Nicola Walker Coaching

Mindset Coach, intuitive clarity, purpose, joy

peace

Gratitude is Who You Truly Are

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woman looking peaceful and grateful with hot drink in mugIf you want a quick reset, look for what you’re grateful for. Gratitude feels so good because gratitude is who you truly are. It helps you to open to life, rather than resist or judge it…

We all feel grateful when something wonderful happens, or when what we were dreading doesn’t happen after all. Gratitude is usually the last thing on our mind when the shit hits the fan. Our mental preoccupations and thought spinning brains lure us in and keep us  glued just like endless TV. Gratitude becomes a forgotten practice tucked away with pretty journals, crystals and aromatherapy oils.

I used to be that way, but I have become increasingly grateful for the power of gratitude. Gratitude can often be like a magic wand, transforming my energetic state and wiping the windows of my eyes, so I see beauty and notice what is good in my life. [Read more…] about Gratitude is Who You Truly Are

Self Care During the Holidays: Five Ways to Return to Peace

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Warmth of candle flame - self care during the holidaysEach year rolls into a whirlwind of light, dark, joy (for some) and overwhelm in the final month of December. Practice self care during the holidays and remember to love yourself. It’s so easy to get blown away from your wise center by the surge of activity pulling you in a myriad of directions at this time of year.

This is a time when we become extremely vulnerable to the sadness in our life as well as the opportunities for joy and connection. If you have lost a loved one, especially recently, the glaring gap that was once filled by their presence is extremely painful. If you don’t have family, a partner or friends to be with, it is easy to feel lonely and isolated.

As daylight contracts to its smallest offering and the sun is often blanketed by cloud, it is natural to want to give yourself some quiet time, your own version of hibernation. This is why it is always so important to know how to practice self care during the holidays and return to peace.

This dark end to the year is also the season of the light. Light is available to us all. We are made of light. If you feel like you have wandered away from the light, you can choose to turn it on again. Being with those you love, sparkling at parties and the warm glow of holiday gatherings is one way to light up your heart. However, it is good to know how to also find peace, love and light when you are alone, especially when you feel stressed, sad or lonely.

Here are five ways you can practice self care during the holidays so you can return to peace, light and love:

[Read more…] about Self Care During the Holidays: Five Ways to Return to Peace

How to Unwind When the Stress Gets Too Much

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Still lake image for self care at work“Give yourself the time to move through the initial awkwardness, even a sense of fear or guilt about unwinding when you feel way too stressed.”

It has been a hectic week. Lots of driving, meetings, rushing out the door feeling so pressed for time that my jacket falls from my full arms into the flower bed. I run towards my car, keys clanging as I throw bags in the trunk, slam doors shut, roar out of the driveway; an oddity on what is really just another peaceful blue sky day in the Santa Cruz mountains with birds chirping from the branches of tall, bright green needled pine trees.

Today is Saturday. Time to slow down. I planned the day to be blank, to unwind.  “What do I want to do?” my mind wonders, almost slightly anxious about making the right decision. “Walk on the beach? Go to a café?” It seems like I feel the need to do something to make the day special in order to unwind, yet my body is fatigued. I’m processing from all the events of the week. I don’t actually really know what I want to do.

Keep it simple and don’t let trying to unwind actually make you busy.

I remember how much nicer it is to let the way I spend my day happen naturally and spontaneously, without making a conscious choice. At first I feel the awkwardness of letting myself not “do anything of consequence”. I look out at the sunny tree tops feeling a little lost because I don’t have plans or anyone to share at least part of my day with. Yet I know I’m doing the right thing. [Read more…] about How to Unwind When the Stress Gets Too Much