When you decide to take action, even with small steps, you will change your life! Here is how I went from the worst year of my life in 2022 to the year I harnessed calm, wrangled my outrageous stress, learned coping skills to help me balance a home-life with multigenerational living and through self care, therapy and a few game changing books, I experienced the most growth and contentment I've ever seen in my 44 trips around the sun.
Whether you are 22 or 52 reading this, we are going to explore why doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity. If we want to make a change we must say it, think it, see it, feel it, believe it and see it every day!
STEP 1: 5 Minute Journal This was the first step I took because I felt like my grief over losing my beloved baby boy Maverick and the stress of the rest of that year was causing me to see the world through a negative lens. I committed to 3 minutes in the morning and 2 minutes every night to begin to heal and live in a place of gratitude. In just a few days I will complete my year of The Five Minute Journal and I can tell you that I noticed profound change in only the first few weeks but now after 362 days, my mindset is permanently shifted because of this. If you do one thing, DO THIS!
STEP 2: Self Care Retreat Early this year, my Mom, who has lived with us since 2020 fell again while visiting family in another state and this time she broke her hip and now needed full time care. I was overwhelmed with the responsibility and the pressure that added to my every day and my marriage. By May, I felt like I needed an intervention and I booked a 4 day retreat to Civana Wellness. The things I learned through the 12+ classes included in the stay, coupled with alone time in the desert, made it a priceless and life changing adventure. It also showed me the importance of self care and inspired me to do simpler self care days back at home, which included booking my beauty treatments all on the same day (I call those "me days"), scheduling activities with my closet girlfriends more frequently and snagging a mid week massage after work when I can all aid in filling my cup. It is impossible to be there for others, if you don't show up for yourself!
STEP 4: The Source & Living Fully books/audio books. The Source is likely the most life changing book I've ever read and I've read it several times. Towards the end Dr. Tara Swart has a few manifestation exercises that I listen to a few times a month, and sometimes a times a few times a week so I recommend getting both the hard copy and the audio book so you can access it where ever you're at!
For inspiration on living a bigger life and a lesson on why fine, shouldn't be our new normal, I can't recommend my friend Mallory Ervin's book enough. She reads the audio version so beautifully and her sweet Kentucky accent will just suck you in! I keep the hard copy in my office and refer to the highlighted sections often.
STEP 5; Year End Reflection Every year for the last 5 years I've completed a Year End Reflection to basically asses the year, find my weaknesses, recognize my achievements (as an Aries and an only child, I struggle with this), as well as identify what's important and where I want to focus in the coming year. I've created one for you to print here and I know this will help you too! Plus this is the perfect time of year to do it to really make a difference!
STEP 6: Vision | Action Board I started creating a vision or action board more than 10 years ago and I can't count how many times everything on the board actually happened in real life. The power of visualizing your dreams is life changing and I am proof of that!
I have partnered with Casa Zuma to make your vision board making as easy and as elegant as can be! Use my code: Kara10 for 10% off until 1/31 on everything on the site. With your purchase you will also gain access to Camille's Vision Board workshop via zoom on January 6th!
I feel so strongly about you making a vision board that I don't want budget to get in the way. Here are the ones I've used over the years at every price point along with my free guide on making a vision board check out my blog post:
OPTIONAL STEPS: I'm not big on supplements but I did work with a naturopathic doctor this year and he recommended adding a few in addition to my multivitamin, which I was already taking because I expressed needing help with stress. He said since my cortisol levels were so high, adding ashwagandha & vitamin D would help and because your gut is a direct connection to your brain, a probiotic is a good place to start! I can really tell a difference! Of course please consult your doctor before starting a supplement regimen. He also suggested walking at least 20 minutes a day, in nature if possible as well as a few minutes of mediation or calming music and adding an activity like yoga or pilates to your weekly routine. I'm happy to report after incorporating most of these on a regular basis, my cortisol levels are lower, my back pain is greatly reduced, I've lost 50 pounds plus I'm managing my stress better overall now.
Remember if we want to be better, we must do better. If we want to make a change we must say it, think it, feel it, believe it and see it every day!
I hope you found some useful tips here and if you did, let me know over on Instagram @KaraSanchezBeauty so I know if you enjoy non-brow related content like this!
Cheers to a New Year and a Better You (and me too)!
xoxo - Kara