In the last two months, my life has been turned upside down and sideways by two major family crises. Everyone will eventually be fine but it has been challenging to say the least.

I have done my best to manage everything and kept thinking to myself, what am I meant to learn here? So I decided to write down five tools and tricks that I’ve been using myself to maintain my level of inner peace, even when things seem to be falling apart all around me.

1. Stay Present – I may not be the best at practicing mindfulness but in these times, it has certainly helped to just be living in the moment because you don’t know what else may be there. Staying focused on the exact moment, the feelings and making sure that you are giving love, can help. As with all crises, this too shall pass, the sun does eventually come back out.
2. Prioritize – when you’ve got things coming down at you from many directions, it is a matter of figuring out what is most important and focus only on that. All else can wait. We knew with the situation that we faced, that it would require our full focus and energy and therefore we cleared all the other major projects that we had coming. It just wasn’t going to be viable to take on big projects in the middle of having to deal with a crisis. Family comes first above all else and this was definitely the right decision for us at this time.
3. Reframe – I’m a big believer that things happen for a bigger reason. It can be hard to see that when you’re in the middle of having your life falling apart around you. But if you can lift yourself up to become an observer of your life, you can then start to ask, what is the lesson from this experience? Our attitude is what will make a difference in your outlook and how well you can manage. Reframing helps to make sense out of chaos.
4. Trust – Life doesn’t happen TO us, it happens FOR us. If you can break out of the victim mentality of things happening to you and instead realize there must be something in the crisis for you to learn, you become empowered. There are times when you just need to surrender and allow the process, without being attached to the outcome. This is NOT easy but when you can trust that the Universe (or insert the word/name that resonates with you) will take care of you, you can move past the pain and suffering and into a place of gratitude and love…and peace.
5. Self-Care – I can’t emphasis this enough! Be kind to yourself. Get extra sleep. Eat well and get some exercise. Do things that make you happy and listen to uplifting music, even if only for a little mental escapism so that you can feel better. In the middle of the first crisis, I was hit with a horrible flu. For a week, I was sleeping 10 hours a night. I haven’t gotten that much sleep in years! But my body needed it and I allowed myself the “luxury”, although it was more of a necessity. Pamper yourself in whatever ways you can so that you can be strong for others.

Crises and chaos are a part of life. And especially during these very turbulent times, I believe we are facing a massive clearing. Things are being brought to light in everyone’s lives so that we can deal with issues and move on energetically. It seems like so many people are facing tough challenges right now. Know you are not alone and there are tools that can help you manage. Collectively, we will all get through these challenging times and I have faith some really amazing times are just around the corner for humanity.

Many of us complain that there isn’t enough time in the day to do everything we need and want to do. But sometimes the more we do, the more we can do. Researchers are finding that when people spend brief periods of time helping others, they end up feeling as though they have more time. University of Pennsylvania researchers found that people who spent time volunteering felt more efficient and less stressed and hurried than those who did not. We know that volunteering is good for our health, but who knew it also could help with time management and stress management?

“You’re Perfect Because You’re Not.”

I recently read this on a window while walking down a busy city street. It made me stop and think for a minute… and stuck in my brain permanently.

Such a simple statement, yet so profound…

We are ALL perfect, right here, right now.

There is nothing we have to do other than accept ourselves as we are — a work in progress!

Suffering comes when we become attached to an expectation. If you truly learn to be living in the present, being fully aware, you are able to love your imperfections.

You can forgive yourself because you are a work in progress and you aren’t done growing, learning, and discovering the best version of yourself.

Understanding that you are perfect because you are not allows love and self compassion to flood your life. It brings a level of acceptance that eliminates a lot of the criticism, harsh judgments, and berating we tend to do to ourselves.

You can either be your own worst enemy or the one who loves you the most.

Having teenager daughters, we often have discussions about image and self confidence. Those teenage years can be some of the harshest in our lives when we are so wrapped up in what everyone else thinks about us.

I know many adults still feeling the sting of cruel words that were said to them in their younger years.

It is such a fragile time. We do not need to carry those wounds.

You can choose to heal, accept, forgive, and move forward with your life.

With these magical words, you are given permission to do so. It frees you up to work consciously to be the best version of yourself.

I recently had one of the deepest coaching sessions with a new mentor. In a matter of a few minutes, he had taught me the power to be aware of being aware.

That is how you can bring yourself into the present moment. This is conscious living.

Our egos tend to take us into living in the past or into the future — anything but the present moment.

We are the only species who replays movies in our head over and over and continue to suffer from them, whether you are beating yourself up for something you’ve done or are worrying about a future event. Either way, it is not serving you.

Bring yourself to seeing the joy in the small, seemingly inconsequential moments of life. Because in the end, it is those little memories that make all the difference.

Love yourself because you are NOT perfect… because you are perfect just like that!

How often do you think about pleasing yourself? We often put ourselves on the bottom of the list for nurturing and caring for when in reality we should be at the top—then we’ll have more energy to give to others.

Women, and mothers especially it seems, are notorious for giving until they don’t have anything left of themselves. Although some men/dads are also falling into this category more often now (and my husband is one of them too!) This is not the way of the future as it is not sustainable in the long run.

Here are 10 easy ways to do things for yourself that will improve your life immediately. How many of these are you doing regularly?