Top 5 Tips for Deeper Self Connection

Being a teacher allows me to enjoy summer break – which is amazing! It allows me the time to relax, unwind, and enjoy some much needed sunshine at the pool. Being on summer break is great, but it also gives me a lot of time to THINK. Which isn’t always good for a girl who tends to be an over thinker 😉  

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been on-the-go. Even as a kid, my brain and my body moved quickly. I didn’t really like being alone and I definitely didn’t like paying attention to all the thoughts in my head. There were too many of them, and sometimes they were scary… and you know what? I had better things to do! I had choir rehearsals to attend, friends to see, and musicals to memorize. I loved having a million activities to do and I especially loved being surrounded by a million people while doing them. Even as an adult, I have noticed that I still gravitate towards these same tendencies. And don’t get me wrong, I need more down time to recharge now that I ever have before, but it all makes me wonder…

What have I been running away from all these years? And why is it so uncomfortable for me to just BE?

I never really gave myself a moment to sit with all the thoughts and emotions behind the “busy” body. And this summer, (with no masters degree and no wedding to plan!), I’m forced to sit and listen. To listen without all the obligations, to-do lists, and outside pressures interfering. It’s made me realize – what is my body REALLY asking of me?

Over and over I keep hearing the same message – “it’s time to release your control.”  Controlling my food, my exercise, my finances, and even this health coach journey. Sure, it’s one thing to be organized and have goals – but how often are we trying SO hard to manipulate and force things into place, when really, we should take a step back and listen to what our inner guidance is suggesting?

If you really take the time to quiet the mind and listen, you will realize that your intuition wants to lead you in the right direction and your brain is just getting in the way.

Even the smallest mindfulness practice can make a world of difference in getting in touch with your deepest self. It may be uncomfortable at first (and believe me, I get it…) but I promise that your mind and body will thank you in the end. Here are some of my favorite ways I’ve learned to slow down and tune in:

1. A quick 5-10 minute meditation in the morning. I try to build it right into my morning routine, typically after I get out of the shower. I love the Calm App and listening some soothing tunes on Youtube. If I can, I work to get in at least 20 minutes of meditation throughout my day.

2. Boho Beautiful and Sarah Beth Yoga are two of my favorite channels to practice yoga at home. Here are my favorite videos for slowing down and checking in with my body. I highly recommend browsing through their channels and finding what works for you!

3. Magnesium baths are the BOMB. I never used to take baths and now I can’t live without them. Turn on some relaxing music or grab a good book and zone out. The Seaweed Bath Co. and Biggs and Featherbelle are my two favorites brands.

4. Learning to pray. This used to be a MEGA weird for me. The way I pray now is completely different than the way I prayed growing up. Before, I used to ask God for favors. Now, I ask the universe (spirit, earth, God … whatever and whoever you choose!) to guide me and help me surrender. Now when I pray, I feel as though I am taking a little bit of the weight off my shoulders and allowing the universe the space to do it’s thing. It helps my mind relax and opens me up to new and greater possibilities beyond what my mind can comprehend.

5. Journaling. This was another uncomfortable practice for me, because at first, I never knew what to write! But I kept coming back to it. It wasn’t anything fancy to begin with – just pages about what I was grateful for or pages where I vented about my day. But after a while I noticed I would reach for my journal more often than not. It became a space where I would free write about the emotions I was feeling and why they were coming up. In my journal, I could process all of the thoughts inside my head and the emotions coming up in my body. A practice I was always “too busy” to allow myself to do.

I used to be afraid to let my guard down and just BE. It was unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and it definitely brought up feelings I didn’t want to deal with. I can’t say that I don’t experience these emotions anymore, but I can say that they are worth the feeling and they are worth the healing (unintentional rhyming lol). The more I practice tuning in, the more I get to know myself, and the easier it is for me to listen to what my soul is calling me to do. All of those obligations and to-do lists I had previously planned for myself? They are lot easier to achieve when I come at them from a place of mindfulness rather than a pace of control and manipulation.

What are you favorite ways to release your control and tune in? Share in the comments below! <3

Xoxo,

Nina