In support of having a more fulfilling life experience, we can explore simplicity as intention for living.
Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension that can come from any event or thought that makes you feel frustrated, angry, or nervous.
Even without added stressors like traumatic events, our modern lifestyles provide us with constant low-grade stress - much more than our ancestors ever felt and more than our bodies have evolved to tolerate.
But you knew that already.
What you may not have realized is that stress takes us out of our body and the more time we spend not paying attention to the signals our body sends us, the less we know and understand when it speaks.
So how do we move stress out and make space for presence?
Simplicity.
Living simply. Slow living. Minimalism.
It doesn’t look like any one thing. It’s unique to each individual.
The idea of defining your values, identifying where your life aligns with those values, and then de-prioritizing anything that doesn’t align is what I consider simplicity. It’s taking an honest look at your home, the work you do, the relationships you hold, and the boundaries you set, and making the changes that will help you live a life in alignment with what matters most to you.
If you feel stressed because you:
Expect nothing less than perfection from yourself and anyone around you
Feel guilty if you’re not constantly being productive
Strive to be an overachiever in everything that you do
Crave competition in every aspect of your life
Trend towards people pleasing and can’t say no
Pressure yourself to look or act a certain way that isn’t true to you
Use shopping as a coping mechanism for strong emotions
Need external validation of your value
Then I might be able to help you mitigate some of these stressors, implement stress management techniques, and shift your mindset away from the toxic expectations that have been placed on us.
You see, despite the many manifestation and spiritual coaches out there telling you that your reality is all your fault, the truth is that all of the stress you’re feeling comes from a socioeconomic system telling you that you are not and will never be enough just so you would spend your entire life killing yourself to prove that are actually are enough…
…but the big, dark secret here is that you really, truly, whole-heartedly are absolutely 100% more than enough and perfect exactly the way you are, because there is enough space in this world for everyone to be who they are meant to be. It’s our destiny.
And once you absorb that concept into every cell of your body, you will be free to live a more authentic and brilliant life with less stress and an abundance of joy.
my approach
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Self-discovery
First things first: Identify your core values and what really matters most to you. Understand what in your life repeatably triggers stress. Ask yourself if these stressors are internal or if they come from somewhere else.
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Mindset shift
Our society encourages consumerism, productivity, “success”, winning, and perfectionism. These ideals contribute to stress, especially if we don’t share them as personal values. Reframing your mindset around these standards is a necessity.
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Active practice
Simplicity as intention is an active choice and conscious practice of making space for that which aligns to your core values and then deprioritizing the rest. Evaluate the areas in need of simplification and taking practical steps to get there.
kind words from clients
Michelle is very easy to talk to and the time spent with her is very supportive and helpful. I feel like I was able to talk through various stressors, figure out the themes and causation, and learn realistic strategies to help. I value her input and her thoughtful approach!
— Gwen K.
Feeling burnt out and busy, I needed another set of eyes on ways I could simplify my life right now. Michelle was welcoming & calming- it was almost like a mini therapy session! She helped me realize that if I stopped and took the few minutes it would take to do a few key things- that this would trickle down into my feeling less overwhelm and burn out.
— Calle P.
Free Mini-Coaching Call
Book a free 30-minute mini-coaching call where we identify your main concerns and we walk through a few recommendations for you to implement. We can talk about values, mindset, simplification, stress - whatever you need most right now.
I promise to work towards making this a safe space that is all about you and there are no strings attached.