaker
So it's like, as I learn, I'm constantly evolving and elevating my knowledge of what makes me run and what makes me and my body and my spirit satisfied and happy.
00:04:17
Speaker
I love that. I mean, I think that that's so important to keep evolving and just elevating and learning what you can because I think that my picture of what wellness was 10 years ago is different from what it is today and I'm sure that that's going to continue to change with the new things that we learn and with
00:04:34
Speaker
with life circumstances and with what works for us and what doesn't. And so I love that you combine the mind, body and spirit into the work that you do. And I think a lot of the people listening to this can relate. We have a lot of women that listen to the show specifically. And for women, I think that that idea of success, you know, being the best and being everything we can for everyone around us, there's a lot of pressure that we put on ourselves.
00:05:01
Speaker
And I think the stress and the burnout are just so much worse than they've ever been. And I'd love to know what inspired you to start, I guess, working with women specifically and to write your book, The Art of Chilling Out for Women. Well, with my work with Sisterhood Agenda, which is my nonprofit organization, I've been doing that for over 28 years.
00:05:20
Speaker
And I have gotten the message from women that, look, this is a lot. You know, we talked over the last few decades about work-family balance, you know, work-life balance, and what that means. And got to the point where there is balance, but it's a balance that you create for yourself. And it's individual to each person. But one thing that seems to be consistent amongst many of the women that I've talked to and worked with and interacted with
00:05:47
Speaker
is that we're being stretched in all different directions, and we're expected to be 100% everywhere, all the time, 24-7. And you can't keep something plugged in and expect it to shine brightly, 100% all the time, 24-7. And there's a time when we all need a break, and that's where the natural rhythm of life comes into play. It's not natural to think that
00:06:16
Speaker
You can do that. But yet, here we are with those supernatural expectations of ourselves every day. We're expected to be there for our families, for our work, for our own selves in ways that are very difficult. You're almost set up for failure. And what it is, is it's a set up for burnout. And that's why we're seeing burnout. We're seeing people saying this is too much. We're seeing the body literally resisting the schedule that our minds are pushing.
00:06:47
Speaker
and saying we can do it. So what I'm suggesting with the book, The Art of Chilling Out for Women is that, well, a few things. One is that we look at the social expectations. Okay, those don't change until we decide to change them. And so we decide that that might have worked for them, but that doesn't work for me. Or that might work for you, but it doesn't work for me. And then secondly, I think that we can all look at really embracing the art. And I call it the art of chilling out
00:07:16
Speaker
because that relaxation decreases the stress. That's how we manage stress. That's how we restore. We don't want to wait for a medical event to make us do that, to force us to lie down in the bed and rest because you can't move or because you're hooked up to an IV machine or because you have a disease now. We don't want that to be the case. So in a lot of ways, this is preventative. It's saying you can prevent burnout
00:07:44
Speaker
If you're feeling at all, and this is for all the ladies out there, if you're feeling at all like, how much longer am I gonna go at this pace? How much longer am I supposed to do this? And if you're not being fulfilled by that personally, then this is a book for you. It's also a book that gives you permission to say it's okay for me to stop. It's okay for me to be still. It's okay for me to set aside time in my daily schedule, in my daily routine.
00:08:12
Speaker
to create a healthy habit in which it may look like I'm doing nothing, but I'm actually doing something for myself.
Incorporating Nature and Rest into Self-Care
00:08:21
Speaker
I'm doing something relevant and important and restorative, finding peace of tapping in. All these things are happening at the cellular level with my body when I give it a chance to just prepare itself and do what it's designed to do. And that's key. And it needs to be something I think that becomes acceptable to do.
00:08:42
Speaker
But first, we have to decide it's acceptable for us to do it. Yeah. And I think that's something that's so hard sometimes to wrap our minds around because we are expected to be so much and to do so much for everyone and be everything to the people around us that we hold ourselves to such a standard that there is often so much guilt when you're doing
00:09:04
Speaker
quote unquote, nothing, or when you're not doing the thing that's on the to do list that we think is the thing we need to do that we have to do. And I love, you know, in your book, you talk about using stillness as your superpower, which is something I know I personally struggle with this, I would imagine most of our society does. And I'd love to know what can we do to start practicing that restorative rest rather than I've been someone who
00:09:28
Speaker
will get so overwhelmed that I just completely detach and go on that Netflix binge that goes on for a little too long. And I don't know if it restores me. What can we be doing to kind of get back and make it something sustainable for us? In my book, I have what's called holistic prescriptions. So the art of showing up for women doesn't require you to go out and buy something and get a prescription filled
00:09:54
Speaker
at your drugstore like you would typically fill a regular prescription. Because it's a holistic prescription, it's just encouraging you to use what you have. And a lot of that is go outside. Go outside, go for a walk, enjoy your yard, enjoy the trees, enjoy the street, in the sense that if there's green there, get around green, get around nature, bring nature in, bring in your flowers, bring in your plants, bring in your feng shui elements.
00:10:23
Speaker
you know, bring in that wood, the earth, fire, metal, water, bring them all in, embrace them, become aware of them, learn to appreciate them, because you're part of nature too. And when you can connect to nature, you can understand the rhythms of life and dormancy and productivity and rest and restoration more simply. And you can also just elevate your mood and improve your quality of life.
00:10:51
Speaker
with things like aromatherapy, with herbs that you may already have in your kitchen, with gemstones that a lot of people aren't aware of. These are powerful, small and mighty elements, herbs, gemstones, feng shui principles that we can use and incorporate into our everyday lives to help to soothe us and make the transition from being stressed out to being more emotionally balanced and more at peace
00:11:18
Speaker
And that's going to increase not just our emotional well-being, that's going to also increase our physical and spiritual well-being as well.
00:11:25
Speaker
I think that's so important and I love the holistic approach that you take to it because I think oftentimes we do kind of get so settled into one thing that's going to work all the time. And I think we also complicate it. And I think with your book, you provide so many useful takeaways that we can incorporate into our day that are not going to break the bank. They're not going to take hours and hours of your time. These are things that like there's so much research behind how seeing
00:11:55
Speaker
a body of water can impact your physical and mental health. And I think getting outside, you know, as long as weather is okay to do that, it's something that you're doing that is having a major impact, but relatively little effort to actually
00:12:10
Speaker
have to go out and do that but I think so often when we're trying to elevate and trying to restore and do things in a way that's maybe not that detachment that you know the Netflix all of that we put so much pressure on ourselves that it has to be this huge lifestyle change that's and and I think there are so many things we can do that make a major impact that don't have to take a lot of time and don't have to completely reinvent the wheel for us.
00:12:36
Speaker
Absolutely. And that pressure that you mentioned, it's amazing because you said it exactly the way it often happens. The pressure we put on ourselves. It is nobody holding our feet to the fire. It is us doing this to ourselves, which seems so dysfunctional, right? That we're engaging in these self-destructive mentalities and behaviors. But that's why also learning to let go.
00:13:02
Speaker
is a big part of it. Learning to let go of these concepts of trying to prove ourselves over and over again. This feeling is not an isolated feeling. So women who feel this way, you're not alone. So you shouldn't feel like it's just you.
00:13:23
Speaker
of us that are feeling this burden and it's a burden that we can lift off of ourselves and that's where the empowerment comes from knowing you have the power to control this and also knowing that there may be things in your kitchen, herbs in your kitchen that you can use right now to help you help you to heal and to soothe and
00:13:43
Speaker
We all have public parks, you know, that hopefully are accessible, but any green space will do. Just getting around that, these are tried and true ancient practices that have been shown to be extremely effective across many different cultures. That it's like we're going full circle and just saying, let's go back to how we used to be, how we used to do things and manage things. And now it's so much more important than ever because it's
00:14:10
Speaker
It's key to our mental health. It's key to our survival in essence. Yeah, I mean, in those days, I mean, people were actually getting outside just because that was in their routine. And that was something that was normal. And I have had so many times where I realized by the end of the day, I've barely gotten any natural sunlight, even though I live in the state of Florida, I live in the Sunshine State, I should be getting it. And I really have to
00:14:35
Speaker
remind myself how important that is and get myself out there because it's something I think with our lifestyles
Redefining Success and Self-Validation
00:14:42
Speaker
today it's so easy to go the whole day without getting outside or spending much time outside and so we have to be intentional about it but also just understanding what an impact it makes that again it's not reinventing the wheel it's something that we've been doing for however many years humans have been on earth and being intentional is the key right until it becomes a habit you might have to put it in your schedule right after your
00:15:05
Speaker
morning. That's okay until it becomes a habit because you do want to do it with intention. And it's that play, you know, I have a sign in my office that reads the Wi-Fi password is go outside and play. So if you come to my house and you're like, let's do it for a password, I'm going to tell you, go outside and play. Why do you need Wi-Fi right now? Because we do need to incorporate that
00:15:33
Speaker
you know, from a more sophisticated perspective, what we call that playfulness and that fun, we call that joy, you know, right? We call that radiant joy. You know, whatever you want to call it, we have to have balance. You can't be all work. You can't be all busy, busy, busy. And it's time that we start to tap within for our self-worth, for our self-esteem, for our feelings of just positive self-concept,
00:15:59
Speaker
and of what we deserve. And when you do that, you're no longer trying to validate yourself externally to yourself. And you realize that I deserve to treat myself this way. It's only when you have a foundation of solid self-esteem that's very healthy that you can demonstrate
00:16:16
Speaker
the self-love and self-care necessary to show and demonstrate the self-love. So this is all part of self-care, but if you don't love yourself and you're defined by that busyness, you're defined by something outside of yourself, your relationships with others, you're going to still be constantly on that hamster wheel trying to show and prove, show and prove, show and prove. And my question, don't you get tired of having to prove yourself over and over again,
00:16:45
Speaker
Aren't you enough as you are now and are you content and you know your worth? You know who you are and what you're capable of and your strengths and you know you're successful. You know that already.
00:16:58
Speaker
Yeah, well, I think that that's something that so many of us struggle with, though, is kind of shifting our mindset around that because there's so much of that not enough-ness and that I will be worthy of, you know, I will prove myself once I accomplish blank or after I've done all of these things and
00:17:18
Speaker
I think intuitively we know that that's not, or at least logically, we know that that's not true and we would never treat our friends that way and the people that we love, but we do hold ourselves to that standard that again, that nobody is holding us to. How do we shift our mindset around that and start to develop that positive self-worth and that self-love? Well, I think first understanding and maybe even redefining our notions of success.
00:17:44
Speaker
You know, what does success look like? What is success? And that being successful doesn't mean being busy to the point where you have no time for yourself. And I want to see people successful in the art of chilling out. I want to see women that are successfully doing that because that to me is part of being successful. It's like putting your oxygen mask on first, right? If you're not good,
00:18:09
Speaker
How can you be good for other people? And that includes the work you're doing. That includes your community activities. That includes your family members. So looking at how we define and redefine what we think of as success and understanding that chilling out is absolutely a part of that equation. The relaxation and the time for self is absolutely essential.
00:18:41
Speaker
who are extremely well known, done incredible things. So no one's saying that you can't do those things, you can't be those things, but you look at them, they also have great habits of rest and productivity. They know when enough is enough and they might need a little break. They probably have incorporated self-care rituals into their daily routine, whether they meditate or exercise in the morning, or they pray before they go to bed,
00:19:09
Speaker
or they give themselves affirmations or they have a mantra that they use for success, whatever it might be. So this is not saying to rest as a detriment.
00:19:24
Speaker
of the equation for success. Yeah, I completely agree. I mean, I have had times where I've been burning the candle at both ends. And you think, or at least I think the way we treat it, we often think that we're getting more done and that like, it's just a temporary setback, but that
00:19:44
Speaker
you know, we'll sacrifice the sleep, we'll sacrifice the healthy meal, whatever it is so that we can just get through this and then we'll move on to the next thing. But that has such a long-term effect. I think it's so much more lasting than we give it credit for. And just taking that time to rest in whatever that looks like for the individual makes such a difference. And I think if you're worried about performance, I think the performance is usually better if you're taking that time too. Absolutely. And I love the fact that you just brought up a really good point.
00:20:14
Speaker
the concept and notion of self-sacrifice. So for example during the pandemic when the children were at home and we were doing Zoom meetings and the moms were forced to almost homeschool right at the same time as participate and be an employee and at the same time be a partner to spouse and feed the dog and do all the other things that were needed to be done.
00:20:38
Speaker
And we just thought that's part of what we're supposed to do. It's women that I know that are caring for children, they're caring for babies, but also are now having to care for aging parents. And it's the expectation that it's the women and the family that are going to do it. And in the short term, we are rewarded for that in terms of, wow, you did all that? That's awesome. But in the long term,
00:21:05
Speaker
it's got an extremely negative impact and the negative impact expresses itself most readily and obviously in our health and poor health outcomes when you consistently push yourself that way. And I also think that there's a difference between, you know, you have that emergency that comes up and it's going to be a busier time. It's going to be a more challenging time, but for it to be like that all the time. And I think that is where we really like
00:21:32
Speaker
the email that turns into an emergency, that I was just talking to a coworker about this, that it really could wait until tomorrow. And they're not even necessarily putting that pressure on you, but the need to respond right away, to be on, to be connected to whomever, whenever, be everything. And I think we need to save that for the times when the people in our lives maybe really need us or when we really need ourselves. Like, sure, there are going to be times that you're going to be putting in more
00:22:01
Speaker
time, effort, whatever, but to be, again, doing that all the time at your own expense and for the things that are not even that valuable to you or to the majority of the people that matter to you, I mean, that's definitely a detriment. And if we asked our family, if we asked our friends, if we asked our co-workers, look, do you think that it would be good for me to take a rest? They might say, oh, yeah. I mean, 100% would be probably, yes, I do agree that it'd be good for you to take a rest. But then you know.
00:22:29
Speaker
And I have a chapter, it's chapter 20, which you said reminded me of the chapter called, Take Time for Time Out. And it reminded me of how, you know, educators use time out as a strategy to disconnect children from something like negative or something that could be potentially traumatic or physical that it's like, okay, look, we just need to decompress the situation. You take a child away from it and you give them the space of time alone to think about what they've done and to recover.
00:22:54
Speaker
Well, that's what we need to do for ourselves. We need to take ourselves out of the element, out of what's causing us stress or anxiety, out of a situation in order to decompress, in order to deescalate it, right? And sometimes it's the farthest thing from our minds when we need it the most. Like just removing yourself, just saying, okay, I'm gonna take a five minute break, I'll see you later. The idea of doing that might stun people, right? They'd be like, where are you going? What's going on?
00:23:24
Speaker
But what you're doing is preserving your sanity. You're preserving your mental health. You're preserving your emotional balance because you have to get back to it. And that's the thing. If you never are getting back to it, if you're never at that equilibrium and that balance, and you're constantly in a state of fight or flight, your body will be stressed and your mind will be stressed because it thinks I have to either fight or I have to fly. I have to leave or I need to fight. So that's where that whole defensiveness will come in where
00:23:54
Speaker
Somebody might say something and be like, oh, I'm doing this, I can't. And they'll be like, well, well, wait a minute. What's going on? You know, you might overreact to things because, oh, but then you say, oh, sorry, I'm stressed out. I have a deadline. Okay. You can have a deadline and meet that deadline and still have a balanced state of mind and still have and maintain inner peace. That's hard for us to realize. That is reality that there are people who do this every day, but it's work for most people. And for us, it's doing the work.
00:24:24
Speaker
It's creating a ritual. It's creating those healthy habits, but it can be achieved. It's doable. And when we're snapping at people, we're not ourselves and we're not really being positive to be around. We're not fun to be around if that happens. So it's worth it for us to take that time so that that doesn't happen, so that we don't become that person. Stressed out people aren't enjoyable.
00:24:49
Speaker
They're not trying to be around. And so you don't want to be that person. You don't have to be that person.
00:24:55
Speaker
Yeah. Well, it's so funny you mentioned that too, because even just thinking about the emergencies that come up in our lives, because they inevitably will.
Holistic Self-Care Practices and Body Awareness
00:25:04
Speaker
I was at a workshop about a year ago on crisis communications, and it was with someone who does that type of work, but with the National Guard. And at that level, she was saying that one of the best practices was to have kind of breaks set up for the people that are communicating these messages and dealing with the
00:25:23
Speaker
crises and that they're not on all at once and for all this time. I mean, they're certainly putting in the work, but that they, in order to function properly and do the work that needs to be done and do this important work, that they need this rest and they need to have the morale boosting among them and to have breaks built into whatever crisis plan that they have. This is on a communication side and not necessarily on the boots on the ground, but
00:25:47
Speaker
still having having those breaks built in. And I thought, wow, if that's somebody from the National Guard saying this, then maybe, you know, maybe my desk job that I have, and maybe I don't need to, yeah, like, save, save the fight or flight response for when the actual lion is chasing me. Right. Or the zombie apocalypse.
00:26:12
Speaker
of dollars and how many people breaking down later to come to the conclusion that, oh, we need some breaks. It'd be helpful to have some breaks there. So we don't have to do that ourselves to learn, like you said, from the research and from what other people already are knowing and are doing, because this is research that's already been done. Like forest bathing, who knew that was a thing? It is. That's an ancient Japanese
00:26:38
Speaker
practice of going into a wooded area, going to the forest, and just enjoying and absorbing the nature around you. That's called forest bathing. And it's like, well, people do these things. So let's open, you know, I include that also in the book, using bodies of water to see the ocean, which we all love and respect, most of us anyway. Some people don't like the sand as much, but you know, that's part of it.
00:27:05
Speaker
But that's the healing trifecta. The ocean is a big part of that. Water, air, and sun. That for centuries, that was the prescription literally from doctors when people were yelling was to tell them to go get water, air, and sun to go to a coastal climate. That's why Florida
00:27:25
Speaker
are is because people have retired there. A lot of times their doctors have advised them to retire in a warmer climate. And in Florida is a place where they can have access to the water and the sea and the sun, the air, air, sun and sea. So like soft air, just breathing it in and smelling it, it purifies. It's some of the purest air.
00:27:51
Speaker
And then sea breeze, sea breezes at night, sea breezes trade winds during the day, and they have a feeling it feels so calm and soothing. So, I mean, these are things that we can go to if we can, but there are also things that we can incorporate into our daily lives and don't have to go anywhere. For example, like in the art of chilling out for women, I talk about how we can use the powerful healing and restorative properties
00:28:16
Speaker
of the healing trifecta in your own home through salt baths. All of us know we can get Epsom salts and we can get sea salts and we can put that in our bathtub. Yes, we can. We can take a bath. And that's why I encourage even those showers, I'm really into interior design. It's a hobby of mine because of Frank's way and because I know that the colors and this
00:28:39
Speaker
smells and everything influence your mood. And so I'm into that. So I'm always looking at new things. And one of the newest things that they're doing in a lot of newer homes is eliminating when they renovate bathrooms, they eliminate the bathtub. I'm like, Oh, that's such a mistake. Because I look at the healing aspects of water, of being immersed in water, you know, the protective aspect of it is to from the beginning, that's how we were born. That's how we were developed.
00:29:07
Speaker
And so just taking a nice soothing bath at night before you go to bed, add some lavender, add some thyme, add some honeysuckle, add the bath salts and your cleanse, you're renewed, you're rejuvenated and you've brought the temperature down. You've actually soothing yourself and that's a self-care recipe or a holistic prescription that for most people is very doable. So it's very important for me to have something very doable for people.
00:29:33
Speaker
Definitely. And I mean, I feel like a bath. It's so luxurious. I'm so sad hearing that they're going like, you know, that many of them, and I've known some people who have moved more recently that don't have the bathtub there. And I love my abs and soft baths. And I started that really for like sore muscles. It was something like if you had an injury and it has really great physical
00:29:55
Speaker
But I think just the relaxation piece to it, like, yes, it's really great for healing when when I'm sore, when I've overworked something when I've pulled something, but it's just relaxing and rejuvenate. And I feel like a different person. When I get out, I love, love, love Epsom salt. And I feel like again, that is something I mean, you can get that at Walmart, Target, it's not there's not a huge barrier to it. Like the G&A why it helps you if your muscles are sore and tense.
00:30:23
Speaker
Like you said, it's relaxing, it literally, literally relaxes tightness and muscles. And that's what we tend to do when we're stressed out. We constrict, our breathing becomes constricted and we tighten up because again, we're preparing for fight or flight. And when we have that tenseness and you can just simply take a bath and release some of that, that's important for people
00:30:53
Speaker
Absolutely. And it's always amazing. I think that we know this, but at the same time, we tend to forget that the I mean, the mind and the body and the spirit are also interconnected. And I've had a lot of soreness in my neck and shoulders and upper back lately. And
00:31:10
Speaker
Some of it does have to do with getting myself into a weird position at the hairdresser that, you know, for a little longer than I should have. She was at an Airbnb instead of at the, um, so it was a weird sink position. But, you know, it was a few months ago and I'm still, and, and I know I've been under more stress than usual with certain things going on in life. And I started getting massages more recently as just something to kind of treat myself a little bit. And cause I can't use my phone when I'm doing it and all of that.
00:31:39
Speaker
And I know that like, and I mean, even the fact that I will tense up again, like a day later, but the amount of tightness, like, yes, some of it has to do with the way I might sit in an office and stuff like that. But the fact that it has been so much worse in this period of time, I know that it has to do with the stress. And I think that we don't often tie like what's going on in the body to what's going on around us and what's going on in our minds. Absolutely. And that's why.
00:32:06
Speaker
The art of chilling out for women is divided into body, mind, and spirit. Although they're all integrated, it's sometimes easier for people to understand what's happening with each thing separately. And one of the main things is body barometers. I have a problem with that gesture on how to read your body barometers, how to know your body barometers, because your body lets you know when something is up.
00:32:31
Speaker
That's your intuition, your soul. Just like if you go someplace and you're not feeling safe, there's a reason you're not feeling safe. There's a reason why you're tensed up in a certain space. There's a reason why you start to get anxiety, or you perspire, or you get cramps, or you have trouble digesting your food after you hear news about something. That's a holistic response. It's your body, mind, and your spirit.
00:32:55
Speaker
that's now not at ease. And that's so important for us to know when our bodies are feeling not at ease.
00:33:02
Speaker
And just as important to know when we're feeling great, you know, what are spaces that make us feel so good? You might go someplace and be like, oh, it smells so good. Or, oh, I feel so good here. I was just so comfortable. But you don't know why you haven't realized why that is. You know, I think that that body parameters, and it's funny with the, um, with mind, body and soul and how you have, you know, those three sections built out into the book, as I was reading them, there are some chapters where I thought,
00:33:27
Speaker
Oh, this is body, but I think it could tie into mine or vice versa, or just where they all really are so interconnected. And I think that that just goes to show how much they, they come together and how much one can impact the other. I also think with those body barometers, that's something that we tend to turn off.
00:33:45
Speaker
I think that's an intuition, especially for women. I think we've been physically uncomfortable at least a little bit since puberty and we're used to things hurting a little bit or not, you know, just having the discomfort, having things feel not the way that we want them to feel more often. I think that's why we don't get the man cold. We have to get used to feeling more comfortable. It's true. The argument that women
00:34:16
Speaker
I think it's time that we get comfortable with being comfortable and that we also honor our need to disconnect and to listen to our bodies, listen to our spirits, our intuition that's telling us, and respect, like you said, with massage, therapy and others, respect our need and the positive impacts of touch, of wanting and needing beauty in our lives, of
00:34:40
Speaker
positive, safe, healthy, touching, and also respect the vibe. Respect the vibe. We feel something. Respect that. That's important. And honor yourself by honoring that and not ignoring it. We can talk ourselves out of everything. And that's where the affirmations and positive self-talk, that's what it is. That's where that comes in because we talk to ourselves more than we talk to anybody else. And what we tell ourselves is so important.
00:35:08
Speaker
Like, oh no, you're just being whatever. No, that's what somebody else probably said to you a long time ago. And now you've internalized that to the point where you believe it, but to not discount or invalidate your feelings that some of us are learning to see and hear ourselves for the first time, really getting to know the intrinsic aspects of our person, of who this is and who we are becoming because you know, we're not the same. I'm not even the same.
00:35:40
Speaker
We're all changing and it's okay. And that's part of being a woman as well. We know that we go through changes that are not in our heads. They're not psychological only. They're also physiological, biological, and to respect that, that's part of it.
00:35:56
Speaker
I completely agree. I mean, I think our cells don't ourselves change completely in the body, like every seven years, you're pretty much a new person altogether. And I mean, there's so much changing within us. And something I'd love to know, because I think we are so tempted to push it down and to say, well, no, I'm fine. I'll be okay, whatever it is. And I think sometimes we don't realize how burned out we are, how sick sometimes we are, or
00:36:24
Speaker
how uncomfortable we are. How do we start to better understand that so that we're not disconnected and what can we do to tap in? Well, first of all, understanding that awareness is not complaining, right? So becoming aware and because maybe you're feeling in a way that's not so positive glowing and happy sunshine isn't being that it's a bad quote unquote feeling. It's a feeling.
00:36:45
Speaker
You know, I have a chapter called Feel Your Feelings. You need to feel your feelings, move through your feelings, to move out of your feelings and let them go. That's part of the healing process. That's part of how we transition. But if we're stuck in the shits, I shouldn't feel this way, I shouldn't think this way, I shouldn't do this way, then it's hard to get out of it. So I think, again, giving yourself permission to be yourself without apology, to be authentic. You know, and that's sometimes, again, that's a learning curve for a lot of people.
00:37:14
Speaker
to not feel guilty. Honestly, a lot of the people and things that we do around us are part of who we are, right? So if you change, some of that might change as well. And that's scary to people adapting, understanding,
00:37:29
Speaker
and accepting change is a process. And I talk about that, I talk about drive the car and then the car, C-A-R is the acronym for how we can learn to accept and adapt to change because change is a constant and that it's okay. It should not be judgmental towards it. There's not a judgment towards it one way or the other, it just is, it is what it is. And that's why when you look at nature too and you look at a
00:37:54
Speaker
A group of flowers are brought together. The flowers are not identical. They look kind of similar. They look even the same. But when you look really closely, they're different. And it's not like this one is uglier than that one. Or this one is this one. They're just different. And they're unique. And they're all beautiful. And I want women to be able to come together and recognize that and respect that and live that way. Live on purpose that way.
00:38:16
Speaker
I absolutely love that.
Living Intentionally and Adapting to Change
00:38:18
Speaker
I think that that's so important. And I think so often we're not living on purpose and we're just kind of following whatever it is that is on the to-do list or whatever the next thing is that someone needs from us or that we've maybe set as an expectation, but isn't necessarily what we want. It's just, it's the next logical step. And we don't often, and I see this with companies, I see this with people that sometimes new information becomes available. We can change.
00:38:43
Speaker
And that's okay. But it's hard sometimes to accept that. So I think it is really, really important to let go of the guilt and just give that permission, as you said. Yeah, feeling guilty for taking care of yourself. That's deep rooted from something. We allow other people to take care of themselves.
00:39:03
Speaker
without excuses, without guilt. And then it's like when we do it or we want to do that for ourselves, we think we talk ourselves out of it. All the reasons why, oh, that would be a good idea. Oh, I shouldn't do that. So yeah, it's about prioritizing yourself in a way that's kind and gentle, not in a way that's abrasive or selfish. I'm not talking about
00:39:27
Speaker
I'm not talking about, oh, it's me and then there's you and it's always me first. I'm not talking about that at all. I'm talking about incorporating a lifestyle of making sure that you're okay, of daily check-ins and daily care.
00:39:44
Speaker
And I think that that's, again, so important just to be checking in with yourself so that you understand, you know, am I living on purpose? Am I doing what's going to light me up? Because I'm also going to show up better in the world for everyone around me if I'm showing up for me and if I'm doing what I'm passionate about or what makes a difference for me and making that shift for ourselves. I do think we often just get into a routine where we're just
00:40:08
Speaker
doing, doing, doing, and we don't take that time for reflection. So that's always a challenge, something we need to kind of step back from. But I think with that change, a lot of times we find like the more that we reflect that maybe what I'm doing isn't even serving me where it's not something that I really love anymore that's lighting me up. How do we develop that self-awareness and start to determine that and pivot from that?
00:40:34
Speaker
Well, if you don't mind, I'll read from a chapter that's called Show and Prove, I Love Me. It's chapter seven. And I say, how you show up for others is not nearly as important as how you show up for yourself. How did you show up for yourself today? I love me. That's in quotes.
00:40:53
Speaker
It's a declaration that is basic, yet full of passion, child-like in its purity, yet timeless. This proclamation is for all ages, and it just might be the right thing for you at this time in your life. I love me. You are your own best thing. Professing love to yourself for yourself just makes sense, yet it's one of the most difficult philosophies for us to fully accept, embrace, and live by. I love me. What other people say about you is not nearly as important as what you say to yourself.
00:41:23
Speaker
I love me. It is the foundation of your relationship with yourself. Everything you do and say can come from this foundational reality if you choose it to be so. I love me. Who you think you are may change as you grow. Your identity will evolve. Still, I love me. Always and forever. Now, prove it. And then I have my affirmation. I love myself today and every day. I love me. And our holistic prescription
00:41:50
Speaker
includes a call to action, which is remind yourself that you are magical, special, and honorable in the most unexpected ways. Mother Nature, use these herbs, rosemary for pure healing love, cinnamon for grounding and balancing energy, and yarrow for protecting and raising the frequency of love vibrations. And gemstones, activate these gemstones, rose quartz for warm, caring, gentle self-love, and emotional healing by releasing resentments.
00:42:18
Speaker
Moonstone for self-protection and good fortune, and Aventurine for nurturing yourself, bringing joy, and a positive attitude. In the Feng Shui part of holistic prescription, I inform the readers for optimal Feng Shui balance and harmony. Surround yourself with love and beauty, such as gorgeous artwork, mirrors, candles, plants, and flowers. Clear all clutter in your home. Bring more feminine, yin elements into your workspace and home, especially your bedroom,
00:42:49
Speaker
For example, curvy furniture, soft textures and pastel colors like pink and yellow. Add metal for joy and beauty. Add wood for growth and healing. Add red, the fire element, for love, passion, and inspiration.
00:43:04
Speaker
I love that. I really love that affirmation. I love the affirmations in the book. I think you have such a nice variety there, but I think this is so important for us to keep in mind that, again, we are doing so much for the people around us, but you are your best thing. When it comes down to it, we have our loved ones, but you're the only one that's going to be with you through
00:43:27
Speaker
everything. And if you don't have that loving relationship with yourself, if you don't treat yourself well, if that conversation is not good, it doesn't matter what people are saying to you. Life is going to be difficult. You're showing the world every day. To what extent do you love yourself by how you interact with them and by the things that you do. You show them every day and you're showing yourself every day.
00:43:51
Speaker
Yeah. And as you mentioned, like the people that are stressed out and I certainly have gone through it. I've experienced my share of burnout. When I'm burned out, I am not a great friend. I'm not a great daughter. I'm not a great employee. Like there are a lot of things. Like it's just, I'm not, I'm probably not as good of a host. Like all of the things that I want to bring to the world and the things that I'm passionate about and that I want, they're not going to
00:44:15
Speaker
go the way I want them to if I'm not taking the time for me. And if I'm, you know, eventually running myself ragged, I could go a day and maybe not do all of the things that are treating myself in exactly the right way. But if I make that a habit, and now all of the time, I'm skipping that timeout in nature, I'm skipping my workout, I'm not moving my body or eating good foods, like it's going to catch up with me. And I definitely But it's not saying you have to be perfect either. And it's also saying,
00:44:45
Speaker
that your self-care visual or your art of chilling out is time consuming. I think that's a misconception. It can be five seconds. It could be five minutes. It could be a deep breathing exercise that lasts a total of one minute. It could be it could be that simple. It could be you turning to your favorite painting and just admiring it.
00:45:06
Speaker
You know, it could be those very small, very influential and powerful things that we do with our mind, body and spirit or the affirmation. You know, how many seconds does it take to recite an affirmation?
00:45:20
Speaker
You know, so we're not saying that you've got to keep writing and exercise. Do this every day. Do that. See, that's on that should list, right? And then you feel guilty. Again, you're setting up the cycle. If you don't do it, oh, I'm not doing what I'm supposed to do. I'm not doing what Angela said in the art of chilling out for women. It's not supposed to be like that at all. This is supposed to be, it looks like it's effortless and it's about doing nothing.
00:45:48
Speaker
It is about just changing your mentality and taking some time for yourself and giving yourself the space that you give so readily away to other people. And that space looks different for everybody because not everybody has the same lifestyle, obligations, responsibilities. So yeah, one person might be able to say, oh, I just came back from a hike and it was beautiful and me and my friend did it and it was an hour.
00:46:18
Speaker
That doesn't mean you can't be healthy. That doesn't mean you can't master and learn the art of chilling out. That doesn't mean that you will still be balanced, emotionally balanced, and that you can't reap some of those same benefits by doing something that results in
00:46:33
Speaker
very similar outcomes and benefits, but not as strenuous or doesn't take as much of your time if you don't have that time. That's why I give a lot of options of what people can do. They can do things in public, they can do things in private, they can do things that take five seconds, they can do things that take five minutes, but the point is to do something.
00:46:54
Speaker
to give yourself that space, give yourself that energy. When you start directing that positive energy towards yourself, all these resources are going to open up to you and suddenly you're going to be doing all of these chilling out things, but not on purpose. It's become part of your lifestyle. It's nothing that you have to go and do. It's something you're doing. You're just doing it. It's natural.
00:47:16
Speaker
Yeah, I've definitely had those times where it's nighttime. I've had a long day and without even thinking about it, I'm putting my headphones in and headed to the door so I can take my little walk around the neighborhood and listen to my book or whatever it is. And I think we do put that pressure that, oh my gosh, I need to take that hike. And yes, there's a lot of great benefit to it. And if we enjoy that, let's, let's do it when there's the time to do it. But I think it's also valuable to eat my lunch outside.
00:47:46
Speaker
on a nice day. Is it for you? Is this what you want to do right now with your time? I mean, how many of us have actually asked ourselves that? I mean, is this really what I've had to ask myself that sometimes when I have a choice to do this or have a choice to do that? Or I have a choice to do something else and I have to ask myself, okay, what do I really feel like doing right now? Like I've got to really come to grips with what that is.
00:48:13
Speaker
And at first, when you ask yourself that question, you might not even know what I feel like doing because you confuse that with, well, if I don't go, that might hurt her feelings. Or, well, I know I need to do this because if I don't, I'll have more work to do tomorrow. I know I should do the dishes now because I don't like having those in the sink, you know, or whatever it is. You have a lot of choices every day. You have a lot of choices.
00:48:40
Speaker
And asking you what you really want to do and to act on what your body, your mind, your spirit is telling you to do. Bringing them together, not letting one dominate the other. Bringing them together, that's really you. You know, what is it that you really, really want to do right now? And if the answer is just caressed, then there's nothing to feel guilty about at all. There's nothing, you're not hurting anybody. You're not taking anything away from somebody else.
00:49:08
Speaker
you're not doing anything destructive to yourself or others. So it's a, it's really, it's, it's mind boggling how, like you said, it's the pressure that we put on ourselves, how we don't allow ourselves to just exist in a space of calm. And that that's okay. Like I just, like just now I feel calm. That doesn't mean I'm not doing anything. I feel emotional. It's not me. That doesn't mean
00:49:36
Speaker
I'm doing something, I'm still doing something productive, but I'm doing it a little differently. My energy is probably a little different. So yeah, that's why I talk about shifting your energy and how you can change your energy and also how you can protect your energy if you're in a very negative space. Because once you learn the art of chilling out, you know, it's like self-esteem and self-love. Once you've had it, that doesn't mean you're just gonna have it forever.
00:50:03
Speaker
you're gonna have to still do a little bit of work to maintain it, right? It's a great start, it's a great foundation, but that doesn't mean that something, like you said, an emergency or something that might happen, doesn't mean nothing will happen to shape that, right? To test that, because we all put in there too.
00:50:20
Speaker
Yeah. And there could be a time where maybe temporarily the thing that you really, that really helps you in difficult moments is something that can't be really accessible right now. And how do we adjust to that? How do we find what's going to then still work for us? And without letting, you know, we let perfect be the enemy of the good. Well, the perfect response you said was how do I adjust to that? That's the perfect question. It's not what do I do now?
00:50:46
Speaker
It's, how do I adjust to that? That's the question we have to ask ourselves. There are a lot of things. How do I adjust to that, for that, the unexpected, some things that happen that really shake who we are, and some things that are just emotionally devastating, like loss, that hurts, how we can recover from these things. We can, and we do. And understanding most of these things are temporary and fleeting, and we don't want to have consistent responses that are not temporary and fleeting.
00:51:16
Speaker
If we constantly hold on to those responses, to those emotions, to those feelings, and never let them go, we're going to consistently be putting ourselves through unnecessary trauma, unnecessary experiences. And then we fail to get the blessings. We might miss our blessings that are right around the corner if we just move forward. We can get there. We can get there. We don't want to miss our blessings by staying stuck.
00:51:44
Speaker
You know, some of us might be stuck, but you can always get us stuck at any point. It's never too early or too late to learn. Absolutely. And one other thing that you mentioned as we were talking, you mentioned that idea of protecting your energy. And that's something too, that I think can be really challenging, not only from ourselves, but then when we're in situations with other people or we're in
00:52:10
Speaker
a pandemic or something where we just don't have the control or maybe again, we're around negative influences. Maybe we're not able to step away in that moment. Maybe it's a work thing or something like that where we only have so much control over the surroundings that we have in that moment. What is your advice for not letting that overtake us and still practicing that self-love, still approaching things from a place of calm and again, protecting our energy and still bringing the best of ourselves forward?
00:52:38
Speaker
Well, that's a great question. And it happens to the best of us, right? We walk into the post office and the person next to us starts complaining, oh, they've taken so long. They're just in a real negative state of mind. Or we're going to a meeting and we know that there's opposition to what we're proposing. We know that it's not a friendly crowd, maybe, or that they're not the ideal audience. Or you might be in a situation where something escalates really quickly, just out of your control.
00:53:07
Speaker
And I just say, pop up that shield, right? And that shield for me is this energy protective shield. It's energetic, right? But for me, it's a visualization of literal shield around myself so that I keep my energy to myself. And by keeping my energy that I've come with, that I travel and move with to myself, I'm also blocking out that negativity. I'm blocking out other people's energy that's interfering and trying to bring my energy down.
00:53:38
Speaker
So I put on that protective shield so that it's okay. Whatever audience that I'm talking about, you know, holistic health with, it's okay. I don't believe that hoo-wee-hoo-wee, woo-woo stuff. Okay. It's okay. You know, or let's say you're making a presentation and you have a colleague that is secretly trying to sabotage you. That's real work.
00:54:05
Speaker
in the workplace. That's when you put on your protective shield because you stay in your zone, you stay in your vibrations, you stay in your positive energy, and you're not allowing those other people and other influences outside of yourself. Because your shield is not just those people next to you. Your shield is like all everything outside of you. You're saying no to right now. You're just saying, I'm not dealing with you right now. So it's not saying you don't acknowledge it exists. You're saying that's not in my sphere.
00:54:35
Speaker
as an influence and in the mode that I'm in right now. So I literally visualize that protective shield like a bubble around me. And sometimes it's different colors like it might be pink or yellow, or it might be clean. It might be thick or it might be thin, but I literally sometimes feel like I need to shield myself. And it's interesting that we might need to do that because that's also about feeling safe, creating a safe space for yourself.
00:55:05
Speaker
So hopefully you do exist. Your home, for example, is most people's sanctuary, their safe space. Especially during pandemic, we realized how safe and healthy or unsafe and unhealthy those spaces really were because we stayed in them longer than usual. And it's eye opening. All of it is information. And with that information, we can then make choices, make decisions, and we can change whatever we want to change about that.
00:55:33
Speaker
What makes that safe space safe for you is different for everyone. So I think their protective shield is going to look different for different people. But I encourage people to figure out a way to use the idea of a protective shield and that concept as a way, again, you have that power to do that and create that for yourself.
00:55:54
Speaker
And it's just like saying, yeah, not today. We're not doing that now. But it's doing it without having to say that because it's doing it energetically.
00:56:08
Speaker
Yeah, I love that visualization and I feel like it's really utilizing the proactive versus the reactive that I'm going to go ahead and put this shield up. I know what's going on around me, but I'm not going to let it in. I'm not going to let it affect me in the way that I could easily take this home with me and let it ruin the day, week, whatever, and instead proactively putting that up and
00:56:33
Speaker
yeah, like blocking it out and being intentional about what's coming in and creating that safety for yourself. I think that's, I love that visualization and something that I personally need to incorporate a little more. I've left the meeting before, sometimes I'll use humor and I've left the meeting before where I'm really annoyed about it and then I go and I spray my rose water and it's kind of. Absolutely. That along with therapy, it lifts your mood. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.
00:57:01
Speaker
And lavender is calming, but the rose is really good for, again, that's that self-love with love and compassion too. And that's the self, self-compassion, that's also a big part of self-love and self-acceptance. So that's like, yeah, that made me really think of that. I see this visual of you with your rose water and I really see that helping a lot of people.
00:57:23
Speaker
you know, I hope so. I was going through a time where because I think so many of these modalities, there are a lot of really great practices out there that we can incorporate and I love that you have 101 practices in the
Self-Care Techniques and Conclusion
00:57:37
Speaker
book. So if one thing doesn't work for one person, they can try 100 more and
00:57:42
Speaker
having these things that are accessible to us. I was speaking with someone in the Ayurvedic practice who had said, hey, based on the imbalances you're currently having, you would do really well with rosewater and kind of similar to some of what you said before, too, about just looking at beautiful things and seeing art and spending time listen to music that I really love and do it just
00:58:04
Speaker
the things that inspire me. And it was a time where it was hard for me to physically get myself out somewhere to do that. But I could keep the rose water at my desk and, you know, spray that when I needed it. And it did make a difference. And it was also I was kind of laughing because I'm like, Oh, I have to spray this. It's
00:58:21
Speaker
been quite a meeting, but I'm like, this smells really nice. I'm taking it with me throughout the day. It's so tied to emotions, the sense that we have, but also just again, it's kind of, I've heard people talk about it almost as like your first aid kit in a sense. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, I have, I'm certifying psychological first aid. You should have, you can absolutely have a mother nature first aid or a holistic first aid kit. And nobody has
00:58:51
Speaker
to know what you're doing. You know, nobody has to understand it but you. And it can have all kinds of things in it. Lavender, you know, as in the rose and cinnamon. And you can have a number of different things in it. And it's a way to soothe yourself and comfort yourself and remind yourself of who you are and not have high blood pressure and not overreact or not have an emotional breakdown
00:59:20
Speaker
So we want to avoid burnout and emotional breakdowns. It's key to know yourself and have these tools. And so that's what I consider the 101 ways I said, okay, after each chapter in the Art of Chilling Out for Women, I have to have a whole list of prescriptions because those are what I consider the tools. Like your first aid kit, absolutely.
00:59:39
Speaker
Yeah. And I mean, when you really think about it, you're providing way more than 101 tools in there. So there's a lot of really great ideas and things that we may not have thought about before to try out and see, Hey, does this work for me? You know, my, my rosewater lavender, my coworkers didn't know what I was doing. They thought it was a nice perfume, but it made the difference for me and it was a nice thing to have. You're neutralizing negativity and reinforcing, you know, self-love and all that kind of stuff.
01:00:09
Speaker
I didn't realize that. They're just like, oh, this smells nice. This is nice. But I'm sure it elevated their moods as well. It doesn't like nice smelling things. Everybody does. Oh, yeah, absolutely. And it's not one of those artificial smelling things. It's truly natural. And I think as long as people don't have an allergy, bring that into the space. So I love that. I'm so excited with your book. I am really excited to try out some of the prescriptions and, you know, someone that doesn't have as much experience with some of
01:00:39
Speaker
some of the herbs and with the feng shui as well. So just I think that there are a lot of great tools in the book that listeners as well are going to be able to take away from that. I'd love to ask you more about your book as well so that listeners can find it and connect with you. Before we do that, I have some rapid fire questions. I love to ask the guests as well.
01:00:59
Speaker
Wonderful. Now my first one for you, we've talked about quite a few of them, you have 101 plus in your book. But what is your favorite self care practice right now? Right now, I have really been into breathing, doing breath work. And I've just become so much more aware of what I'm doing, and how I'm responding with my breath.
01:01:23
Speaker
to things that happen or to movement. So I've just, that's been something. And then prayer to me also has been the key. And taking care of my head space. So that's like three things. But yeah, I'm working, more of those things, those things are what I'm working on. Well, I think those three can very easily go together too.
01:01:50
Speaker
Yeah, because I think that prayer, you're setting an intention, you're putting that out there, and that does translate to your head space. But I think breath work and really focusing on the breath, that brings the intention there. I think it also can be very helpful for prayer and for getting your mind into the right space to really get connected there too. Absolutely. I love that. Well, those are all great practices. Now, if you had a one word theme for the year, what would it be? Adaptation.
01:02:19
Speaker
Ooh. Yeah, adaptation. Just knowing that I can, I will, and I'm capable of adapting to anything that may or may not occur in my favor or not in my favor, that it's okay. Just to know that it's okay, because I'll adapt to it.
01:02:37
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's a great affirmation. Listeners take notes, but I think that that's, I mean, we're in a world where there is, I mean, it always has been, but there's so much change. I think it's just accelerating more and more and being able to adapt and to do that with the grace that, you know, as you shared, I think there's, there's such a benefit to that. And it's going to make life a lot more enjoyable when we can. Right. And other things, but so funny that you think are not in your favor or actually in your favor.
01:03:04
Speaker
And you don't realize that at the time. So that's what it's just like.
01:03:09
Speaker
It's like that. Yeah. I just had something personally happen that was, it felt like a setback at the time. I'm not happy that it happened, but it is that thing that kind of, it was the nudge I needed because I knew, well, this hasn't been right for me. And this is something that I didn't love the way it happened, but I do think it was the universe finally saying, well, you haven't been listening. So here you go. It's going to be a little harder now, but it's the right thing for you. And I firmly believe that. Nice. Perfect.
01:03:39
Speaker
Yeah, that's ultimately in my favor. And my final question for you, what are you most looking forward to? Oh, I am looking forward to a lot of things. I'm really looking forward to expanding my knowledge and experiences about holistic health, especially a project that Sisterhood Agenda is doing for holistic housing, you know, states and
01:04:02
Speaker
wellness, real estate concepts and permaculture. And I love that. I'm really excited about that. But I'm just also excited about travel and just new adventures, new experiences in general. That's amazing. I am very excited to see what's next for you. And just to see what's going on with the holistic housing, all of that, I'm definitely gonna
01:04:23
Speaker
have to follow your adventures and we'll have to have you back on the show as well. Before I let you go, can you tell our listeners a little bit more about where they can find your book and other ways that they can connect with you? Sure, absolutely. My newest book, and this is my 23rd book that I published, is called The Art of Chilling Out for Women. And it's 100 plus ways to replace worry and stress with spiritual healing, self care and self love.
01:04:51
Speaker
And that's an Adams Media, Simon & Schuster publication that can be found at all bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Nobles. And more information about me can be found on my website, AngelaDColin.com. And more information about my nonprofit organization that educates, supports, and empowers women and girls around the globe is Sisterhood Agenda. And that's Sisterhood Agenda.com or Sisterhood Agenda.org.
01:05:19
Speaker
Awesome. I'll make sure to link all that in the show notes. And I just want to thank you so much for coming on the show and for sharing this wisdom with us and just this important message, these important practices that we can all integrate into our lives. So truly, thank you. Oh, thank you so much for having me. I really appreciated your questions and the thoughtfulness in which you engaged with me. So I enjoyed it.
01:05:43
Speaker
What an incredible conversation. I really enjoyed Angela's book and the holistic and gentle approach she takes when it comes to our self-care. Sometimes I think we really beat ourselves up if we're not living up to this curated standard of self-care that we see on our Instagram feeds. But we really do need to be gracious with ourselves and recognize that even just a few seconds or minutes can make all the difference. So if you're struggling with stress and burnout right now, I highly recommend snagging a copy of Angela's book, The Art of Chilling Out for Women,
01:06:11
Speaker
so you can try her holistic prescriptions for self care for yourself. I have linked all of Angela's information in the show notes, so make sure you connect with her to learn more. And if our conversation resonated with you, I'd love it if you left a five star rating and review on your favorite podcast app to let us know what you think.
01:06:26
Speaker
Your reviews help others find the show and they allow us to continue to bring amazing guests like Angela. If you have a topic you'd like to see in a future episode, something you're struggling with, or just something you want to know a little more about, reach out to me on Instagram at wellnessandwonderlessblog or drop me a line at Valerie at wellnessandwonderless.net. Thank you again for joining me here today for episode 136 of this show. Be kind to yourselves and we'll talk soon.