Life is busier and more intense than ever. The world prioritizes productivity and getting things done.

You juggle so many different roles. Your inner gremlin insists you have to do better, work harder, and achieve more. Living in a world that tells you that you are worthy of what you do instead of who you are can bring up your “perfectionism armor.”

Not only do you have to deal with the stress of daily life, but you also have to deal with the stress of self-judgment, criticism, and blame.

If you’re an empath and a natural giver, it’s habitual for you to care for others before caring for yourself.

The result is that stress takes over during the day, and it even affects your sleep at night.

You’re trapped in a vicious cycle of not getting enough sleep, waking up tired in the morning, and starting another hectic day that ends with you feeling stressed and overwhelmed yet again.

Having a daily self-care practice helps, but even when you care for yourself daily, life circumstances can easily interfere with your practice and throw you off balance.

Recently, my daughter and her fiancé visited from Israel for the first time since the pandemic started. I loved having them here. If you’re a parent, you’ll understand how joyful it is to spend time with your adult children. We don’t take that time for granted. Right?

I loved all the fun things that we did. I loved simply being together. But when they left after a few weeks, I realized that my stress level was higher than usual. I didn’t sleep well for the last week or so of their visit. Looking back, the ratio of my DOING and BEING was off.

Typically, I maintain a structured and solid daily practice of BEING. I start my day with self-Reiki and meditation. I take a “Reiki pause” in the middle of my day to RESET. At night, even when I don’t finish teaching till 9:00 PM, I clear the energy from my body and my space, write gratitude, and spend a few minutes in Reiki and meditation. These daily practices help me manage stress and stay grounded and centered, regardless of my surroundings.

But with the (very good!) changes my visiting family brought to my routine, I wasn’t as consistent with my daily practices. Even though I enjoyed all the DOING with them, I didn’t have enough BEING time in my life. The day they left, I took a walk in the park by myself for the first time in weeks. Spending quiet time with myself is crucial because I’m an empath, and if I don’t nurture my empathetic needs, I feel depleted and fried. In the process of evaluating and correcting my self-care practice, it became clear that there are three things that need to happen for supporting my well-being and physical and emotional health.

Watch today’s vlog and discover three simple ways to have less stress and sleep better.

Before I let you go, let me share the link to a few resources I shared in the blog.

If Reiki is not yet part of your life, consider taking a virtual Reiki class with me. It will help you stress less and sleep better. I promise.

If you already practice Reiki consider adding crystals and colors to your Reiki practice to bring more peace and calm.

If you are interested in take a breath and remember who you are join me for the At-Home Restorative Meditation Retreat.