4 Pillars of Self-Care

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being the guest speaker at Embitious Health Retreat. It is a retreat that focuses on self-care for women. The women I me there are so loving and high vibrating I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each one of them on a deeper level as they were all so brave to allow themselves to be vulnerable and real. I opened up the retreat with talking about ‘How to Set Powerful Intentions’ followed by a guided meditation to plant the “seeds” of intention and finished off with talking about ‘The Power of Being Present’. I always plan out what I am going to say at any speaking engagement but there are always moments where I am hit with the “holy” presence and feel so connected the messages and vibration goes off script but no doubt you feel the room filled with pure love, inspiration and flow.

Here are a few takeaways from my talk that may be helpful to you:

• Setting an intention is like planting a “seed”
• Intentions is the seed to our destiny.
• We set intentions everyday with ordinary tasks: brushing our teeth, cooking, working at our desk, etc; but out of those how many do you do consciously? What would happen if you start your morning with a conscious intention set for your day and/or next task?
• The best time to plant the seed is in the moment you feel pure relaxation, and in “the gap” between the past and future (ego-mind)
• When setting an intention, do it from a place of contentment verses lack or need (Source: Deepak Chopra)
• In the present, you have the power to access an unlimited resource of love, peace, strength, answers and guidance.
• The present is all you need and all that exists. The past and future does not.
• When you focus on the past or future you will feel worry, anxiety, fear and suffering. When you tap into the present none of those heavy negative feelings exist.
• Meditation helps you get grounded, present and retrieve the answers, peace and guidance you always look for. Check out my FREE guided meditations here > CLICK HERE!

After my part was over, I had the pleasure of staying for the rest of the retreat and participate. It was quite a moving experience for me where I had a few breakthroughs myself. Elise, the retreat leader for Embitious Health, focused on self-care for women executives. One of my biggest takeaways that I feel will be of value to you was the portion on ‘The 4 Pillars of Self Care’. Although I feel like I have always made a conscious effort to fill my own “love tank” and do a decent job at following through with designate time for self care, sitting down and really reflecting on the 4 pillars brought to light some deficiencies in my life. It made me realize why some days I feel low in energy or frustrated with myself or life so here are the 4 pillars to help you evaluate your own self-care practice, and ultimately, create your self-love routine.

4 Pillars of Self-Care:

• Physical: Working out, eating healthy, drink enough water, taking vitamins.
• Emotional: Things you do to balance your emotions and receive emotional support. Could be from family, friends, essential oils, time to self, etc;
• Mental: Things you do to fill your intellectual mind and nourish your mental health in positive ways. Things like watching or reading inspirational books, videos, writing, taking a walk outdoors to refresh your mind, mirror work, powerful affirmations.
• Spiritual: Meditation, prayer, sacred scriptures, connecting with nature, using crystals.

When I sat down to reflect on these 4 pillars I realized I do some and not others. When one cup is empty  or deprived I in turn feel “off balance” and wonder “What is it that I am doing wrong?”. Each pillar deserves it’s own time and attention. If you could do it on a daily basis, great! Otherwise committing to fill each cup on a weekly basis will result in you feeling more balanced, grounded and the rest of your responsibilities and pleasures in life will be that much more fulfilling and run more smoothly. Plus when you fill all four pillars, it FEELS-OH-SO GOOD! And when you feel good, your energy and vibration rises, you begin to operate and attract from this place and what comes back into your physical experiences matches that vibration you give off (Remember, everything is vibration, what you give out comes back to you, yes, it’s that simple!).

So I invite you to reflect on the 4 Pillars of Self-Care. What do you do to fill your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual cup? Write out what you are currently doing, then fill in the gaps of what else can you do to fill each cup more? Here are my commitments to fill each cup on a daily/weekly basis:

• Physical: Workout at the gym 2-3 times a week, yoga at home, walk on the beach, yoga stretches in the morning.
• Emotional: Hug from hubby everyday, talk to a close and trusted friend at least once a week and don’t be afraid to ASK for help and support when I need a listening ear.
• Mental: Read an inspirational/motivational book or watch a video, journal my thoughts and feelings, positive affirmations in the mirror and throughout the day.
• Spiritual: Meditate and pray to my higher power everyday! (This one is easy and fun for me 🙂

What will you do to fill each of your cups?

Remember, when you fill your own cup then you release others the responsibility of filling your own, and most importantly, you release yourself from others controlling how your feel, your happiness and self-worth. You are made of love, filled with love and meant to give love, but you can’t do that from an empty cup.

To learn more about retreats offered by Goddess of Wisdom Spiritual Life Coaching, please visit our retreats page- CLICK HERE!