Hello my friends! How are you? I’ve returned from vacation and it was so fun to be away and it is so good to be home. I really benefited from getting out of our routine and being in new places. We had fun seeing family and having adventures like hiking, horseback riding and white water rafting. Super fun! It also gave me a chance to use a different lens and think about my priorities.
Which is what I want to talk about this week. Priorities are really important when you are working with your physical, emotional, energetic, and spiritual health and wellness. We have so much we CAN do each day although I know I don’t always remember to go back to my own priorities.
On a really basic level, my priorities are health and love. That’s really what it boils down to on a very foundational level. When I identify what my priorities are, then I make decisions based on those priorities. For example, this morning was super busy- one son was headed to a day camp and the other son was headed out of town to a track meet. I wanted to be there for them and to help them get out the door with ease so I set my morning up in that way, but also allowed enough time for food that nourished me. I also wanted to move my body in the woods. Now as things often go, this took longer than I expected and my well laid plans were not going as I expected, and I had a client appointment scheduled. I looked at the clock and knew I couldn’t go to the woods and take a shower before jumping on the call. I almost didn’t go- and then I remembered my priorities. I decided that I’d rather spend time in the woods and go to my appointment without a shower. It seems simple, but it was a powerful moment of deciding that moving my body was more important than how I looked.
If you are a recovering people pleaser like I am, this can be huge. And it can be less specific to a particular person and more to general to society in general right? The saying that I hear often is “What will people think?” We worry about the people without even knowing who it might be (and side note: we are so often wrong about this).
Some of my clients have decided to prioritize health and one of the actions of that is shifting to a plant based whole foods, or practicing an elimination diet temporarily. What this means is that what they are eating is going to change.
What I often hear is clients wonder what they will do if they go to a party and there isn’t something there they can eat. What I learned many years ago was that my health and wellbeing was more important than what someone thought of me bringing a tin of food with me to a party. My health was more important than being uncomfortable. So I’m always willing to break the rules, call ahead, prepare ahead, ask for what I need, or simply bring the food that I need to eat.
Here are a few tips to practice this in your own life. This one may seem obvious, but the first thing you have to do is really determine what your priorities are in this moment. There is no shame or judgement about this. In my experience, this takes creating some space. Feeling energetically into what is coming closer or as I like to look at it, what pots are simmering on the stove. What seems more at the forefront this week, month, or year? Take some time to feel it in your body, and maybe journal about it or if you are more verbal, have someone who can listen to you as you process. Once you determine what your priorities are, check in with the actions you are taking to see if it is aligning for you? If health is a priority, do you want to work with someone who can support you? Or maybe you put food planning and shopping in your calendar before all the other activities. Perhaps it’s prioritizing sleep ahead of socializing or entertainment for a week.
Please note that this is a practice. I still have to use my thoughts to remind myself of what my priority is and how I want to support myself. I had to remind myself that what my client thought of my appearance wasn’t my priority. My health and wellbeing was my priority.
So what’s your priority? Maybe you have a dream, and some of your priorities are going to align with that dream for now. Write it down and check in with your actions and ask yourself if they support your dream.
Ok sweet friends. I’d love to hear all about your priorities and if you need support in reframing your life in support of them, you can reach out to me. Thank you so much for listening. Take good care of yourself.
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