This Is How To Keep Your 'Zen' In The Face Of Chaos

If you take anything away from what I’ve written up to this point I hope it’s that you will believe in yourself. All the struggles and hardships you are going through (or have) will all be worth it. They all can teach you lessons to help you grow. Be thankful for these struggles, for you will never know the true meaning of strength and determination without them.

One thing I learned about myself as I went through my divorce was that I was not very in control of my own emotions. I felt emotional turmoil and volatility like that of a tornado or storm at sea. I did not like that feeling whatsoever and wondered if I would ever embody the whole ‘keep calm and carry on’ vibe. Instead I’d felt like I had been through war, with no respite only to be thrust into yet another war.

Over the years as I’ve coached and supported other women through nutritional therapy and my mind-body coaching program, one of the biggest results they’ve shared is their ability to handle stress. What once would have plowed them over they were able finally to stay centered. Even in the face of chaos.

Remaining ZEN is what I like to call it. If you’ve ever felt so out of control and can’t understand why, you’ll know what I mean. This is why I believe a whole person approach to your health is imperative. You can eat all the healthy food in the world but still feel out of control emotionally. Which will lead to self-sabotage. If you don’t understand how to process and work through your emotions to navigate life’s inevitable obstacles you may not be able to steer your ship through any of life’s storms without getting thrown overboard.

In order to get to a place where you can keep facing forward and stay centered a few things need to be in place.

Learn to listen to your body. I am very intuitive. My Myer’s Brigg’s personality type is an INFP. However, I became so uncomfortably numb over the years I lost touch with my ability to tap into this gift. I had buried so much emotional pain, that it usurped my ability to be in touch with my body. I believe this is quite common for many people today. In order to learn to listen to your body, you need to get quiet, relax and breathe. Actually, pause and take time to tune into what you FEEL. You can keep a mind-body journal like the one I shared in this post HERE. Just keep in mind, it’s a practice, one that takes TLC and time. The benefit is you’ll start to know what your body specifically needs. This is incredibly liberating.

Let go of fears about your health. I may have spent too much time googling over the years trying to find out what was wrong with me and my health. I don’t recommend that. I tell my clients the same thing. Your body wants to heal you. Your body is more amazing than you know. It’s kept you alive so far and is fighting to keep you alive every day. When you can shift your perspective to one that is more proactive, instead of reactive (that’s what fear is), you’ll see you hold the power within you to help your body do it’s job better.

Treat yourself with empathy and kindness. This goes without saying but I am aware I need this reminder quite often, as I can be my own worst inner critic. Give yourself this gift, you’d likely extend it to others you love dearly, so why not yourself. Being hard on yourself for your perceived shortcomings and ‘lack of’ health isn’t productive. Instead use your energy to positively support your intention of moving toward optimal health. So you can feel emotionally positive about your health.

Treat your body with care and compassion. Self-love allows you to let go of unhealthy attachments to habits you once had that were not serving your highest good. When you truly believe you are worthy of amazing health, you’ll want to treat your body with so much extra loving care, I promise. You won’t want to put yourself last anymore like you don’t matter. You do matter and you deserve to give your body the best care. Compassion for yourself will go a long way to healing your emotional wounds too.

With that in mind, pay attention to what you are bringing into your body and your surroundings. As you continue to heal and learn to love yourself, you’ll only want to give yourself the best. What you eat, put on your body, allow into your home, bring into your mind and allow in your social circles will impact your energy and therefore your health. Make sure you are nourishing your whole self in all ways.

Recognize, understand and manage your own emotions. Over time, as I healed from the inside out. Through slowly and gently detoxing things in my life that no longer served me, I began to understand my emotions better. I was able to hear what they were telling me and how to support myself in light of that. It’s like tearing down and old shakey foundation of a house and rebuilding it stronger. So strong it can weather life’s storm with much greater ease. If you are like I once was and feel emotional volatility, check out this post; ‘How to release your emotions so you can increase your joy’.

Recognize, understand and influence the emotions of others. As an empath, I am very in tune with others emotions and always want to show them I know where they are coming from. Learning to support myself first and tap into my inner strength, has allowed me to not take on other’s energy as my own. It has helped me create healthy boundaries and allow others  their own sense of personal responsibility.

Empathy doesn’t have to make you feel ‘too much’ all the time. Now that I can center myself and refrain from shouldering everyone else’s discontents, empathy continues to make me freer, igniting my compassion, vitality, and sense of the miraculous.

If you are looking for support with a mentor and coach to empower you further than you can on  your own, so you can radically transform your health & life... I invite you to book a breakthrough session with me.  A breakthrough session is designed to provide you with clarity, confidence and effective tools to move beyond the challenges you are facing (in your health or life) and a simple action plan to follow so you can start creating a life you love.

Now, I'd love to hear from you. What ways have you learned to listen to your body? What ways do you give your body the ultimate self-care & compassion ! Let me know in the comments.