SELF CAFE TIPS

by: Chat Mills

I used to be the kind of person who could stay up as late as I wanted to, get everything done, and wake up ready to rock the next morning. It wasn't until my late-30s that I realized this wasn't a viable plan.

Yeah, I know. My freakin' late-30s. Unbelievable!

When the pandemic hit and all the stress and worry about the future set in, I realized I had no productive coping mechanisms to manage stress. And as luck would have it 37 years of repressed stress decided to make it's way back into my life like an obnoxious family member at Thanksgiving. 

The first aspect of my health that took a hit was my sleep. And this was my sign that something was off in a BIG way because I have never had any issues falling asleep. I am 100% the person whose head hits the pillow and I'm out.

When I tossed and turned, I knew something was wrong.

When the to-do list just kept growing and growing in my head, I knew something was wrong.

When I couldn't shut out the thoughts, I knew something was wrong.

When I didn't sleep through the night, I knew something was really​ wrong.

Here's the thing though - how the hell do you raise a family, work your job, be a parent, and a spouse and a friend, and oh yeah, manage all the freakin stress that brings, so you can get restorative sleep to be rested enough to lower stress for the next day??

What the actual....

SELF CARE TIPS

By: Chat Mills

Ah, February. The month of love.

Or at least according to the candy industry anyway.

However you feel about Valentine’s Day, I think we can all agree that February is a GREAT time of year to reconnect with yourself and begin the journey of self love. The new year is in full swing and you've had a whole month with whatever resolutions you've made.

I have always been someone who is athletic, fit, happy and overall in good health and wellness. If you’ve been following my journey then you know that there were some pretty significant bumps in the road that led to a major disconnect to the happy, fit, healthy athlete I once was.
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In 2020, after reeling with the effects of a global pandemic and the previous trauma of my life, I decided enough was enough. I had already gone through the most difficult transformation of my life through losing a child, so learning to love, appreciate, and be grateful for myself and all that I am couldn’t possibly be that hard, right?

Here’s the thing though → It’s actually really hard. ENTIRELY POSSIBLE but hard.

I know you feel me on this! Um, I do love myself. No, like, I totally love myself. Okay, I at least like who I am; that counts, right?

How do we get out of that place of thinking we love ourselves to really feeling that love? Is it really that important to incorporate self care? 

Here are my top reasons why it is important to love yourself, why you should incorporate self care and the benefits that doing this has had to my overall health and wellness.

SELF CARE TIPS

By: Chat Mills