Rachel Williams Yudes Psychotherapy & Coaching

Thoughts are quite powerful. And the thoughts we shape how we view our life, ourselves, others and the world. When you’re feeling anxious, worried or overwhelmed, it’s likely that the majority of your thoughts are not based in truth. They are simply anxious thoughts that are trying to protect you. Believing these thoughts will likely create more stress, anxiety and suffering. We can choose to observe these thoughts rather than believe them. In these moments, try... visualizing the thought as something separate from yourself. Practice bringing a curious mind rather than believing and buying into your every thought. Try self soothing and grounding, attending to your physical experience of anxiety, through deep breathing and mindfulness. When you’re feeling less anxious, check in with yourself about what thoughts are supporting you. It’s much easier to identify which thoughts feel authentic and true from a place of calm and ease. From here you can take aligned actions towards your values and goals. See more

Burnout is your body redirecting you. It’s a messengeryour body asking you to slow down. To set some boundaries to protect your energy. It’s easy to go into self blame when we feel burnout. Our internal dialogue might sound likeThis is my own fault or I should have known better. In the self-compassion world, this is called double dipping in the pain, and we don’t need to pile onto an already difficult experience. If you’re telling yourself a story that it’s your f...ault, can you peel back that second layer of pain, and instead meet the burn out with openness and non-judgment? It’s not your fault. It happens to everyone. And this is simply a messenger, a redirect from your body that more boundaries are needed. See more

What parts of yourself are you tending to right now? I often use the metaphor of tending to a garden when talking about our relationship with ourselves (and others) with clients. Much like plants, we need sunshine, water, love, attention, and nurturing to be healthy and grow. Similar to a garden, we also have different areas or parts of ourselves that need more attention and care at different times.... Lately I’ve been tending to the parts of myself that have been sad and grieving. These parts of me needs nature, movement, play, a slower pace day to day, less screen time, and more journaling. I’ve felt so nourished being outside, and my daily journaling practice has supported me in continually check in with myself and being present with my inner experiences. This slower pace feels good right now, and I know that soon enough other parts of myself will crave more attention and focus. Perhaps my more social, creative or ambitious sides. What parts of yourself are asking for more tending to these days? Can you make space to be present with whatever is here and trust that it’s okay to tend to these parts of your garden right now? See more

If you’re ever feeling off course, come back to your why. Let your values be your guide Art by @morganharpernichols

Grounding with one of my reflections from the year on this winter solstice eve. Looking forward to longer days. Sending love

[re-sharing with typos fixed ] It’s been a year! A collection of reflections I’m currently sitting with

I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but the freedom to build a life on your own terms is and has been a huge learning for me. Early on, I learned that I needed to achieve to have a sense of self worth. Based on my environment and modeling, I developed a very narrow definition of success. I soon learned that pushing and working harder, always striving to be better than others, and aiming for perfection didn’t work for me. These strategies led me to burnout, extreme self d...oubt, and at times depression. It’s been a journey of unlearning a lot of my programming. Unlearning that success means always working harder. Unlearning that achievement means being the best. Unlearning that my worth and value is tied to the work I produce. And in this unlearning, I’ve adopted new values and beliefs that are much more aligned, that suit me, who I actually am. I’ve learned I value balanceboth work and play, drive and leisure, doing and being. I've learned that I believe in every human’s inherent worth as a conscious being. I’ve learned that I’m happiest and most fulfilled when I’m able to feel connected to myself, my people, my creativity, and my work. What would you like to unlearn and let go of to create and build a life on your own terms? See more

This is one of my favorite mantras I picked up from my coach @alyssanobriga. When big emotions are present or I feel scared to do something, I repeat this phrase to myself. So much of what we fear is feeling a certain way. Our minds do not trust that we can survive difficult feelingsdisappointment, heartbreak, grief, sadness. The truth is we can survive all of these feelings, we just think we can’t. All feelings at their most basic level are energy passing through th...e body. Emotions need to be felt in order to move, and all feelings are temporary, no matter how big or powerful they feel. The next time you’re experiencing a big wave of emotion or feel scared of what feelings might come, try reminding yourself, it’s just energy and breathe through it with love and compassion. This energy will pass, and then a new energy will visit. It’s all just energy. See more

Reminders about being human