A Woman’s Guide to Holistic Self-Care Planning

Have you been wanting to make changes to your health, but struggling to follow through or falling back into old habits?

Are you feeling stuck in a cycle of burnout, weight issues, low libido, low energy, anxiety, Yoni health issues, or unhealthy food cravings?

Do you have a Holistic-Self Care Plan that is customized to your wellness goals, needs, and desires?

Whether you aim to lose weight, reduce acne, have more energy, feel less stressed, correct hormone imbalances, or heal Yoni issues such as dryness, sexual dysfunction, PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, or menstrual issues—creating a Holistic Self-Care Plan is the first step towards better health and happiness.

Holistic self-care is more than a routine—it is a lifestyle characterized by taking practical steps toward the preservation of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. This includes daily maintenance of your well-being as well as preventative measures to support your sense of wellbeing in the long run.

Click Here To Read: “7 Yoni Care Tips To Stay Healthy & Fresh”

In this article, you will learn how to develop a Holistic Self-Care Plan in 5 phases with actionable steps that move you towards your best life including Self-Assessment, Intention-Setting, Resilience Development, Embodiment, and Networking for Holistic.

Please note that the information provided is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult your doctor if you aren’t feeling well or notice symptoms of illness. Share with them your plans before making changes to your wellness regimen and be open to (at least) hearing their professional opinion.

Alrighty, let’s dive in!

PHASE 1: SELF-ASSESSMENT

Every Holistic Self-Care Plan begins with self-awareness as you complete a personal check-in to assess your overall level of health and happiness. This step is crucial as it provides you with indications of what will be required for you to get from where you are in that moment, to where you’d like to be.

Checking-in is a mindfulness practice of simply scanning your body and mind to gain a full perspective of what’s going on in and around you at any given moment. You can use self-reflection questions to journal your way to better clarity on what is really going on in your life. Here are some examples of questions that can provide you with greater insight:

How would you describe your current state of health?
What is your #1 health concern or frustration, right now?
On average, how energized do you feel on a scale of 1-10 (least to greatest)? What do you think is contributing to that?
Rate your overall happiness on a scale of 1-10 (least to greatest)? What do you think is contributing to that?

In addition to self-reflection in your journal, you can also make use of other assessments to gain deeper insight into specific issues. Here is a sample list of ways to evaluate your health at a particular moment:

Client Intake Form or Interview (by Wellness Practitioner)
Nutrition Questionnaire or Food Log
Allergy Test
Skin Analysis
Blood Test
Mental Health Evaluation
BMI (Body Mass Index) calculation
Weigh-in
Vital Signs: Blood Pressure, Temperature, Heart Rate, Breathing Rate, and Cervical Mucus
Urine Analysis
Iridology
Astrology Reading

There are many more ways to gain deeper insight into your health status. The goal is to objectively gather as much information into your situation as possible so that you truly understand why you are experiencing it. If you know this, you will be better equipped to make changes, adjustments, and empowered decisions about your health as you continue your path to holistic wellness.

PHASE 2: LEAD WITH INTENTIONS, NOT GOALS

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.”
Yogi Berra

It may seem reasonable to start your Holistic Self-Care Plan with goals, but you may find more value in setting intentions instead. Most goals end in failure because they lack substance, which is the divine feminine essence that you bring to the table through the power of intention.

A goal is a results-driven object of ambition based on a desire. It is the masculine container for the feminine desire at the center of your being to manifest in your outer life in a practical way. What fills this container is the intention—the substance of desire that is embodied in your presence.

When you set an intention, you make a declaration in body, mind, and spirit of who you are choosing to BE throughout the process of your desire’s manifestation. With your conscious embodiment of the energy you are attempting to birth into the world (your desire)—there is nothing for the masculine container to carry forth…hence a failed goal. Goals fail when they are set as objects outside of you—there never was a connection to the life force that would set them in motion on your behalf.

When your goals feel hard, confusing, obstacle-ridden, uninspiring, and unattainable—these are signs of a misalignment between who you are and who you think you are becoming. To set goals with integrity, set intentions. Who are you being and how is she evolving, responding, exchanging, receiving, and expressing by the minute? Are your thoughts, words, and actions in integrity with what you want to experience in your life? Your presence will always be more powerful than a goal.

Here is an example of a core desire is to be healthy and fit:

[EXAMPLE]
Desire: To be healthy and physically fit.
Intention: To feel energized and flexible.
Supporting Goal: Eat well and move
Supporting Actions:
1. Eat a range of alkaline foods (energy/metabolism/detox)
2. Eliminate meat and dairy (energy/metabolism/detox)
3. Reduce household clutter and challenged relationships (energy/endocrine support)
4. Hatha Yoga (flexibility/strength/weight loss/emotional healing)
5. Morning Walk (flexibility/weight loss/stress relief/heart health)

Notice that the text in parentheses indicates the effect of each supporting action. It is easy to deduce how stress-relief, weight loss, and more energy would be the natural result of such actions due to the body being supported with better metabolism, waste elimination, and mindful movement. This is a more fulfilling approach to a healthy and fit body because it addresses the whole woman (body, mind, and spirit) rather than simply setting a goal to lose a certain amount of weight without addressing related issues.

On the other hand, here is a short example of starting with a goal instead:

[EXAMPLE]
Goal: Lose Weight (30 pounds in 6 months)
Supporting Actions:
1. Daily Meal Plan (count calories, portion control, eating frequency, food choice, etc.)
2. Workouts (Frequency and duration, number of reps, cardio vs. strength training, etc.)
3. Identify Foods and Activities to Eliminate
4. Weigh-In Every ____ Days
5. Track Progress

Whew! I’ll stop there…

It’s no wonder that most of these goals result in disappointment—they are designed to fail! What’s worse is the emotional backlash of accepting the feeling of failure alongside negative health habits that may follow as a result of trying to cope (i.e. Emotional or stress eating, poor boundaries due to low self-worth, or giving up on other desires).

Setting an intention for your ideal state of health centers you in your full, creative, feminine power. Intention provides you with a sense of meaningfulness and purpose that keeps you on track as you move onward. Rather than reaching outside of yourself to achieve some ‘gold standard’, your intention grows with you as you evolve. Intentions are alive and fluid, step-by-step they dance you into the new YOU that is desiring full expression!

Intentions are the living water of your desires and the goals you set afterward are like the firm but mutable earth that gives form and direction to their path. If your intention shifts, your goals should follow suit. Never lead with goals because they will place you out of alignment with your feminine essence—away from the source of your Yoni power, happiness, and optimal health. Goals must ALWAYS serve to the pleasure of intentions.

PHASE 3: DEVELOP RESILIENCE TO COUNTER OBSTACLES

“Acknowledging where you are leaking energy is the flip side of containing your energy…people, situations, or choices that drain you more than fill you up…be willing to cut off or plug up the holes that are causing you to lose energy.”
Rachel Jayne Groover

The third step in the process of developing your Holistic Self-Care Plan is to address any obstacle before you even start. In order to truly begin a wellness journey, you must acknowledge what is standing in your way and what may potentially become an issue further down the road.

Identifying obstacles upfront is not negative thinking, nor is it perpetuating fear and doubt. It is a part of your strategic planning that will give you an edge in life, no matter what, because you are in touch with reality. The following journal questions can help you to get started in this process:

What is stopping me from experiencing my desire right now(People, habits, environment, health issues, insufficient resources)?
How do my closest relationships influence my current lifestyle and health behaviors?
What environment would best reflect me in my most joyous and optimal state of health (Be descriptive)?
What are the biggest distractions, temptations, and vulnerabilities pertaining to my desire? What is most likely to lead me ‘off-track’ in a moment of weakness?
What positive influences might I need to bring into my life to stay motivated and focused?

As you answer those questions, avoid placing judgment on yourself and others. They are simply thought-provokers to bring awareness to your path—both light and shadow. If you don’t know what lurks in the shadows, it is more likely to get the best of you when you least expect it. Particularly, when it comes to relationships—this process will help you to set healthy boundaries and engage with people more authentically. You don’t always have to cut off negative influences, you simply need to be prepared for how you will deal with them…if you so choose.

At the same time, this journaling process can help you identify areas where you may need some additional support. For example, if your intention is to eat cleaner and everyone in your household eats fast food regularly—you may need to join a group or team up with another person (locally or online) so that you aren’t so alone in your healthy eating journey. Otherwise, you may be tempted to fall back into old habits at some point.

PHASE 4: EMBODY THE CHANGE YOU DESIRE

“When you ‘walk your talk,’ it increases your feeling of self-worth and self-esteem. When you make great decisions, you feel better about yourself, and your personal power increases.”
Rachel Jayne Groover

The fourth step in creating a Holistic Self-Care Plan is about taking inspired action from day one. In order to manifest your desires, they must pass through your physical body and mind in the form of decisions and behaviors. Without immediate action, nothing changes, but everything still moves. This means that you will experience more of what you already have unless you become the difference.

For example, if your intention is to be peaceful and you encounter a combative person who would usually get an angry reaction from you—from now on you respond differently to the entire situation. Perhaps, this means a calm tone, a longer pause before speaking, a few deep breaths before acknowledging the person, a decision to break contact, or a calm verbal assertion of your boundaries to respectfully remind them of their place.

This is not ‘fake it until you make it.’ There is nothing fake about your choosing to fully embody the new you now—why wait? If your intention is to live in luxury, start treating yourself like royalty because you have decided that you deserve nothing less—you don’t have to break the bank, this is about shifting into a new mode of moving through time and space.

When you draw on your feminine essence and center into your womb space (not behaving based on others’ expectations of you), you become a powerful, magnetic force of attraction for your desires. You would be stunned at how the world around you (people and all) starts to act and move differently in response to your energy, whether they notice it or not. This is the earth-shaping power of woman…like water in all its glorious forms—own that!

PHASE 5: NETWORK FOR HOLISTIC SUPPORT

“The feminine energy is the energy of unity, collaboration, and connection with all…it’s about being ‘at home’ in herb womb space and heart, no only when alone but also when others need her or confront her, when she is considering her outer mission in the world, and when she has decisions to make that affect those around her.”
Rachel Jayne Groover

The final and most crucial step in creating a Holistic Self-Care Plan is connecting to a community where you can be seen, heard, contribute, and get support. Let’s face it, not everyone is capable of holding space for your evolution and none of us are meant to walk our path alone. We need other people to balance us out, challenge our opinions, critique our work, share our memories, hold us accountable, make us laugh, see our truth, and call us forth into leadership.

Depending on her culture, every woman must put in various levels of work to call in her holistic support system. This includes the moral, social, informational, and motivational sources of support that are essential to her health and happiness.

MORAL SUPPORT

Moral support shows up in the form of qualified people who hold space for your emotional or spiritual development. This includes a therapist, clergy members, close family, and friends, or a spiritual community such as a sister circle or support group. If you haven’t already, click here to learn about our circle, the Sacred Beauty Sisterhood.

SOCIAL SUPPORT

Social support fulfills our need for a human connection with others and is not goal-focused. It can take the form of leisure, romance, friendship, shared interests, or all of the above. This would include your social circle, acquaintances and friends, colleagues, neighbors, community groups, causes, and romantic partnerships.

INFORMATIONAL SUPPORT

Believe it not, information support pertaining to your health and wellness is a part of your support system and consists of the people we learn. This includes mentors, teachers, coaches, advisors, consultants, health and wellness practitioners, trainers, educational events (i.e. Conferences, summits, classes, and workshops). Social learning helps you to develop your own understanding of yourself and the world around you.

Continue learning about your body throughout your life—it’s not your doctor’s job to be the expert on your personal health and wellbeing, it’s yours. Sharpen your research skills and stimulate your intellect through shared learning experiences with other people. Most importantly, be sure to vet your sources of information to ensure their credibility and usefulness in your life. YouTube videos can entertaining and helpful to learn new skills, but the credibility of the person providing the information should always be considered before you take action on their advice.

MOTIVATIONAL SUPPORT

Motivational support plays a large role in holistic self-care planning because of the transformation that is involved in the process of manifesting your desires. Having accountability and great company makes it easier to blaze your path. Motivational support can be found in an accountability partner, life coach, personal trainer, counselor, sister circle, support group, and the list goes on.

In closing, holistic self-care is not a simple practice—it is a lifestyle that honors the true essence of the individual through health behaviors that support their highest vision of themselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Your Holistic Self-Care Plan does not end with the manifestation of a desire—rather, it evolves to meet you where you are at every moment.

To recap, do a quick check-in of yourself, set a new intention, identify obstacles and ways to overcome them, embody your new lifestyle, and connect with a community that uplifts your spirit and champions your growth every step of the way.

This article was but a brief introduction to the process of self-management for personal wellness. Of course, everyone is different as are their needs and desires. If you are ready to take a more active or proactive approach to skincare, Yoni care, or holistic detoxification of the body, click here to work with Dominique and get a customized Holistic Self-Care Plan. After all, September is National Self-Care Month in the US, and what better time to give yourself the gift of better health and happiness!