​Are there days that you feel like curling up in a ball and not joining the rest of the world? Do you wonder if you’ll ever experience a true sense of inner peace and calm in life?
Some days are harder than others. The troubles that loom over our heads – troubles in the world, in our country, in our communities, even with our families and friends.  Sometimes it all feels like too much. 
And yet, we must reach deep within ourselves to find the strength to move forward. But how?
If you dig deep down into your inner well and it’s not full, what then?  How do you cultivate self power, an inner strength, so that it’s always available to you?  How can we find this hidden treasure? 
When your inner well’s full, you begin to develop a certain steadiness in life. You’re guided and strengthened from within, rather than dependent on external influences. This gives you even more strength for all that comes your way in life.  You’ll become more present and fully experience all of life. And a sense of peace and calm will arise, as you begin to see the bigger purpose and meaning of your life.
Here are a few tips for filling your inner well, giving you the key to unlocking the hidden treasure of your own inner power. 
 
Explore Who am I? 
Take a look at who you are. Truly. Your abilities, your qualities.  Your biography and current life.
 
What moments in your life were turning points?  Who did you meet? What made a difference in your journey? 
 
What are you passionate about?  What gets you excited?  What do you want to do to make a difference in the world?  

​What do you like doing for fun? How do you relax and rejuvenate?
 
The more deeply you know who you are, the more aware you become of the best way to care for yourself and your needs. You’ll feel more grounded and confident.  And more yourself. 
 
Identify Your Gifts
We all have unique gifts – talents or skills – that we can use to make a difference in the world. What are yours?  Where do you shine? 
 
Our gifts typically develop out of our passions in life.
 
Or sometimes out of overcoming adversity. 
 
By sharing these with others, not only does it benefit them, but also you!  You are able to engage in meaningful and purposeful work in the world – which ignites your inner fire and power.  

Replace Negative Voices
Pay attention to what enters your mind that’s negative and doesn’t serve you. When these thoughts enter your mind, simply acknowledge them without judgment and then bid them farewell.  Replace them with gratitude. Think of something in your life that you’re currently grateful for. Focus your thoughts on the gratitude you have.   
 
Balance Your Solar Plexus Chakra 
​

​Your third chakra, the solar plexus chakra, is the source of the light that radiates your personal power and strength out into the world. It’s located between your navel and the bottom of your sternum.
 
Bring this chakra into balance to access your own inner strength. Sit quietly in an upright posture and picture your third chakra filled with the warm yellow light of the sun, radiating out into the world while saying these affirmations:
 
I love myself.
 
I am strong and courageous.
 
I feel my own power.
 
When your solar plexus chakra is balanced, you’ll feel confident and want to say “YES!” to life. You’ll be grounded and ready to start each day. You’ll feel strong and able to take up actions, moving through challenges as they arise.  

Connect to a Higher Presence
Having a regular spiritual practice helps you not only be healthier and more grounded, but connects you with the Divine. This might be meditation, yoga, chanting, being in nature, studying ancient sacred texts, or even sitting in silence.  This raises your vibrational frequency. Doubts and fears fall away as you experience your True Self and have divine support to accompany you.
 
 
This is the 3rd in my series on Radical Self-Care. Watch for more over the next few weeks!  You can also access an audio of a mantra here in my Free Healing Library to call upon the Goddess Durga with her great courage and strength to remove any obstacles that are holding you back from feeling confident and powerful within your life.  Click here to access the Library.
 
 

​It’s so easy today to let fear overwhelm us. If you pause and focus on what could make you anxious and fearful, there, most likely, will be a long list. 
 
Fear of not having enough – enough food, shelter, or basic needs.  Or fear of getting older and not doing all you had dreamed of doing in your life. 
 
Or fear of not enough love or connection in the world. 
 
Not enough control of your life. Not sure what’ll come towards you out in the world. 
 
Or fear of losing what you have. The relationships you cherish, the people you love. Your job, your home.    

​You may want to run away or strike out angrily at your friends and family.  Or you just feel frozen in place –unable to move. 
 
You might even become a “mother bear” wanting to protect yourself and others who are more vulnerable. 
 
Fear of not having enough or fear of losing what you have. It’s part of our human nature. 
 
And although fear is a natural part of our life that helps us to survive at times, dwelling on fear can build and spiral out of control like a tornado picking up strength as it moves across land, destroying any joy or happiness in the present moment. 
 
When we let fear take control of us, we feel unsafe and insecure.  This most basic need – feeling safe and secure in life, is essential in life. Without it, we’re always on guard for threats that may arise, in survival mode.  In this state, we have no space left to explore, learn, connect, create, discover – truly thrive in life. To experience joy.
 
Fear is a part of being human and probably has been with us since the beginning of time.  And yet we’re in charge of how we work with our own fear, how we let it paralyze or overwhelm us or how we may dissolve it.  Our external circumstances don’t actually have control over our fear.  We do!
 
Each one of us needs to find our own path out of the sinking hole of fear.  We must muster our inner strength and courage and explore our own fear.  Move toward it with curiosity, with interest.  Why’s it here?  What’s its origin?  Does it remind us of a fear from earlier years? 
 
"Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones." –Thich Nhat Hanh 
 

​Here are 5 tips to support you in breaking free from fear if you finding it creeping into your life. 
 
1. Shift to Thinking – Move your attention away from your feelings to your thinking. Identify the facts that actually exist currently about the situation.  Not speculating about the future. Not the chatter from others or in your head that fuels the fear.
 
2. Take Charge of What You Invite In – Monitor what you choose to see and hear regularly – through news stories, the internet, and even friends who focus on igniting fear through their addiction to threats, violence, dread, and doom. 

3. Let the fear go - Move toward your fear. Find a way to share the fear outside yourself – someone who can listen and not fan the fire, but calm it. Maybe write about it.  Or express it artistically.  Something that’ll begin to move it from a state of being stuck and frozen. 
 
4. Talk to Someone who can Listen Deeply - Share how you feel with someone who listens well. Ask for their insight about the situation. Avoid those who tend to dwell in negativity and anxiety. 
 
5. Remember Your Inner Work - Bring your attention to the present moment. Calm your whole being through meditation, deep breathing, or a walk in nature.  Taking charge of your own state is the best way to reduce fear that seems to be creeping in. Within a calmer state, your awareness expands and you can begin to explore and discover new perspectives and solutions. You begin to find your own sense of safety and security and soon discover the fear starts to dissolve.  

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." – Eleanor Roosevelt  
 
 
This is the second in my series on Radical Self-Care. Watch for more over the next few weeks!  You can also access an audio of a mantra for Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, here in my Free Healing Library to help you get started today on radical self-care. Click here to become a member!
 
 

​ When was the last time that you did something to nurture yourself?  Honestly.  Today?  Yesterday?  Last week?  Or you can’t remember when? 
 
Self nurturing isn’t often our first priority.  And yet it’s essential for our own health and well-being.
 
Many of us tend to be caregivers who put the needs of others first, before our own needs. We support and nurture our loved ones – our children, partner, parents, friends, and even coworkers – first, and leave little for ourselves. 
 
We often feel comfortable showering others with compassion, care, and generosity. But when it comes to showering ourselves with these same gifts, we might not feel as comfortable and even struggle with giving ourselves permission for self care. 
 
You might feel nurturing yourself is too self-centered or frivolous. Or maybe the negative voices in your head tell you that you don’t deserve such special time.  Or simply don’t have the time or resources for it. 
 
Yet, when you don’t take care of yourself first, you can feel completely depleted and stuck in a cycle of always giving, giving, giving and not receiving. 

​While it might sound easy enough to do, learning to love and care for yourself may be one of the most difficult tasks you’ll ever encounter! Yet, through this care, you’ll gain a sense of self-worth, strength, and resiliency. 
 
Loving yourself doesn’t mean you’re selfish. In fact, self-care will strengthen your ability to be available and care for others.
 
“We need to replace your vicious stress cycle with a vicious cycle of self care.”  – Dr. Sara Gottfried
 
 
Where do you receive rejuvenation and balance? How do you fill yourself? 

​Giving to yourself doesn’t need to take a lot of effort or cost a lot of money! It may simply be telling your loved ones that you’re going to take 15 minutes for yourself.
 
Take a few moments right now and consider what would be nurturing to you at this time in your life. Only you’ll know what fills and renews you! Each person is different and even your own needs may change over your lifetime too. 

Here are some ideas to get you started on nurturing yourself in just 15-30 minutes a day! 
 

• sit quietly for meditation, chanting, or silence
• sing or draw or engage in another form of artistic expression
• cook and eat a delicious meal
• enjoy an activity with a friend or loved one
• walk or sit in nature
• take your shoes off and sit barefoot with your feet on the earth
• take a bath, maybe even in candlelight!
• have a cup of tea
• curl up in front of the fireplace
• read a good book
• diffuse an essential oil in the room while you relax
• do yoga or qigong
• take a bike ride or go swimming
• go to bed early
• listen to an inspiring podcast or seminar online
• get a massage, pedicure, or manicure

 
Try to do something for yourself every day, guilt-free, and notice how it makes a difference in your day! 
 
“An empty lantern provides no light. Self-care is the fuel that allows your light to shine brightly.” – Unknown
​

This is the first in my series on Radical Self-Care. Watch for more over the next few weeks!  You can also access an audio of a mantra for Ganesh, the remover of obstacles, here in my Free Healing Library to help you get started today on radical self-care!