This question urges me to look past my basic needs of safety, security, and connection to deeper desires and my core values. What do I value most in life—and at this particular stage of the process I am in. However, my answer to this question continues to come back to one thing and that is experience.

In most circumstances, self improvement is a positive trait that leads to a healthy self awareness and lifestyle habits. Generally, one seeks out self improvement when something in their life is no longer working and they want to develop new skills and habits to change it.

So, we have to be viligant when we encounter resistance so that we 1) don’t sabotage ourselves from growing and evolving, 2) don’t waste our time or energy clinging on to unavailable energy and 3) allow ourselves to be unapologetically honest with what is and is not working for us.

Just like anything, there are ups and downs. There are challenges and there are opportunities. Being at home has been like that, both challenging and opportunistic. Not anything life altering, but definitely confronting insights, thoughts, and realities.

Unfortunately, our conditioning from society tells us that you have to be one thing or have a “label” to define you, what you do, and where you belong. And for those with an undefined identity center, this can feel confusing. They don’t know where they belong. They can become preoccupied with earning titles and adding letters behind their name so they can be definable.

Without having awareness, they may rush through things and be impulsive, hyperactive, and overly productive. The response to this sense of urgency can lead to a dysregulated nervous system and eventually burnout.

While there is growing evidence of its efficacy, hypnotherapy is a specialized type of therapy led by a certified hypnotherapist with formal training. The hypnotherapist works with you to guide you into a trance-like state so that you become more open to change.

At a physiological level, breath work aids in the excretion of toxins and waste in our body. When we take a breath in, we bring oxygen into the lungs.

The thing I love about this dish is the tangy, yet sweet taste from the vinegar and the carrots, along with the different textures! It’s like a party in my mouth for all my taste buds. The cumin flavor add a subtle earthy and spice to it, while the fruit and nut give it a sweet and salty finish. I’ll tell you whenever I make it, it doesn’t last me too long because it is THAT good.

Gua sha is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that is used to “massage” or move fluid, tissues, and fascia in the body to increase circulation, oxygen, and restore normal cell function. This traditional holistic method is known to help improve skin health, immunity system function, and reduce stress and inflammation.