5 Ways to Fill Your Cup

April 20, 2023 by Lori Leave a Comment

Self-Care is Essential

What comes to mind when you think about self-care? Spa days and soaking in a deep tub surrounded by bubbles? Those are lovely options, but wait, there’s more. Self-care and self-love are more than just occasional pampering.

Creating regular routines and practices are a sustainable way to a happier, healthier you.

Why is self-care important? Let me count the ways. First of all, it’s been proven that the benefits you can reap are more happiness, confidence, and productivity.

Love Yourself First

Neglecting self-care can lead to feeling anxious and burned out. Have you ever heard the phrase “You can’t pour from an empty cup?” It’s nearly impossible to run a home and a business, take care of a family, or even be a great friend if you are running on empty. Taking care of yourself first gives you the energy and love to be able to best support your kids, your partner, your friends, and your colleagues.

Anything you do to nourish your physical, emotional, and mental health is considered self-care.

5 Self-Care Strategies:

1. Be your own best friend

If you’ve ever found yourself saying or thinking things about yourself that you’d never dare say about another person, it’s time to implement positive self-talk. Replace negative thoughts about yourself with positive ones.

Easier said than done, right? To help you get started, write down a few things you love about yourself and read them every day; several times a day, in fact. Add in words of gratitude. Speak those words out loud and smell or diffuse an essential oil, like Believe, Valor, Transformation, Gratitude, Grounding, or Motivation, for example. Explore your options here.

2. Choose Good Nutrition

Feeling good about yourself and caring for yourself starts from the inside out. Your daily eating habits have a long-term impact on everything from your immune system and gut health to the quality of your sleep.

Keep your nutrition simple by drinking plenty of water, eating the rainbow, and getting in some good fats and lean protein. If you feel like you’re still not getting the nutrients you need, I can guide you and make recommendations! Also, get the extra nutrition support with the right supplements.

3. Give your brain a break

With endless to-do lists and demands on your time and attention, it can put your brain on overload. Take a few minutes to stop, pray, and meditate on God’s Word. Let God fill your heart. Allow His peace, strength, and love flow in and through you. Taking time for this has many benefits, you will be anxious for nothing, which will boost your mood and reduce stress. Even if you find it difficult to calm your racing thoughts at first, just sitting and taking a few deep breaths will do wonders to help you relax physically and mentally.

4. Make movement a priority

Whether it’s a walk around the block, a dance party with the kids, or a powerlifting session at the gym, the health benefits of moving your body, and negatives of sitting all day, are too great to ignore. If you’re out of practice with movement, start small with 10 or 15 minutes a day and pick something you love or something easy to work into your schedule. Walk the kids to school instead of driving, dance while you cook dinner, or do a 15-minute video before winding down for the evening.

5. Embrace the art of slow travel

Vacations are an important part of self-care, but have you ever come back from one and felt like you needed another vacation to recover from it? If you often experience travel fatigue, then slow travelling may be just what you need. An alternative to traditional tourism, slow travelling is all about pacing yourself for a more immersive experience.

For example, instead of cramming your itinerary full of tourist spots, slow down and get a taste of what day-to-day life is like for the locals. Stay in a home with character; eat at small, family-run restaurants; and spend time exploring your surroundings without feeling pressured to document it on social media. When you let mindfulness and self-care guide your itinerary, you’ll come back from your vacation more refreshed and ready to share your best self with your friends, family members, and the world.

As I write this, I will be travelling to Cancun soon. If you want to know how to travel better without breaking the bank, including daily, local perks, check out this wholesale affiliate option.

No matter what you do, take time for you.

Let me know how I can help.

(*Note: This blog was inspired by partner company, Young Living, and my own experience. Also, tech challenges – even if the hyperlinks look crossed out, they do work when you click on them.) Thanks for reading.

Much Love,

Living The LORI Factor kayaking in Outer Banks NC — Lori Kayaking in Outer Banks NC

ARE YOU ENGAGED? RING, RING!

April 12, 2021 by Lori 1 Comment

Did you think I meant engaged to be married? If that’s you, congratulations, you gave or received the ring. Today, I am talking about are you engaged in life?

Engaged or empty? Life is not for the faint-hearted. It can cause you to faint and want to give up. Some say keep pushing and grinding. That works for some people but for others it can literally make them sick, weak, and weary. It could be because when you give and give and give but never give to yourself, you come to a place of emptiness and no energy.

Fulfill your own needs before you fill the needs of others. Fill your cup first and serve others from the overflow. Otherwise, your cup will run dry. When your cup is dry, you thirst.

Without water, you get weak. All dried up with nothing to give leads to giving up and feeling hopeless. Maybe you no longer have the strength to fill your cup. What gives you strength? What rings true for you? Create your own bling and make your heart sing again.

One drop, just one drop can keep you going. Drink that one drop before you plop and pass out. Turn on the faucet and let the water flow. Replenish your supply.

Refresh your body and your mind and soul. You will awaken with new ideas and better ways to live a life that fulfills you. Your phone will ring because you found what excites you and rings your bell.

No more staying in bed. No more dragging yourself through each day. No more staying buried in bills and anything that is weighing you down. Take one more sip, one more step, and know your best days are ahead.

“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them” -Maya Angelou

Ask for help if doing it all yourself is too much. Often you don’t know where to get help or who to ask. Keep seeking. The help will come when you least expect it even if it hasn’t shown up yet.

It may look impossible right now. You may be waiting on promises that were made. You may be waiting on income you thought was on its way. It can seem daunting. The debts are a mountain that look insurmountable. Maybe you question whether or not you should pursue and stay the path that once was a clear direction.

I don’t know. All I know is focus on what brings you joy. Live in the moment. See yourself digging out of where you are now even if you don’t know how. Take time to pamper yourself. Have a date with yourself. Soak in the tub. Go sit by some water. Engage in activities that will spark happiness. Fill up your cup, raise your glass and toast yourself: “Cheers to you.”

You are alive and breathing. You’ve come this far. Keep going. There is more for you to do. Be excited. Even if you don’t know what that looks like, it’s okay. Trust the process. Take one day at a time, or one minute at a time, if one day is too much right now.

Look at a man the way he is and he only becomes worse, but look at him as if he were what he could be, then he becomes what he should be. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Look at yourself the way you could be. You can become that person. Don’t give up on yourself or your dreams.

Rest, read, write, pray. Everything will be okay. Stay engaged. Engage with me about your struggles, your story, your successes. Send me a message. I care. We will survive. We will thrive somehow, some way.

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU

January 14, 2020 by Lori Leave a Comment

Ready for a new YOU in 2020?

Here’s the one thing you must do.

With a whole new year ahead of us, how about a reality check: did you accomplish everything you wanted to in 2019? Are your finances handled? Are you in better shape and eating healthier? Did you handle those tough family situations or those friendships that were high maintenance?

And what about having fun, checking things off your bucket list, and doing cool new things in your career?

If 2019 was a blur and starting a new decade in 2020 has inspired you to create the amazing life you want, I have good news for you: a unique opportunity for you to work with two amazing experts (and me) to make sure your major life goals are achieved.

Meet the OolaGuys . . .

More than 20 years ago, two holistic physicians—Dr. Dave Braun and Dr. Troy Amdahl—created a formula called Oola to help people establish new habits, practice new ways of living, and take those daily actions that are key to bringing life into balance, then keeping it that way on an ongoing basis. Today, “The OolaGuys” are international bestselling authors, social media influencers, personal growth experts, and founders of Oola Coaching with countless successful clients around the world.

Tons of victory stories of real people confirm that the simple, practical, easy-to-implement Oola formula works to help people get healthy, eliminate debt, build wealth, move into their dream career, have more fun, create a better circle of friends, resolve lifelong family conflict . . . and so much more.

But here’s the best part: together, the Oola Guys and I have created an exciting opportunity to help you achieve your own story of balance, happiness and growth in 2020.

Announcing the Oola Coaching Program . . . 10 weeks to creating the life you want.

Over the next 10 weeks, via video tutorials sent to your inbox every week, Dave and Troy will teach you the Oola principles, while you and I work personally (by phone or Zoom) to help you put into action what you learn.

Over 10 intensive weeks, I’ll help you define the life you want, then help you accomplish what you haven’t been able to tackle on your own. We’ll even identify your breakthrough goal: the essential thing you MUST do to turn things around, get back to normal, and begin building the future you want.

Of course, most of the top performers in the world have private coaches: athletes, business owners, artists, corporate executives, even stay-at-home moms with a prosperous side hustle.

Now it’s your turn to join forces with Oola and me to meet your goals in 2020.

To read about the Oola Coaching Program and get started, click here.

What could you achieve in 2020 by working together and focusing on your future?

In Gratitude,

LORI BRUTON

Certified Oola Life Coach