How to show up for yourself.
Dr Rachel, PhD and Angie Tebbe, CEO
How can we show up for ourselves to support our mental and emotional wellness? What exactly is peace of mind? Is it achievable? Is it sustainable? And how do we put ourselves at the top of the priority list ahead of others? These may seem like aloof questions when you’re doing your best to just get through the day or week, but there are some quick and easy tools to combat feeling constantly overloaded. Our CEO sat down with Rae partner and psychologist, Dr Rachel Goldman to discuss the topic.
Angie: Dr Rachel, we all want to show up as our best, every day. Often, that involves checking things off our list, eating healthy meals, and getting in some breathing and/or movement. How do we all take the next steps to take care of our mental and emotional state?
Dr Rachel: Finding balance and peace within us has many benefits. Starting with ourselves is so important! I always suggest you check-in a few times each day and ask how you are doing.
Angie: Your advice is so consistent and generally starts with a self-check-in. Making sure we have positive emotional energy and the ability to control stress is the first step to any sort of peace of mind.
Dr Rachel: YES. If you can achieve a healthy view of yourself and healthy emotions (I’m not sure what we mean by “healthy emotions.” How about If you can achieve a healthy view of yourself, can be aware of your emotions, and have a toolbox full of coping tools that you can use….) , you’re less likely to turn to something that provides temporary relief such as social media scrolling, comfort food, and more. Focusing on this can also help boost productivity and concentration.
Angie: Given each day can be unpredictable, when stressors come in (and there are plenty of things out of our control) what are the ways we can support our minds?
Dr Rachel: There are five tools for checking in with yourself. And an added benefit you may not realize is that using these tools help support your relationships with others. If you’re in a good place, you will maintain good relationships with your colleagues, partners, kids, parents, and more. So checking in on YOU can help you show up as your best self for everyone else in your life. Use these five tools each day, throughout the day.
- Self-acceptance. Do you feel good about who you are? Think of 3 amazing and positive things about yourself. If you can accept you for you and feel good about who you are, you are going to project that positive energy toward others.
- Self-care. Have you done something to care for yourself today? Think of one thing you can do right in the moment – fuel your body with a snack, drink a glass of water, stretch. This looks different for everyone, and you can do it in just a few minutes a day.
- Self-compassion. How is your self-talk? Rate yourself on a scale 1-5. Try to make it up the scale each day by showing yourself the kindness that you would show others.
- Pause and breathe. Take moments throughout your day to just pause and breathe. Taking that time for yourself will help you better respond to situations instead of reacting.
- Be open and honest. Be honest, both with yourself and with others. Ask yourself what you need, and really listen. Similarly, no one is a mind reader, so communicate your needs of others.
Dr Rachel: It may sound cliché, but the ultimate goal is peace of mind. By having inner peace, you will have greater self-awareness leading to inner strength. That means less over-thinking, less worry over the future, and not replaying the past. By taking time to have self-compassion, self-acceptance and care, you can be honest with what you need and take action to get it.
And of course, Dr Rachel always recommends thinking about the link between proper nutrition and mental health. Check out her article on why she always recommends a multivitamin to her clients.
