Divine Wellness by Traci A. Fonville

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including YOU!

-Anne Lamott

Picture yourself on a Caribbean island, laying poolside, tropical beverage in hand, sun shining, a light breeze blowing and then suddenly… the dream bubble pops over your head as you remember the things on your to-do list! Laundry, kids homework, work deadlines, bills, too much month and no money… yadda, yadda, yadda! Been there, done that! Oh, the guilt we feel for wanting to take a break… yeah, imagine that? We immediately talk ourselves out of taking a pause because, well, life is happening and we have to take care of it. But, whose taking care of us?

A 2014 study by the American Psychological Association and the American Institute of Stress listed the Top Causes of Stress in the U.S. as job pressure, money, health, relationships, poor nutrition, media overload and sleep deprivation. If there was any indication available that our society is seriously lacking a major TIMEOUT, then this is it. I totally believe that these top seven areas could be handled to some extent with a little TLC. Don’t you agree?

Debrena Jackson-Gandy, author of one of my favorite books, Sacred Pampering Principles; An African American Woman’s Guide to Self-Care and Inner Renewal talks about pampering as being transformational. “Pampering helps you relate to yourself in a new and different way – a way in which care of self is a top priority. And a priority doesn’t arise out of selfishness but arises out of a place of healthy self-love and self-support. Pampering is at once a path to greater self-love and self-discovery and an active demonstration of self-love.” Self-love..wow! I think we all could take that advice to heart. As we go throughout our daily do’s with seemingly no sign of rest and relief in sight, how many times per day do we put ourselves down or consistently deal with all that negative chatter going on inside our heads? There’s a reason for that… no self-love!

Self-love means that we care about ourselves enough to put the breaks on and have no problem bringing life to a grinding halt when things are going haywire. Self-love means we consciously speak life over ourselves even when we are overwhelmed, tired and stressed out beyond the point of no return. And self-love means we take the time to schedule ourselves for some “me-time” consistently. Whether it’s a visit to the hair salon or the barbershop, taking a nap, making sure your doctor visits are up to date, planning a day at the spa, taking your vitamins every day, joining a gym, learning to make healthier meals, scheduling a vacation or whatever it is that gives you time to exhale… do it! You can’t pour from an empty cup. And no one will pour into you as well as you can pour into yourself.

So I challenge each and every one of you reading this blog post… take out your calendars and schedule your me-time immediately! Whatever makes you happy, whatever makes you smile, whatever makes your heart full… write it down, make the appointment, set aside the time and do it. Self-care is NOT selfish! The guilt is real, yes! But don’t let that deter you from feeling good about you! The work will still be there, the laundry will get done and everything will fall into place when you are at your best!

Traci A. Fonville
Contributing Writer

Traci A. Fonville is a board certified holistic health coach, a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and a registered yoga teacher. She is the owner of I Affirm Wellness, which specializes in health coaching and beginner yoga classes. She is a Wellness Advocate for dōTERRA Essential Oils and educates on proper usage and benefits. Traci is also a Brand Ambassador for ItWorks! Follow Traci on Instagram and Facebook @iaffirmwellness. Log onto her websites for health and wellness products at www.mydoterra.com/iaffirmwellness and www.iaffirmwellness.myitworks.com.