I’m so excited! Today is the first post of my Self-care Saviors (SCS) series. SCS will be an exclusive, inside look into my weekly self-care adventures. I hope these little windows into self-care possibilities will inspire you to give yourself and your thyroid the TLC it deserves! Join me every week for a new Self-care Savior – Starting. Right. Now.
Being your own boss & small business owner is a double edged sword. While I can do anything I want while my son is at school – work, errands, fitness class, lunch with a friend – I end up putting in more work hours than I ever did as an employee of a company. My work never stops – I’m either coaching or writing or creating videos or doing the accounting, the marketing, the program creation, managing the customer service and cleaning the toilets. A small business runs 24/7 and it’s easy to get off balance…which is exactly what I’ve done over the last two months.
Between all the exciting goings on of The Thyroid Sessions, Thyroid Foodie, The Radical TLC Solution, Thyroid Radio and my client load, I overdid it. While I kept to my healing diet and some fitness, I completely let my self-care go. And I know better! So, I’m reining it back in and re-dedicating myself to self-care. Without a doubt, I’ve felt the symptoms of letting stress be in the driver’s seat – high anxiety, insomnia, heart palpitations, adrenal fatigue. These symptoms were eradicated when I was taking care of myself and since I happen to know a great health coach (wink, wink), I’ve decided to get myself back on track.
The first thing I did was look at my schedule. I know me and if I want to make sure something gets done, I have to block it out on my schedule. So I did just that. And this is how I spent my Friday.
I took the day off work and got a facial! Whaaa???? It was awesome! I’ve only had two facials in my life and this was a real treat.
Down a scenic, wooded road, I headed out to Osmosis Day Spa in Freestone, CA. Osmosis is an oasis within the oasis that is Sonoma Wine Country.
With its majestic Japanese garden, its cedar enzyme baths and the garden of hammocks amongst the trees, Osmosis is the perfect place for a day time retreat.
I booked myself a facial (with foot and arm massage!) for mid-morning so I could spend a couple of hours in their breathtaking meditation garden journaling and meditating.
It was crisp on Friday. As I got out of the car, I took a deep breath of the cool fresh air…FINALLY! A deep breath. Something I’ve been needing to take for weeks.
I walked along the little stone path to the entrance of the garden and was immediately drawn to the meditation cushions. I sat there taking in my surroundings and finally closing my eyes…it was time to start focusing on my breath.
Letting the trickling waterfall be my guide, I became conscious of my breath; breathing in 5 counts and out 7 counts. I did this over and over until my brain started to power down a bit….something it hadn’t done in months.
Next I took a few minutes to journal out the “crazy.” By a few, I mean about 40 minutes. Once I got going, I couldn’t stop. All the stress, the pressure, the conquests and the defeats began flowing from my pencil. What a release! I finally let all that gunk that had gotten jammed up in my heart out of my body.
It’s important to release what doesn’t serve you. Emotions that are suppressed within the body, tend to manifest as illnesses or complications wherever they’ve been stored. In fact, in many ancient traditions, thyroid disease IS a disease of blocked communication. Chew on that a minute. Honestly, almost everyone I know with thyroid dysfunction has challenges expressing their emotions or making their voice heard so look for ways to write, sing or dance “it” out if you don’t think you can verbalize it. Don’t let it live in your body.
One of the most powerful ways to reset your body and your mind is to take some time to meditate. Meditation doesn’t have to be a 30-minute to an hour ordeal (although it’s amazing if you can experience an hour of meditation – game-changing!). Any time that you can put toward focused breathing is time well spent on your health.
Enjoy this delightful meditation video from my time at Osmosis. Focus on the water and your breath. Inhale to a count of 4, hold for a count of 7 and exhale for a count of 8. Do this four times. And try this two times a day. Let the video be your guide – it’s only 30 seconds but it will do a world of good. And, let’s face it, we all have 30 seconds to spare on ourselves!
Aaaah….how did that meditation go for you? Share a little – how do you squeeze in self-care? What’s your favorite quick tip? Please share…your thoughts & ideas may just inspire someone else & help them feel better.
Self-care is just one piece of the healing puzzle! Check out more resources on healing your thyroid naturally, including:
- Our totally free Thyroid Healing Type Assessment, Report and Coaching Sessions
- Right here on my blog, where I talk about what’s worked best for me and my clients, as well as the latest research and resources I come across. You can subscribe to get new blog posts delivered right to your email by signing up on the righthand side of the page.
- My book, Healing Hashimoto’s Naturally — part memoir, part instruction manual for how I personally healed my Hashimoto’s disease.
- My exclusive free 6 Thyroid Myths That Can Keep You From Healing workshop — with info on the comprehensive Thyroid Fix in 6 program, which walks you through, step-by-step, the exact actions you need to take to heal your thyroid and get your life back! We’ve seen hundreds of participants in the Thyroid Fix in 6 avoid, decrease, or even eliminate the need need for thyroid medications.
- The incredible Your Best Thyroid Life Video Bundle, in which I personally invited 27 of the world’s top health experts to share their best tips for living with and healing thyroid disease.
The self-care possibilities are endless! Commit to giving yourself and your thyroid the TLC it deserves.
Jen Wittman is a Certified Holistic Health Expert, Chef, Author & Vitality Coach, who teaches women how to reverse thyroid and autoimmune conditions naturally. She’s helped hundreds of women decrease (or even eliminate) their thyroid medications and has helped others stay off thyroid medication entirely.
Through her free Thyroid Healing Type Assessment, Jen teaches easy and simple steps to thyroid healing that can fit into your busy day. She also provides print outs to bring to your next doctor’s appointment so you can get the support and respect you deserve.