Connecting with yourself is one of the most empowering steps you can take on your health and wellness journey. Unlike self-improvement where we work harder and smarter to fix and better ourselves, self-care is about loving and caring for ourselves at any given moment. It incorporates self-compassion and self-acceptance to provide a space where we can show up authentically as we are. A sense of safety and serenity is felt as we nourish and support what is truly alive in, and true for, us.

When we hide who we are, we send messages to our brain that our authentic self is dangerous to share. It is too scary to reveal our true selves. This state of mobilization is a breeding ground for chronic stress, inflammation, and the diseases associated with it (heart disease, heart attacks, high blood pressure, sleep disturbances, weight gain, muscle tension, pain, digestive issues, anxiety and depression among others).

Self-connection is the antidote to artificial harmony, suppression, and repression (all ways we hide who we really are). It is in this space that we discern what we like and what we don’t, what is working for us and what isn’t, what we want to keep and what we are ready to let go of. The self-awareness we gain is essential for promoting and enhancing growth and healing and for optimizing our health and wellness.