Finding Your FLOW: Beyond Traditional Self-Care

A sustainable approach to caring for yourself while caring for others

“Life is like a river, sometimes it sweeps you gently and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.” Emma Smith

Running on a hamster wheel

“Is this modern motherhood?”

My friend and I are sending Voxer messages back and forth. We’ve been sharing how tired we are of feeling tired.

We are tired of trying to fix everything.

We are tired of taking fistfuls of supplements.

We are tired of trying elimination diets that usually end up with us eating handfuls of chocolate and watching Netflix for hours (without blue-blocker glasses) because just no.

We just want to escape in peace.

Please and thank you.

My friend says she feels like she’s on a hamster wheel.

Both of us just want to feel better, rested, and have decent energy.

Instead, it feels like we’re going around and around and chasing some unattainable FINAL DESTINATION (cue the movie trailer music).

Running on a hamster wheel is exhausting—all that effort, all that motion, but you never actually go anywhere.

You're stuck in an endless loop of activity without progress. Running on a hamster wheel is the opposite of flowing.

Finding FLOW

Flow is the action of moving along a steady, continuous stream. Think of everything that flows–water, electricity, ideas, and creativity.

When things flow, there's movement and purpose. No stagnation. No blockages.

Flow means moving forward without forcing, pushing, or exhausting yourself. It's about finding your natural rhythm and working with it, not against it.

When you're in flow, there's an ease to your movement–even when facing life's inevitable challenges. You bend instead of break. You adapt instead of resist.

Creating FLOW

The concept of FLOW came into my life several years ago.

I was working with a thoughtful and intuitive coach. She asked me if I was in flow.

Short answer? No.

Not even a little.

Truthfully, I was feeling stuck in many areas of my life.

I was in my mid-40s, juggling homeschooling, working from home, dealing with health issues (me and two of my kids), and feeling disconnected from my passions and purpose beyond motherhood.

I was definitely not going with my flow.

A few days after our call, I sat with my journal. Her words still lingered in my head.

What would it be like to live in FLOW? What did that even mean?

As a writer, I loved acronyms. I wrote down the word FLOW and began to play with it.

After several iterations and desperately needing to acknowledge my needs, dreams, and desires, I created what would become my FLOW self-care method.

Feed your body, mind, and spirit.

Love yourself and lean into your season of life.

Own your time and space.

Weed out what’s not working and welcome something new.

Living in FLOW

I shared FLOW with friends and on my Instagram. I was thrilled to see how it resonated with so many people.

And for the last several years, I've leaned in and learned what it means to live cyclically and seasonally. It's been a beautiful experience, especially throughout perimenopause. I wish I had had this insight decades ago.

Raising a family, caring for others, working, and taking good care of yourself are not mutually exclusive.

I’ve been the excited new mama who threw herself into all the parenting research, making sure I did everything just right.

I’ve been the woman whose body shut down multiple times because I ignored every warning sign.

I’ve been the mother juggling children, health issues, moving, and job changes.

I’ve been the midlife woman navigating perimenopause, menopause, and now post-menopause–and the entire roller coaster experience. (all while my three kids were in #thepuberties all at the same time..so fun!)

Just like so many of you.

Your physical, mental, and spiritual health is not secondary to washing dishes, folding laundry, meeting work deadlines, responding to emails, preparing meals, and helping your child with homework.

I don’t know where you are right now or what’s going on in your life.

But I do know this: as mothers, we’re always moving through cycles and seasons.

If any of this rings true, take a moment to pause and listen.

Let it go.

Let yourself flow.

I went to FLOW Head Spa in Cornelius, NC, and had to take a picture of this!

Ready to FLOW?

I’m not a fan of complicated, detailed, and unrealistic self-care practices.

Cultivating sustainable, doable, and (gasp) fun self-care is possible.

There’s no better time than right now to get into your flow. Here’s my free 20-page guide with tips, ideas, and fun printable pages.

Last Call!

My 50th birthday special pricing for Flourish & Flow 1:1 Voxer Coaching ends January 31st. Click the button below to start your FLOW journey at this limited-time rate.