As restrictions on stay-at-home orders are lessening, for many, the true impact of all that’s going on in our world right now is really starting to hit home.

One might think things are about to get easier (finally!!), but in many ways, things may unexpectedly be feeling harder.

We’re entering into uncharted territory every day, and this is our new normal – that nothing is, in fact, normal.

This can cause disorientation, heaviness, anxiety, disengagement, fits of rage and despair, nervous laughter, freeze and paralysis, and a range of unexpected or even “inappropriate” responses to all kinds of things.

So now, more than ever, we have to pay attention to our inner world. It’s more important now than ever to be…

Staying inspired
Tapping into positivity
Surrounding ourselves with reminders of goodness
Tending to our thoughts, beliefs and perceptions
Soothing our nervous systems
Taking action on what matters most
Choosing life
Tuning in to higher perspectives
Remembering the bigger picture
Nurturing our souls and spirits
Paying attention to what creates more freedom in our lives

It’s time to be ultra-aware that you need more right now.

More care. More attention. More time. More space. More sleep. More nourishment. More love.

Here are 7 ways you can offer more to yourself right now, honor all of who you are, and deeply elevate your soul and spirit:

1. Beautify – Beauty is so often underestimated, thought of as frivolous, and cast to the side. But oh… without it a room can look dark and plain, an outfit drab, and a day bleak and hopeless. You see, beauty has this un-nameable ability to effortlessly awaken, elevate and enhance everything it touches. Even a single flower in a vase, or a sweep of mascara across the lashes can change… everything.

Now, when schedules are all kerfuffled, kids are home and making messes everywhere, beds go unmade, mealtime is a dance, and so much is in flux, adding a touch of beauty to your day, your body, your environment can have such a calming, grounding, even relieving effect.

This is a reminder to beautify. Organize those closets and shelves. Get dressed everyday (in something beyond your yoga gear), put on some makeup and cute-up your hair. Let go of what’s broken, uninspiring, old, unused, outdated, or just plain depressing.

Open your windows, rearrange the furniture, put feathers or flowers or colored pencils into a vase. Throw a tablecloth or tapestry onto your kitchen table. Create little altars or vignettes of beauty here and there – on a bookshelf, your nightstand, a bathroom counter or someplace else unexpected. Let color, texture and the sheer poetry of beauty breathe life into your life right now.

There is something deeply powerful and curative about bringing beauty – in all of its forms – into your world. So, let your soul and spirit be buoyed by beauty right now. You won’t regret it.

2. Get quiet – Most of us are spending more time than ever staring at a screen. It’s more important now, than ever, to create screen-free, distraction-free, noise-free times throughout our days – because quiet is so nourishing to the soul and spirit.

There is so little quiet in our world today. Everything seems to ding, ring, buzz and beep. Cars, trucks, airplanes, trains. Noise, noise, noise, noise. Even the gentle hum of wireless internet and the various appliances in our homes is a form of noise. Our nervous systems take that in, always registering some kind of disquiet and unrest.

What would it be like for you, for your body and for your nervous system to get a much needed break from all of that? To not be stimulated or need to be in response or reaction to… anything?

Quiet time can include things like walking outside, reading or sitting quietly looking out a window. It can look like eating a meal with your eyes closed, taking a hot bath, meditation, prayer, journaling, or lying on the floor. Simply breathing – in and out – for 5 breaths can soothe our senses and calm our nerves like few things can.

Start deliberately incorporating more quiet time into your days. Set a timer for quiet, if that feels better to you. Notice how you start to settle more into yourself and your surroundings when you tune in and listen to the quiet.

3. Boost – When was the last time you praised yourself for something? A job well done. Bringing a project to completion. Handling a sticky situation better than you have in the past. Exercising more often than not. Doing something that scared you. Saying ‘no’ when there was so much pressure to say an unwanted ‘yes’.

It feels so good to be recognized and acknowledged. In fact, women thrive on praise. It heightens oxytocin – the “feel good” hormone in our bodies – and it boosts confidence, self-esteem and even our immune systems.

But don’t wait for someone else to praise you. Instead give that appreciation and applause to yourself. Notice how your body responds when you speak kind words to yourself. See how your energy shifts and improves when you admire yourself. Pay attention to how your trust in yourself starts to skyrocket when you remind yourself of how great you are every day, throughout the day.

This isn’t about going into narcissism or hubris. This is about standing strong in who you really are, what you do, and how you do it. Because there is so much to celebrate there. And when you do, your soul and spirit will soar.

4. Witness – Have you ever had a moment when you noticed yourself… noticing yourself? Like there was a part of you that was just bearing witness to what was happening without attachment? That aspect of yourself is what I like to call your ‘inner witness’.

This part of you acts as a silent bystander that gathers information. There is a healthy way that your inner witness can look at something and take it at face value while remaining detached from current events and future outcomes. Here is why witnessing is such a powerful skill to develop:

When change is underway and so much is uncertain and in a constant state of flux, it can feel very stressful. So stressful that you want to shy away from input – any input – that’s going to create more stress. This is where your ‘inner witness’ can really come in handy. It can take in that new input without taking on more stress.

Your inner witness is also super valuable when it comes to helping you assess how well you’re handling something, who you are being in any given situation or scenario (as in, are you showing up as your best self?), and it can also be a neutral observer when you’re not being so kind to yourself, or you’re choosing to do things that aren’t in your best interest.

Your inner witness will take note and then inform you of what it’s seeing. It will give you the facts – just the facts without a lot of colorful emotion – so that you can then more clearly see what’s working, what’s not working, what needs to shift, and what is supporting you oh so well.

Tune in to your inner witness. Let her show you what you need to see. Let her guide you to discover what you need to feel good, do good, be good. Witness yourself without all of the judgments, pre-conceived notions and unrealistic expectations you might be constantly putting on yourself. Tune into your inner witness in daily life, meditation, and more. She’s there for you, and her purpose is to help you better align with the fullness and truth of who you really are.

5. Listen– How well do you listen to yourself? To what your body needs? To what your heart longs for? To what you prefer, what pleases you, and what makes you come alive? How well do you listen to what you want and need?

Most women have been taught to disconnect from listening to themselves so that they can better listen to the needs of everyone around them. Yes, women have some innate nurturing instincts. AND there is so much that we’re taught to be and do and forget in the name of being the “right” kind of woman.

At some time, or another, your body, your heart, your desires – they’re going to need more of your attention. They’re going to speak more loudly to you – maybe SO loud you can’t ignore them any longer. And by the time they start shouting at you like this, you might be experiencing chronic or severe pain. Your life might feel so misaligned you don’t know where to begin. Your dreams may feel so far away from where you are that you question if they’re even possible.

Listening – really, deeply, truly listening – is one of the keys to honoring your soul and spirit. We’re all really good at thinking, figuring things out and intellectually finding our way through complex and uncomfortable things. And, thinking isn’t listening.

Listening is putting our thinking, rationalizing, and reasoning to the side so that we can hear a deeper wisdom and tune into a different guidance system that might have something very different to share with us than what our minds have to say.

Logical thinking can only take you so far. So, what would it be like to really listen to what that deep, innate wisdom has to share with you? To tap into that wellspring and inner compass that only has your best interests in mind? However you can, whenever you can, listen to that deep river of insight and knowing. You’ll be surprised and delighted by what you hear.

6. Create – One of our most amazing, powerful and deeply innate gifts is to create for the sake of creating. Whether you’re painting, cooking, singing, making music, making up a game to play with your kids, writing, building forts or fairy houses… you are creating!

Unfortunately, many women don’t believe these things hold any real value because they’re not making money this way or building a career around it. Making a Halloween costume for yourself (or a little one in your life) could seem like a total time suck, but here is where these simple, every day, amazing acts are worth their weight in gold:

When you are creating something – anything! – you become a conduit for LIFE to flow through you. Life itself gets channeled through your body and into whatever you are focusing on. It’s an incredible thing!

The act of creating isn’t about the outcome or how others perceive it, or whether it gets to be hung in the Guggenheim museum at some point in time. Creating is about letting LIFE flow through you and into something that is being brought into form.

Whether you’re painting rocks or a masterpiece, whether you’re singing in your shower or on stage in a duet with P!nk, whether you’re drawing up blueprints for the next garden at Versailles or planting flowers for your front porch, you get to be a creator. You get to be a conduit for amazing things. You get to bring something that was once a thought into physical manifestation.

That is a beautiful, exciting, wonderous, enlivening thing!

Let yourself create. Whatever it is! Let LIFE flow through you. Let yourself flow and dance with life in this way. Your soul and spirit will dance with you, too!

7. Be great – With all of the physical distancing that’s been going on I’ve been tapping into something inside of myself that simply refuses to be anything but GREAT. I think this fiery, uppity, will-not-be-denied energy lives inside all of us. I believe that because I also believe we were all meant to do something great with our lives.

That greatness may show up in big ways or not so big ways, but it is something great that only you are qualified and destined to do. Maybe you’re meant to be the best mom or auntie or friend. Maybe your greatness lies in making ice cream sundaes, or marketing strategies, or party planning, or life-changing scientific research.

Whatever your greatness is, now is a time to allow that to come forward.

Greatness is your destiny. You’re wired for it, and your soul and spirit love when you embrace greatness with open arms. It can be expressed in so many ways (and really loves to be partnered with #6 above…), from how you approach your day, to how you relate to and treat your family and loved ones, to how you are being in your professional world, to how you care for yourself, too.

Remember, being great is not the same thing as being perfect, nor is it the same thing as success. Being great is more about allowing yourself to fulfill your potential to the best of your ability. Whether you’re making dinner or preparing a speech or listening to a friend in need, let yourself be great.

Because greatness is so often the “more” that we really need.

May these 7 tips for giving “more” to yourself help your soul and spirit soar. May they inspire you to step into honoring yourself in a entirely new way. May they give you permission to give yourself more of what you need right now, so that you can give to others who are also in need.

Big love to you!