Have you ever noticed your body whispering to you? It may be as simple as you feeling tired, anxious, depressed, fatigued, hungry, restless, or sore. Stop for a minute, ask yourself… How do you FEEL? Do you have the energy to accomplish your everyday activities? If not, why do you think that is? 🤔

The first step to listening to your body’s needs is to RECOGNIZE how you are currently feeling.
Close your eyes, put your hand on your chest, take a deep breath in and a slow exhale, focus on your heartbeat, your breath, your chest rising and falling… Ask yourself how do you feel in the present moment? What can you do to show your body the love and respect it deserves? What do you NEED?

As I sat in my house for the fourth week in a row, due to this shelter in place order, I started becoming AWARE of all the feelings I was going through. I was NERVOUS about not working due to COVID19 and the thought of not being able to bring in an income to help support my family. I was ANXIOUS about the unknown of this crazy pandemic. I was OVERWHELMED with the transition of previously being a working mom, to overnight becoming a stay-at-home mom. I was EXHAUSTED running around after a toddler all day long while my husband was working. I was SORE from not listening to my body’s needs and ignoring all of the signs. These feelings were my body’s way of telling me to slow down and focus on what’s important… ME!! ❤️

By the second month, once I realized how to trust my body’s instincts, I started to notice my feelings shift… my heart was HAPPY to have more one-on-one time with my little boy to help him learn about the world around us. My body was RELIEVED to take a break from my physical work. My mind was able to calm down and RELAX as I started taking more quiet time for myself. With all this extra time on my hands, I began to rethink how I managed my time and energy each and every day.

So how can we manage our TIME and ENERGY while listening to our body?

It all starts with making a conscious decision to be AWARE of how you are currently FEELING and listen to those NEEDS before your body starts screaming at you. Your health is what’s important... stop ignoring the WHISPERS!

P.S. Here is a great article for those of you looking to learn more about how to listen to your body and give it what it needs! 😊
https://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-listen-to-your-body-and-give-it-what-it-needs/
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~Kate~

Quite a few of you have mentioned how you have been feeling stressed and are trying to stay as positive as possible during this crazy time. How do we manage these negative thoughts that come flooding in when we feel stressed? And how is this related to the chemicals like cortisol and dopamine in our body? 🤔

Two main hormones affect your stress level, cortisol, and dopamine. Both of these chemicals can influence your mood. 
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Cortisol is part of our body's built-in alarm system. It's our body's main stress hormone that controls our mood, motivation, and fear. I'm sure many of you have heard of the flight or fight response, this is our body's natural instinct during high-stress situations. When stress levels are high this can lead to several health problems including; anxiety, depression, headaches, heart disease, problems with digestion, trouble sleeping, weight loss, and even negative thoughts!

On the other hand, we have dopamine which is our body's chemical messenger sending signals from our brain to our body. So, as you can imagine dopamine is a super important part of the central nervous system controlling functions such as movement, pleasure, attention, mood, and motivation. A lot of people know this as the happy hormone that helps create positive thoughts.

With that said, I truly believe there is a connection between our thoughts, how we feel, and what we create. Our thoughts, feelings, and actions can be controlled through stress management. 
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I have a fun little exercise for those interested in managing their stress levels. It's called the bounce principle. After an argument or stressful situation you may notice a negative thought pop into your head, be mindful, each time your brain switches to a negative thought bounce it into a positive thought or reaction instead.

~Kate~

I talk to a lot of people about what is currently going on in our society and the stressful impact it has had on each and every one of us. With that said, during a chaotic time like this, how do WE as individuals find peace?

How can WE be the change we wish to see in the world?

It starts with YOU. Align your mind, body, and soul by accepting that stillness within and connecting with yourself to find what makes YOU most at peace, what makes YOU happy. That is where you will find the inspiration and motivation to lift others and accomplish anything you put your mind to.

This friendly evening reminder is a great routine to get into by yourself or with your family. It allows you to connect and become in-tune with your overall well-being; physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

~Kate~

I'll let you in on a little secret... We all know this year has been a bit stressful. Every individual has had a very different experience from the next.

My family and I personally went through a loss at the beginning of this year, before we even found out about this crazy pandemic. During that time, at the end of January, I came to the realization of what truly matters in my life... Living in the moment with my family and loved ones. They showed me so much unconditional love and support during that time. But most of all, they helped me stay positive and keep my head up during a time when I needed it most. I am so truly grateful for each and every one of you who were there, by our side during that time. (You know who you are!!)

I learned the secret to life is to stay positive, no matter your situation, you can get through it! This is yet another reason why I became a wellness coach years ago, to help those in need who feel stuck. Just remember you are not alone. Every person has their own unique story. Staying positive doesn't mean you will never experience times of sadness or frustration. In those moments create awareness within and ask yourself, "how will I handle this emotion?" Will you talk to someone? Will you meditate on it? Will you bottle it up and hold onto those emotions? When you are feeling overwhelmed in life how you choose to respond to the situation will impact your journey in the most incredible ways!

~Kate~