Youniquelywell

A HUGE thanks to everyone who came to our health & wellness coaching open house last night! It was so much fun to talk with you about coaching, wellness, and behavior change. Your energy, questions, and personal reflections made for an amazing conversation 🙏🏻 Looking forward to the next one!
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Are you curious about health & wellness coaching? Come to this free in-person event to get your questions answered and learn more about how coaching can help you achieve your goals, navigate obstacles, and make lasting change in your life.

When I tell people I am a health coach, I often get asked:
- What is a health coach?
- What’s the difference between coaching and therapy?
- Who should work with a health coach?

If you have these same questions, here’s some information that may help:

What is a health coach?
Health & wellness coaches support clients in activating internal strengths and external resources to make sustainable and healthy lifestyle behavior changes. Health coaches use a client-centered approach wherein clients decide their goals, engage in self-discovery or active learning processes, and self-monitor behaviors to increase accountability, all within the context of an interpersonal relationship with a health coach.

Whatever goal the client sets, the health coach ensures that they are supported until the desired outcome is achieved. Board-certified coaches have trained to the highest standards in the profession which means we have the skills and knowledge to walk alongside you on your path to your healthiest self.

Coach vs Therapist
Coaches leverage their expertise in behavior change to help clients build momentum, confidence, and accountability on their journey towards change. Coaches focus on a client’s current state and help to create action plans to achieve future goals or outcomes.

Therapists are licensed mental health professionals who specialize in helping clients develop better cognitive and emotional skills, reduce symptoms of mental illness, and cope with various life challenges to improve their lives. Therapy often focuses on the past and on introspection and analysis, with the hope of resolving past issues and creating a happier, more stable future. 

Who should work with a health coach?
If you are wanting to better manage stress, improve relationships, lose weight, or build a new habit, working with a coach can help!
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Happy International Day of Yoga 🧘🏻‍♀️☀️

👩🏻‍💻 Live stress management webinar tomorrow on Zoom at 6pm.

If you’re experiencing burnout, feeling overwhelmed, and are struggling to manage all that is on your plate, this discussion on boundaries can help. Feel free to reach out with any questions and I hope to see you tomorrow!

Click here to learn more about the webinar and purchase tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/setting-boundaries-to-reduce-stress-tickets-622656190427

Setting Boundaries to Reduce Stress Implementing boundaries is essential for effectively managing stress both personally and professionally. Learn 5 easy steps that can help!

Have you ever tried to implement a new boundary only to be met with pushback? You are not alone!

After implementing a new boundary, others might respond with pushback, but this doesn’t mean your boundary is wrong.

It means that you have communicated a boundary, someone else is responding, and you have an opportunity to practice consistency.

The next time you experience pushback after setting a boundary to support your well-being…

🧘🏻‍♀️ Take a breath
💜 Be proud of yourself for articulating your needs
🙏🏻 Stay consistent

☝🏻If you’re interested in learning more about boundaries, check out my upcoming live webinar about boundaries at the link in bio.
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Mental health affects ALL of us. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 5 adults experience a mental illness each year.

If you are not struggling with your own mental health, chances are you live, work, or socialize with someone who is struggling. Talking about mental health can feel uncomfortable and that’s ok. If you embrace that discomfort, you’ll find a vulnerability and honesty that helps to fight stigma, educate others, and build supportive communities.

Help start the conversation today! Visit: nami.org/mhm
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We're often told prioritizing self-care can help with managing stress and avoiding burnout. Knowing that self-care doesn't look the same for everyone, how can you build a self-care practice that is unique to you?

Setting clear personal and professional boundaries is an effective way to reduce stress, establish more compassionate relationships, and build an individual self-care practice.

If you're interested in learning more, check out our webinar on Tuesday, May 23rd from 6 - 7pm EDT.

Here's what we'll cover:
- How stress manifests in the body
- How boundaries help reduce stress
- How to define and implement a boundary
- How to plan for challenges
- How to respond to push back

Learn more about the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/setting-boundaries-to-reduce-stress-tickets-622656190427

Setting Boundaries to Reduce Stress Implementing boundaries is essential for effectively managing stress both personally and professionally. Learn 5 easy steps that can help!

As we move into April, Stress Awareness Month, I’ve been reflecting on how stress has shown up in my life. I used to group all forms of stress together under the same umbrella. When I felt stressed, I took it as a sign that something was wrong and needed to change. I never allowed for the possibility that stress could be a good thing. Like many things in life, stress exists on a spectrum.

According to the Cleveland Clinic,

“Stress is a normal human reaction that happens to everyone. In fact, the human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. When you experience changes or challenges (stressors), your body produces physical and mental responses. That’s stress.

Stress responses help your body adjust to new situations. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert, motivated and ready to avoid danger. But stress becomes a problem when stressors continue without relief or periods of relaxation.”

Stress is a normal human reaction, but if your stress levels continue to rise it’s helpful to identify tools that will support your well-being.

Here are some tools that help me navigate stressful situations:
🏃🏻‍♀️ Exercise
🧘🏻‍♀️ Meditation
🌱 Spending time outside
👯‍♀️ Getting together with friends/family
🙏🏻 Coaching/Therapy

What is most helpful for you in times of stress?

If you’re not sure where to start, we recently started hosting a virtual restorative yoga class on Sundays. It’s a welcoming space to find a sense of grounding and peace at the start of each week. We’d love to have you join us! (link in bio)

If you experience stress this month, remind yourself that healthy stress is normal and might even increase your motivation! If you are experiencing chronic stress and are feeling overwhelmed, don’t be afraid to reach out for help 💜
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As a yoga instructor, I often find myself having conversations with family, friends, and colleagues who are curious about yoga, but have some hesitations like…

🧘🏻‍♀️ Fear around not being flexible enough or not knowing the terminology.
💸 Not being able to afford a yoga studio membership.
⏰ Not having enough time to dedicate 60-90 minutes to an exercise class.

All of these hesitations are valid!

🧘🏻‍♀️ For someone who has never practiced yoga, walking into a yoga studio can be extremely intimidating! You are not alone in that fear.

- When delivered correctly, a yoga class should feel accessible and welcoming to EVERY BODY! Unfortunately, that is not always the case and it’s important to find a class or community that allows you to feel comfortable.

💸 You are right to feel financial hesitation! On average, people who practice yoga in the US spend around $90-$200 per month. This amount of $$ is not in the budget for most of us.

- Free YouTube classes are an amazing alternative!

⏰ Feeling the impact of limited time is completely understandable! As a working adult, there is A LOT going on.

- The good news is, you don’t need 60-90 mins to feel the benefits of yoga. A recent National Institutes of Health study found that 15 minutes of chair yoga in the workplace can immediately reduce stress both physically and psychologically!

The benefits of yoga should be accessible to everyone regardless of ability, income, or stress level. If you’re curious about yoga and some of these barriers resonated with you, check out our virtual donation-based Candlelight Yoga class on Sundays (https://www.youniquelywell.com/candlelightyoga)

This class is 60-minutes of a slow-paced restorative practice that will leave you feeling calm, relaxed, and ready for the week ahead! Join from the comfort of your own home for as long as you’d like and donate what you can.
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Home-office must haves to reduce pain!

🪑Invest in a chair with lumbar support to save yourself from chronic back, neck, and shoulder pain.

🖱️A wireless mouse takes up less space on your desk and makes it easy to shift between sitting and standing throughout the day. Even better if you can get an ergonomic wireless mouse to reduce wrist discomfort.

💻 Laptop stands help to lift your screen even with your line of sight bringing the neck and spine into proper alignment helping to reduce neck and shoulder pain.
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Working from home can be stressful! Try these 5 approaches to bring some stress relief to your day.

🌱 Time in nature can help to relieve stress, reduce anxiety, improve our mood, and help us to feel more grounded.

🏃🏻‍♀️Standing up and moving the body, even for as little as 3 minutes, has been shown to improve blood sugar control. Regular movement is also shown to reduce stress and anxiety.

🔕 Silencing notifications can help us to sink into a focused state of mind and avoid distraction. When we are multitasking or task switching during the day, we can see a 40% reduction in productivity, 2x error rate on basic tasks, and 10% reduction in cognitive capacity.

🧘🏻‍♀️Intentional breathing is such a powerful practice to help calm the nervous system, regulate our heart rate, and reduce stress. Put a timer on for 2 minutes, focus on each full inhale, each full exhale, and see how you feel!

🥗 Carving out time for to eat away from the computer helps you to get a break from the effects of blue light, which can increase the stress hormone levels in our body.

Give these a try and let me know what worked well for you! What other practices help you to reduce stress during the work day?
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