About the Episode

Tune in to this episode and take a deep exhale as Rachel begins with a grounding meditation before diving into the topic of today: our relationships.

Connecting with others lies at the root of this human experience. Our relationships with our loved ones can lift us up and carry us through incredibly difficult times.

But, what can relationships with those who challenge us teach us?

2020 is bringing out the worst in a lot of people. Staying steady throughout everything that continues to come our way this year isn't easy!

Challenging relationships often bring out a darker side to us. They can add to that inner critical voice that we already have inside, which can be exhausting and depleting – but it also offers us some incredible insight.

If your inner critic did not get loud at times, how else would you learn to change that narrative to something more positive? If you were never challenged, how would you find your own boundaries and limits? Those who are the most challenging to us are often those suffering the most – and if you did not learn that key life lesson, how could you practice empathy, compassion, and cut others some slack?

Tune in to find the answers to these difficult questions and learn once more the overall lesson: if you do what you need to take care of yourself, chances are you will be in a place to help someone else as well.

By taking care of ourselves first, by practicing self-care, by quieting our inner critic, we heal… and spread that healing wherever we go.

Key Takeaways

• Whatever change we wish to see in the world has to begin inside of ourselves. If we practice what keeps us sane, chances are we will be able to be of service to others, even just by sending them love or by cutting them some slack when they trigger us.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you are in a low place in your life – there will always be hills and valleys to our emotions. Take any baby steps you can to bring you back to peace and eventually, things will shift.
• Find a mantra, affirmation or sentence that you resonate with and use it over and over to bring you out of a negative loop, or to combat your inner critic. Write it down, make it your computer password, make a song out of it. It will help to rewire your brain to a more positive frequency!
• If you are spending a lot of time on social media, taking in information all day long, make sure at the end of the day whatever you do to relax makes you smile. Watch a comedy over a violent show, unfollow anyone that makes you feel bad, and listen to uplifting music.
• Celebrate the things that you have achieved, no matter how big or small. After all of this is over, we all deserve a parade or an award of recognition just for living through this year!