From Stressed Out Bride-to-Be to a Confidence Queen With Self-Care
After an intense nursing program and internship, Natalie found herself struggling to remember who she was before cramming for tests took up most of her life. Between that and planning a wedding she felt stress on a level she'd never experienced before. In came the need for some self-care...STAT! Oh, did we mention she was also living with her future mother-in-law to save some cash? Yeah, this girl needed some self-care.
There was just so much on my plate, that I knew my self care routine wasn't going to be enough at all.
"She looks so grumpy" Wow what was I wearing and why? I think I just wanted to hide myself under my hat, glasses and monster scarf most of the autumn months.
A New Tool in Her Tool Kit
When she first downloaded Sanity & Self she explored the meditations, she'd used other meditation and relaxation apps before so she gravitated toward the familiar. But what she found in the first meditation she listened to, Loving Kindness Meditation with Jimmée Greco, she says she learned how to love herself in the course of that first 7-minuted guided meditation experience. While listening to the meditation she felt all of the stress, and anxiety surrounding her melt away. She released all of the guilt she was feeling around living in a home that didn't belong to her and struggling with feeling like she should be grateful when she wasn't. All of those feelings of inadequacy, guilt, stress, and anxiety were lifted off her shoulders when she found her love of self in this simple audio session.
All the pressure and the guilt being unhappy living in a home that wasn't mine, when I should have been grateful but wasn't, it was somehow lifted when I learned to meditate and love myself through this simple audio session.
She immediately started to feel better about herself. To feel lighter. When she was dealing with stressful, hectic days trying to manage her to-do list and found herself without anyone to lean on she found she could lean on the audio sessions in Sanity & Self for support, guidance, and to get her back on track again. She's found that in listening to the sessions in the app she's normalized how she's feeling because the experts' voices let her know she's not alone, she's not the only one feeling this way. Sanity & Self has become the go-to support for her in life's nitty-gritty situations. She knows the moment she hits play she's going to hear her situation described in a way she can immediately relate to, can immediately identify with and will hear answers, advice, and insights to help her manage her life on a daily basis.
Self-Love & Self-Care Now & Always
Natalie shares that while she still struggles now and then with stress or depression, she now feels more like her true self than she's ever been before. She feels stronger and more knowledgeable about how to deal with difficult situations or stressful times in her life than she's ever been before. And she knows she's only going to keep growing, keep getting stronger, and keep giving herself the self-care she needs.
She's enjoying her life now because she knows it's okay to care a little bit less what other people think about her. She points to the audio series from Airial Clark, Give Less F#cks, Live More Life, and says while it's very entertaining to listen to it also provides valuable lessons that help you be a happier, healthier version of yourself. She loves that Airial shares her wisdom in Sanity & Self and just encourages her to be more true to herself. She's given up some of her people-pleasing ways and now focuses on pleasing herself first even though it's still hard to say "no" she knows that it's okay to do it when she needs to and when it's necessary to preserve her own boundaries.
Now she's excited to see what the future holds, her husband has been inspired by her degree and now Natalie is excited to support him in his education goals. They're looking forward to moving to Seattle soon where Natalie hopes to pursue some of her favorite water activities like paddle boarding, scuba diving, swimming and try free-diving. More education isn't off the table for her either, she's considering going back to school for her Ph.D. and she knows whatever the future holds for her in life, self-care will always be a part of it.
“I'm so happy to have the Sanity and Self App available to me. It's like having a bunch of friends all rolled into this tiny pocket sized self help that I need when I don't have anyone to talk to at the time. Thank you.”
Natalie Recommends
I really just like the “Fu&@ it” series, because not only does it sound hilarious to hear a professional woman curse but also it’s inspiring and telling us something not a lot of people tell us to do. It feels taboo and failing to not give a hoot and I like that. This series makes me feel like I’m granted permission to feel this when really I’m just holding myself back but the reminder and encouragement is what I needed.
