Welcome! I'm the founder and head coach of Vitality Coaching + Consulting. This monthly newsletter is an intentional dose of education and inspiration to help passion-driven women bring your full + best energy to the people, the causes and the moments most important to you. Subscribe for FREE tips + resources as well as be the first to know about new course offerings and coaching programs. Enjoy! And don't forget to share with your friends. 🧡
[Vitality Newsletter] Rest if you must, but don't you quit. 🐢
Hello Reader,
Have you ever felt like quitting?
I have.
In fact, I’ve been here a few times.
Discouraged. Exhausted. Overwhelmed. Hopeless.
Whether it's a health and fitness goal, a dream job or project, or a leisure pursuit, the default, knee-jerk reaction to feelings like these can be to quit. Mostly because even the thought of moving forward seems unsurmountable.
So when moving forward doesn't seem possible, Edgar Guest’s words, ‘Rest if you must, but don’t quit’, breathe new hope into a seemingly hopeless situation.
Rest comes in many forms - physical, mental, spiritual, social.
I also consider rest to be on more of a dial than an on-off switch. Instead of thinking you're either on-the-move or at a complete standstill (or flaked on the couch binge watching Netflix), what can you dial down, or dial up to give you the needed rest or recharge that is required?
Depending on your personality, rest can mean different things for different people. For more introverted folks and more highly sensitive people, social rest may mean withdrawing from people. For more extroverted folks, it may mean gathering around others.
The more you know about yourself, the more it can inform the type of rest and recharging that you require to sustain the journey towards your goals.
These last two weeks I have been resting. Not vacationing. Resting. Recharging. And nudging into re-evaluating and resetting.
I’ve dialed down my work and any work-related reading, listening, learning for mental rest.
I’ve dialed up my creative pursuits of knitting and quilting to recharge mentally while binge watching Ted Lasso for the fourth time (nothing like humor blended with a mix of positive psychology/life coaching to help one recharge mentally).
I’ve dialed up my spiritual practice - daily readings, self-Reiki practice, being in nature.
I’ve kept my physical activity more or less consistent - dealing with persistent pain creates a smaller window on the dial for me, personally. A morning ritual of functional movement, stretching and strengthening followed by walking or snowshoeing in the woods with the dogs helps set me up for the day (mentally and physically). The number of reps on each exercise and the length and/or pace of the walk may dial up or down depending on how I feel, but the overall structure stays fairly consistent.
Socially, I’ve dialed down contact with people outside of my family, including social media. And as I’ve been recharging in other areas, I am gradually dialing up contact with others (especially those nourishing and supportive people). Social and mental rest also includes seeing a psychotherapist - selectively recruiting supportive people to help reset my nervous system.
And...for those of you who have supported me through this resting, recharging, resetting period, I am grateful for you…your love, your support and your belief in me when I didn’t believe in myself. 🧡
This re-evaluating and resetting is also a little foreshadowing that there will be changes coming to Vitality Coaching. 😉
Coaching Reflection
So I put the question back to you…
What does rest look like for you?
How can you use the dial metaphor to help you get the rest/recharge that you need?
[Update] How to Say No 5 Day Mini Course
This past month I had the pleasure of working closely with a few of you in the How to Say No mini course. Whether you attended live or watched the replays or some combination of both, thank-you for being there. It takes courage and curiosity to try something new. 👏🏻
We worked through a lot of information, had some good laughs and even danced a little.
It was an opportunity for me to get to know a few of you better and for you to see how I like to work with clients…a little teaching infused with some coaching and personal reflection, along with community support and conversation.
In 5 short sessions, you started to:
- kick people pleasing to the curb in order to cultivate the garden (life) that you know you are deserving and worthy of.
- take back your time and your energy by protecting YOUR commitments (and self) by erecting the right kind of fences/boundaries.
- put an end to worrying about disappointing people.
- flip the belief that you need to prioritize other’s needs and wants ahead of your own needs - and have started to experiment with putting your oxygen mask on first to better support those around you.
Congratulations! That's something to celebrate! 🌟 👏🏻 🎉
If you missed it, don't worry!
I will be editing the videos (to protect the privacy of participants) and will post the mini-course in the shop sometime in February.
New Recharge Practice
Head over to the Vitality Online Studio's free Vitality Recharge Tool Kit to access the latest recharge practice:
Garden Visualization: Water Your Flowers
Strengthen new habits by creating new neural pathways with this 5 minute visualization/practice..
| Garden Visualization (click here) |
New On the Blog
Who I’m Following on Instagram:
I really enjoy following inspiring women on Instagram. Katie Blake is one of those women. I met Katie this past year through a business coaching program that we both signed up for. From the moment I virtually met her (she lives in Texas), we both felt like we were kindred spirits.
Check her out on Instagram: @drkatieblake
Take the Belief Artisan Quiz - Discover your Belief Archetype so you can take stock of how the social pressures in your life that are impacting your beliefs and your life right now.
Spiritual Agility Workshop - Join me in taking her 90 minute workshop on January 31, 2023 to help you transform your faith and cultivate a rich spiritual life.
🎧 What I’m Listening To on Spotify
Katie also has a playlist on Spotify. Last month I shared one of the playlists I listen to on repeat while working. I’ve been alternating it with this one lately.
The Vitality App
We have an app which makes it super easy to access the on-line Vitality Coaching Studio (and all the free resources and coaching programs) on your tablet or smartphone.
It’s super simple to install. When you log into your account on your phone, a prompt will pop up at the bottom of the screen. Just follow the prompts to install.
Below are two sets of instructions if you run into issues following the prompts online. The first is to turn off your pop up blocker and the second is to get the app. (You can turn your pop up blocker back on one downloaded if you wish.)
Disabling Your Pop Up Blocker.pdf
Vitality Mobile App Instructions.pdf
If you have any issues, please reach out and we can walk through it together!
Well, that's it for this month, friends. If something really resonated with you, hit reply and share it with me. I love hearing from you.
Peace, love and vitality,
Anita 🧡
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Hi! I'm Anita Perrigo.
Welcome! I'm the founder and head coach of Vitality Coaching + Consulting. This monthly newsletter is an intentional dose of education and inspiration to help passion-driven women bring your full + best energy to the people, the causes and the moments most important to you. Subscribe for FREE tips + resources as well as be the first to know about new course offerings and coaching programs. Enjoy! And don't forget to share with your friends. 🧡
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