Ask Our Founders - Committing to Self-Love

ASK OUR FOUNDERS

Hi Friends,

Natasha here with this month’s “Ask Our Founders.”

When I think of the challenges, fears, and conflicts that show up in my life, I am learning that the core of my work is not better communication, protecting my energy, or finding the lesson. I’ve gained valuable tools and guidance on how to use my voice, practice boundaries, and untangle emotions, but in this past month, I recognize that to continue to be open to healing and transformation, I am required to focus on the seed of self-love.

This Month's Theme: Committing to Self-Love

The definition of self-love is an appreciation of one's own worth or virtue. Below are three examples of the kind of love that I will be focusing on:

Loving the parts of me that are scared of doing things wrong, making a mistake, or saying the wrong thing. I commit to self-love by acknowledging the little girl inside me who has had to learn how to anticipate others’ emotions and needs to feel safe and by letting her know that I am here to protect her.

Remembering love in my daily activities and focusing on enjoying the journey. This looks like recognizing my inner critic who says I should be farther along and expects perfection, and gently asking myself to redirect my attention to how far I’ve come, the lessons I’ve learned, and the people I’ve inspired.

Nurturing the skill of self-soothing so that I’m my primary caretaker and my husband, Zac is the secondary caretaker. My go-to self-soothing techniques are giving myself a hug (touch), lighting incense (smell), and listening to a calming restorative sound bath (sound).

My practices for committing to self-love:

MIND

• Email Productivity: I started incorporating tips on how to spend less time on email. By creating three 30-minute times a day to check email, bucketing my emails into “Read”, “Someday”, and “Waiting”, and only having my inbox open during those times, I now have more time to do what lights me up and feel more energized.

• Monthly Goals: I close out each month by taking inventory of how I’ve used my resources across the categories of ‘Doing’ and ‘Being’. I use this time to celebrate myself, recognize the relationships that lift me up, and create goals for the following month. Setting monthly goals keeps me focused and reminds me to relish in the steady progress.

BODY

• Dry-Brushing: I’ve added dry brushing into my daily routine to support my lymphatic system. Dry Brushing is a type of Ayurvedic medicine that has been around for centuries. As someone who always has cold extremities, this practice increases circulation and energy and helps the body rid itself of toxins through the lymph nodes with ease. I picked up my dry brush from a favorite local store here in Denver, Miller Lane.
• Food is Medicine: I’m supporting Zac with a new dietary routine that’s designed to help support a healthy balance of gut flora. Though a rigid diet of low-carb veggies, proteins, and unprocessed nuts, seeds, and oils can make us hangry and be time-consuming, we’ve made this a time for us to practice communicating our needs with one another and a time for us to connect in the kitchen. For those interested, Dr. Rachelle Forsberg is our functional medicine doctor.

SPIRIT

• Human Design: Human design offers a map of your unique aspects that make up your personality. It guides you to recognize the conscious and unconscious parts of yourself and to live a life that is in sync with who you are. I discovered that I was uniquely designed as a Manifesting Generator; someone who holds a lot of energy but needs to be intentional with where my energy goes. This discovery gave me permission to lean into my multi-hyphenate self and fully trust my inner knowing. You can get your free chart here.

• Reiki CertificationL Reiki is an ancient system that originated from Japan in the 1800’s by Dr. Mikao Usui. It is a practice that is administered by ‘laying of hands’ and based on the idea that an unseen 'life force energy' flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. The idea of being of service to others by being a Reiki healer came to me during meditation. Harnessing this power to guide others is my form of self-love and I’m listening to that calling by participating in a certification program this month.

Thank you for listening, reading, and staying curious. How are you committing to self-love this month?

With love,
Tash