Practicing radical self care! -7:30AM post gym selfie from Friday

(*Todays message was originally posted on my Instagram account Friday morning- hence the emojis!). https://www.instagram.com/elizturnercoach/?hl=en

Burn Out 

This is a subject that comes up again and again in my line of work. I have seen so many women juggling full time work, their families, supporting loved ones who are ill or disabled, striving to be perfect at work and home (the topic of perfection I will leave for another day as that is a meaty one!) – all while putting themselves on the back burner. A few years ago I did this as well.

But I learned some hard lessons and I do this no longer! ?

Why I practice radical self-care?

Because it is key!

If you aren’t functioning at 100% how can you best support others?

We want to be functioning from a soulful place of strength not operating out of fear, right? You can only run on the fumes of anxiety and stress for so long and then you will hit a wall.

How to prevent this?

RADICAL SELF CARE!

and…

… for me, going to the gym consistently is one of my RSC pillars.

My alarm went off at 5:30am and I did not want to get up as I was tired from a busy week, and the bed was so cozy, but I thought about how good I would feel after. So I went and took some of my micro aggressions out on the medicine ball! ?

Now as I write this I feel less stressed about events that before were bothering me, I feel calmer and stronger and I sleep better. ??

Exercise, restorative sleep, massages with an RMT, play, family time, things to look forward to, and eating food that comes from the ground, not a box or bag, are other key pillars of RSC ?.

The Daily Check In

So today please check in with yourself and ask what you are doing in terms of RSC?

How are you feeling in your body right now?

What would feel good to you to do today?

-Coffee with a friend?

-A nap?

-A stretching class?

-A hike?

-A long soak in the bath?

Do it!

Put yourself first and watch how everything else falls into place!

You deserve it!

xo

Eliz

The post Radical Self Care appeared first on Elizabeth Ritchie Counselling & Coaching Services.

– Kate Spade

First Kate Spade and then Anthony Bourdain. Could the week of ended on a lower note?

Kate Spade!

With her whimsical and colourful handbags and note paper.

Kate Spade a depressed person? How can this be?

And then.

Anthony Bourdain.

The well loved pirate of the cooking world. A man with such a lust for life, such gusto, with an innate ability to connect and make us want to travel and eat and embrace life.

WT heck?

The world is still reeling.

I gotta admit Friday morning after scrolling through the news on my phone I cried.

It was like I lost a friend.

We Have to Keep Talking About Mental Health 

This past week has been a reminder.

A reminder to keep talking to each other, to keep connecting, and reaching out and asking ‘How are you doing?’ and more importantly,  ‘How are you really doing?’

And if we know of a friend who is struggling right now, check in with them.

We are all busy, with full lives and competing priorities, but if we lose the ability to connect with others and to care, we are truly doomed.

On Shame 

We can’t let shame get the best of us either.

There is no shame in feeling broken, unloved, or less than. We ALL have been there one way or another, had some type of mental health crisis – be it depression, anxiety, a panic attack, whatever…

You don’t need a diagnosis from a doctor to have a mental illness.

And know there ARE solutions to this!

There are ways to work through whatever is dragging you down, but to do that you first have to have to –

tell someone.

It is ok to lose the battle…

…but keep fighting the friggin war!

A couple of resources to share;

The best books I have come across in terms of getting past shame and finding the courage to be vulnerable, to open up to others about your pain, is Brene Brown’s work.

‘The Gifts of Imperfection’ and ‘Daring Greatly’ are two good jumping off points. Her TED talks on these subjects are excellent as well. Google them.

Pema Chodron’s book ‘When Things Fall Apart’ is another excellent resource.

Crisis Hotlines

Canada – http://www.crisisservicescanada.ca

U.S. – http://crisiscallcenter.org/get-help-247/

Europe – http://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/Europe/

If you need any specific info / resources feel free to connect with me at admin@fullflightlifecoaching.com 

And, if after this rough week you want some good news….

Because it is June, my birthday month and I’m going to be half a century old – yep fifty years old!!  I have put together a fun little something that you can check out HERE

xo

Eliz

The post Yep I cried. appeared first on Elizabeth Ritchie Counselling & Coaching Services.

We are half way through November and the the holiday season is upon us! Yikes- How did THAT happen? Who needs some ‘holiday survival tips’? I do!  lol

For me, the last couple of weeks have been a whirl of work, hockey, piano, costume parties, kid’s field trips and fairs. Whew!

In fact, it was so busy that I ended up putting my group coaching / cardio program ‘The Club’ on hold, which I was so looking forward to rolling out, but I have learned the hard way that there are limits to what I can manage at one time, so I stepped it back.

So are YOU ready for the holidays?

I am quasi ready.

I say ‘quasi’ because although things have been hectic (which seems to be the norm in my life!) my life will soon be going into WARP SPEED, and by ‘warp speed’ I mean moving out of our house as the renovations begin. (No they have yet to start…I thought we would be half way through by now!)

These aren’t just little renos either, I am talking about having to remove every light fixture in our house (with the exception of the boys rooms), and remove all major appliances, and completely clean out the garage and storage room type of reno.

Our pricing meeting with the renovation company is this Tuesday which puts us a step closer to demolition day (Good riddance blue powder room with the angel wallpaper!), and OF COURSE the reno will coincide with the Christmas season- Murphy’s Law!

So given the above events, this year my intention is to be as mindful as I can and use all my coaching tools to make sure December is full of peace and joy for myself and my family, and not chaos and overwhelm.

How to ramp up the peace, joy and fun this holiday season!

Here is to a peaceful and joyous holiday season! #nooverwhelm #nostress #noillness

On that note, I am now going to make a hot cup of tea and watch (again) the final installment of my  ‘Holiday Survival Guide’ videos which I made back in 2014.

I just watched videos 1 & 2 and took notes because I had forgotten a bunch!

Now if you have been a Full Flight insider for some time you may have watched these videos before, but don’t let that stop you from viewing them again because they are as relevant as ever, and are full of tips such as setting an intention for your holiday season, saying ‘no’ to events that drain you, and scheduling into the calendar ONLY the stuff that lights you up.

You can check out all three videos (Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh) out HERE.   Make sure you start with video number 1 (Gold).

#selfcare

Today I am off to do some holiday shopping downtown, followed by an overnight stay at one of my favourite Vancouver hotels, The Sutton Place. I am going solo and along with taking in all the bright lights and Christmas decorations, I am looking forward to some quiet time too, some alone time where I can gather my thoughts and energies for the festive season ahead, and for the new year, which is just around the corner.

Hope you enjoy the videos!

I also hope that you make the most of your holiday season, and if you don’t hear from me for awhile you will know that I am deep in ‘reno mode’.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

xo

Eliz

I try and make a solo trip to the Sutton Place 1x per year -this shot is from last year’s stay. #selfcare #reflectivetime #dreamingandscheming

The post ‘Holiday Survival Tips’ – and why I am checking into a hotel today… appeared first on Elizabeth Ritchie Counselling & Coaching Services.

Aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre Photo by FloCombat

In this Full Flight post I’m going to address the hard things first, followed by three uplifting things that I know you will appreciate -so be sure to read all the way through ok?

No way around it.

This past week has been devastating.

I CAN. NOT. GET. MY. HEAD. AROUND. what occurred in Las Vegas.

I watched the news last night and they showed pictures of all 58 of the victims.

Beautiful, caring people of all ages, bright lights of their communities, mothers, father, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, all gone…..incomprehensible.  My husband pointed out that the loss of their lives will affect their families and neighbourhoods for generations to come.

Only someone with no experience of true love and connection could unleash this kind of horror.

And then amidst all this, the news that beloved rocker Tom Petty had died as well. Gone too soon at age 66.

‘You and I will meet again, when we’re least expecting it.

One day in some far off place, I will recognize your face. I won’t say goodbye, my friend, for you and I will meet again’.

– Tom Petty

Yep it was an awful week and it shook me, as I am sure it shook you as well.

I had all this pent up, angry energy and felt-off kilter.

But I also know feeling this way doesn’t serve anyone.  It doesn’t serve me, my family, my clients, my friends, it just isn’t helpful. And all that energy has to go somewhere, so what to do?

I started by channelling my dismay into Facebook Posts. After doing that for a day or two, I still felt sad and unsettled, so I took a different tact.

I did 3 specific things to get myself back into balance- and it worked!  And I posted a video about it on social media.

I called it:

‘3 Ways to Raise Your Vibration and Restore Your Equilibrium’

If you are feeling off balance or despondent after this awful week, or due to any other challenges you are experiencing in your life, then I recommend that you watch this VIDEO (click on the word ‘video’ for the link) because I know that if you take these steps, you WILL feel better!

If You Are a Local Women This Uplifting Group May Be Just What You Are Looking For! 

And for you local ladies (Surrey / Vancouver, BC area) – exciting news!!!

I have a new in- person coaching group starting soon! It’s called-

 ‘The Club’

(Coaching, Cardio and Coffee Club that is!)

‘The Club’ kicks off later this month and is a 4 month group coaching program that will meet up twice a month -once for group coaching and a coaching presentation in the evening, and one time a month for an ‘action’ oriented event (snowshoeing, private hip hop dance class etc…) on a Sunday.

If you are looking for fun group of like- minded women and want to be inspired, empowered AND break a sweat, you can find out all about this new fun coaching group HERE.

Need More Laughter? 

(and who doesn’t?)

And because we all need more laughter in our lives, check THIS trailer out – Steve suggested we watch this show last night and I was uplifted because it was HILARIOUS (especially the bit about the socks!!!!).

You do need a subscription to NETFLIX however to access it…and I recommend that you do as it does not disappoint!

That’s it for today lovely.

Sending you peace, love, light and laughter after a tough week, and to my fellow Canadians – Happy Thanksgiving!

We ALL have so much to be thankful for don’t we?

xo

Eliz

The post After a tough week, 3 uplifting things for YOU! appeared first on Elizabeth Ritchie Counselling & Coaching Services.

And so September draws to a close. What a blur! One day I will experience a calm and quiet September but I don’t think it will be for many years! lol

Back to school, kids sports and lessons kicking off, prospective clients calling about booking strategy sessions, clients booking coaching sessions after taking the summer off, business meetings ramping up, and on top of this typical September activity I am trying to pack up the house as we prepare for our move out and upcoming renovations. Last week,  I was feeling overwhelmed by it all.

However I am an old hand at feeling overwhelmed AND getting myself out of it, and I willl share six techniques I used this past month which got me out of overwhelm and helped save my bacon.

1. Having a meal plan-

Ideally having five days of meals planned out, or at the very least, three.  Know what you are preparing and make sure you have all the ingredients in house. This will save you time and and energy, keep things running smoothly on the home front and ensure that you are eating nutritious foods.

2. Early bedtimes-

During the last few weeks of summer my husband and I got into a habit of staying up late watching TV. This caught up with us in early September when my eldest son was waking up at 4:30-5:00AM anxious about the coming school day (which meant we were waking up at 4:30-5:00AM!). We started going up at 9:00-9:30PM so we could do some quiet reading, wind down and fall asleep at a decent time. This made for much better mornings!

3. Keeping up the exercise-

During stressful times regular exercise can be the first thing to go. However, it is when we are at our busiest and most harried that we need to get our heart pumping and move our body. Since January I have pre-booked and pre-paid, a bi-weekly workout at my gym. This means I will get out of bed and get to that 6:25AM class on a consistent basis.

This arrangement has been working really well for me and since January I have only missed two classes due to illness. When I attended my old gym which was a ‘show up when you feel like it’ and ‘work out on your own’ arrangement, it was much easier to take a pass or go, but not work out to the best of my abilities. Pre-booked and pre-paid small group training is the way to go for me now.

4. Doing a ‘Mind Dump’ and using a ‘Priority / ‘Non-Priority’ list when overwhelmed-

If you participated in the Passion Dream Challenge or have been following me for awhile you may remember these two tools. I had to use them last week as I was getting bogged down by all my ‘To Do’s’.

I took all the thoughts swirling around in my head and captured them on paper. Immediately I felt lighter. Then I sorted them into one of the two columns. Was this item a ‘Priority’ or a ‘Non-Priority?’ Seeing my ‘To Do’s’ noted in their respective columns instantly made me feel more organized and capable and I knew I could handle all I needed to do.

5. Use a ‘Daily Compass’ every day-

The second step after doing a ‘Mind Dump’ and a ‘Priority / ‘Non-Priority’ list is having a ‘Daily Compass’. From my ‘Priority’ list I then take the top three items I need to get done today and I write them down and put the paper where I can see it.

If I am working at my desk my ‘DC’ is next to my computer, if I’m in the kitchen it’s taped to a cupboard, if I am out it’s on my phone. Then, regardless of how nutso the day gets I will not be thrown off track. I can look at the ‘DC’ and be reminded of my true priorities and focus on what really needs to get done.

6. Have an ‘Anchor’ to remind you of your goals-

Keeping our eyes on the sweet things in life helps us to stay joyful and not get bogged down in the day to day minutiae. I have a friend who said she always has to have something to look forward to like a holiday to keep her feeling good.

One of my big goals is to go on a safari in Africa and there is one specific company I want to travel with and the cost of their safaris? Well let’s just say you would not call them inexpensive! 🙂  I am not in a position to go on this trip anytime soon but regardless, I have signed up for their e-mails and love getting their newsletter and being reminded that this is a treasured goal of mine.

Newsletters or e-mails from this safari company act as an ‘anchor’ to my big goal and reminds me that this is what I want to do, and that there are delicious things in store for me if I stay on track with my dreams. I had one of their e-mails pop into my in-box yesterday, with news about three new leopard cubs and it was a welcome treat!

If you haven’t done so already, I recommend you create some kind of similar ‘anchor’s in your life. This can be a vision board with pictures on it that represent your dreams or having a password on your work computer that reminds you every day of one of your wild and juicy goals. Use these ‘anchors’ to keep your dreams alive and present in your everyday life.

Want more tools like these? 

There you have it my friend, six essential survival skills that will help you get through ANY month with joy and ease.

If these tools resonated with you and you want to take things further, check out Passion Dream School my 6 week e-course all about creating a more beautiful and peaceful life. It is chock full of techniques like these as well as videos, audios and more!, AND I am offerring $100 off until Friday, September 29th at midnight. Correction! – Now extended to Sunday, October 1st at midnight as I was slow to get the information out on social media 🙂 !

If you want to de-clutter your world (mentally and physically), get some more awesome coaching tools like these, and create a more gorgeous life, get my fun and easy e-course HERE

xo

Elizabeth

The post Six Life ‘Survival’ Essentials You Need to Be Using appeared first on Elizabeth Ritchie Counselling & Coaching Services.