The Circle of Self-Nurturing & Self-Care

An inner journey toward Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Health.

When lockdown hit South Africa, I found myself in a space of deep sadness as the levels of suffering in our country became more evident. There was no more hiding behind the busy-ness of life. As an empath I felt the suffering and as a therapist I needed to do something. I felt so overwhelmed and at a loss as to how to make a difference. I was witnessing great need with my clients, within the community in which I live and in the world. Feeling frozen, I went into deep prayer to ask for guidance.

The guidance I received was very clear and simple: “ To be the exceptional therapist that you are, and offer your clients and community your strength and wisdom, you have to nurture and take care of yourself first. Fill your own cup so that you have enough capacity to be there for others!” I had to put a deeply healing self-nurturing and self-caring routine into my daily life to support me as I counselled and cared for those who needed me. Nurture and take care of me so that I can guide and support others to nurture and take care themselves.

As a psychosocial therapist I work with the medicine wheel as a container to create a safe and honouring space to explore. The medicine wheel or circle-of-life contains ancient wisdom. It represents the continuous cycles and relationships of life: the seen and unseen, physical and spiritual, birth and death, sunrise and sunset, dark and light, night and day, and so on.

Based on the guidance I received, filling my own cup to create more capacity and the core of my psychosocial practice, I created a Circle of Self-Nurturing and Self-Care.

Self-Nurturing and Self- Care is your number one priority and the utmost sacred activity and commitment for healing and growing into wholeness. It is also the most empowering activity that you can do for yourself. Your internal world, in its physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual form, needs nurturing, love, kindness, and respect. This is how you can create a sacred relationship with yourself and it is most important and integral for your spiritual essence. Having a daily practice, where you nurture and take loving care of yourself, needs to be your top priority.

Right now we are in such overwhelming and uncertain times with the Corona Virus and many are experiencing ‘lock-down fatigue’. There are increased physical, mental and economic health challenges as well as financial chaos and a very present fear of the unknown. The purpose of the six posts I have committed to write, is to go deeper into Self-Nurturing and Self -Care. The intention is to find simple ways to transform the feelings of fear, isolation, uncertainty and the deep vulnerability that may present at this point of time.

The circle of Self-Nurturing and Self-Care offers an inner journey of exploring the psychosocial aspects of who you are. Each aspect is important and integral in our lives and impacts our relationships, our work, and how we respond to life’s challenges. Most importantly this impacts our primary relationship with ourselves. In these posts I will highlight each aspect and share tools that shift awareness and focus, adding value to nurturing and caring for ourselves.

In the coming posts we will explore the following aspects:

• Mental — thoughts and your inner and outer world — the element of air.
• Emotional — mothering our feelings — feeling safe to let them go — the element of water.
• Relational — quality of presence with yourself and others — deep listening — the element of fire.
• Physical — body temple — caring and loving self-talk — practicing holy language — the element of earth.
• Spiritual — essential, higher Self — creating your own inner sanctuary — the element of Spirit.

This is a sacred journey that goes to the depth of your inner world. This circle of Self-Nurturing and Self-Care focuses on your mental, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual health and wellbeing. Having linked it with the psychosocial aspects of self-nurturing and self-care, I hope to provide a sacred holding space for you as you go on this adventure with me.

Be Always Blessed, Nidhi-Amanda xx