Self-Care for Inner Peace

First Published on The Wellness Universe blog on Sept. 4, 2024.

As I write this article, we are in the middle of a bathroom remodel. My husband is doing the work himself, and things are taking way longer than we anticipated. So, our home is in chaos. Did I mention this is our only bathroom? It requires lots of planning and logistics to make sure we are able to use the facilities for the bare necessities of life.

We are also expecting our son, his family, and their 100-pound puppy to be visiting us early next week. My momma and nana hearts are so thrilled, and I wish our home was in pristine condition. It’s not.

Does this sound like a recipe for inner peace?

I could choose to be in a snit because things aren’t happening according to my timeframe, making me and my husband miserable, or I could pause and take a moment to make an intentional choice for peace.

I choose to nurture my inner peace; very empowering indeed.

Did you know that inside the eye of the hurricane is the most peaceful part of the storm? There, amidst the swirling gale-force winds, pounding rain, and potential destruction of things it encounters, inner peace and stillness are found inside.

We’ll use the eye of the hurricane metaphor as a reminder that inner peace is an inside job. We generate inner peace when we focus on it, not just when everything is perfectly peaceful and serene in our lives.

So even if there are boxes everywhere and the bathroom isn’t perfect by the time they arrive, I plan to be filled with peace and focus on the precious gift of having my son and his family’s presence in our home. I plan to generate love and contentment so that they are comfortable and feel welcome so that we all remember this visit with fond memories for years to come.

I could choose to focus on the negative, that our home is in disarray and not perfect for our loved ones' arrival, or I could focus on what matters most to me: visiting my family and being a beacon of love and welcoming light.

I’ve made my choice for the most peaceful and loving me I can be because I am the only one who has any control over my own inner peace. I choose to use my personal power for my desires and not give it away to external forces or conditions.

My peace of mind is an inside job, and so is yours too, dear reader.

We can be at peace inside the proverbial eye of the hurricane. No matter what is happening around us or how big the storm of life appears, we have our center, our inner peace, our inner sanctum of contentment despite it all. That is nurturing peace from the inside out. That is stepping into your power and shining. That is how to be brave.

Creating peace from the inside out involves cultivating a harmonious inner state that radiates outward into your life despite the noise or obstacles in our way. Here are a dozen ways you can nurture your inner peace:

1. Create Sacred Space

• Designate a physical or mental space that allows you to connect with yourself deeply. This could be a quiet room, a favorite chair, or a moment of mindfulness.
  
  

• Carve out a sacred space in a corner of your home, workspace, desk, or car that holds meaningful objects that help bring you peace and tranquility.
  
  

• Create a sacred space playlist of your favorite music or meditations that bring a sense of peace and tranquility when you need it most.
  
  
  

2. Good Self-Care

• Prioritize your well-being by eating nourishing foods, getting enough rest, exercising, and engaging in activities that rejuvenate your spirit.
  
  

• Remember to give yourself grace if you don’t live up to your expectations; you can always start again in the next moment. Be good to yourself.
  
  
  

3. Breathe

• Practice mindful breathing. Deep, slow breaths help calm the nervous system and bring you back to the present moment.
  
  

4. Intentional Action

• Move through your day with purpose. Consider what actions align with your values and contribute to your overall peace.
  
  

5. Being Present

• Focus on the here and now. Let go of past regrets and future worries, anchoring yourself in the present. I often stop to look at the beauty around me, listen to the windchimes, watch the hummingbirds at the feeder, or watch the clouds float by. Even popping out to the yard for a few moments helps tremendously.
  
  

6. Focus on Priorities

• Identify what truly matters to you and dedicate your time and energy to those priorities, letting go of distractions.
  
  

7. Find the Humor in the Situation

• Lighten your heart and mind by finding humor, even in challenging situations. Laughter can be a powerful tool for creating inner peace, and it’s true that laughter is good medicine.
  
  

8. This, Too, Shall Pass

• Remember that all things are temporary. Accept the changing tides of life to help release stress and maintain peace. All storms eventually end.
  
  

9. Find Your Sanctuary

• Identify your personal sanctuary—a place or state of being where you feel safe, calm, and at peace. This might be a physical location or a mental state you retreat to in times of stress.
  
  

10. Retreat to Nature

• Spend time in nature to reconnect with the earth and yourself. The natural world has a grounding effect that can help put our cares in perspective and help calm and restore our inner peace.
  
  

11. Balance

• Strive for balance in all areas of your life. When your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met, you create a stable foundation for peace.
  
  

12. Shifting the Narrative from “I Can’t” to “How Can I?”

• Change your mindset from one of limitation to one of possibility. This empowers you to find solutions rather than dwell on obstacles.
  
  

By integrating these practices into your daily life, you can create a lasting sense of peace that begins within and radiates outward.

I hope that these tips and this article will benefit you, dear reader, as you nurture your peace from the inside out, which is excellent self-care because you are worthy and deserving of every good thing flowing to you always.

Get your Self-Care Strategies PDF booklet, which includes ways to begin or enhance your self-care routine. It's my gift to you, and it includes affirmation cards and a word search puzzle, too. Sign up HERE.

If you'd like to map out a personalized self-care plan, prioritize your well-being further with a 1:1 session with Janette. Find out more HERE.

Decluttering, Remodeling, and Positivity

We have been remodeling our bathroom, our only bathroom. With the heat and doing the work ourselves (mostly my hubby), it's a long process. It also requires lots of coordination when using the facilities.

There is dust everywhere. We try to keep it to a minimum, but it finds its way into every little nook and cranny of our home.

We shopped for new wall and floor tiles, a bathtub, a medicine cabinet, towel racks, and lights ahead of time, traipsing through several home improvement stores and specialty tile warehouses.

The process can be overwhelming, exhausting, and messy.

We have lots of home improvement projects to do, and my husband is ready and anxious to get them going. I’m blessed to have a handy husband who saves us lots of money and does high-quality work.

He had to go into the attic to replace the exhaust fan piping and clear a path of clutter to do so. 

That meant we were finally beginning to deal with the years of clutter up there. So many boxes and bags of things we tucked away over the years were being excavated and re-examined. 
It's messy and dirty and requires action.

What do we do with all of this stuff? 

A lot of it is going away to bless others. Baby clothes we never used were tucked away up there. 

I've washed and folded them all, and they were donated to bless other families. 

It felt good to have a car full of items to bless others with.

Some are "treasures" our son needs to look at and decide their fate when he visits next month. 

It'll be great when the remodeling and decluttering are finished, but right now, it's messy and chaotic. For example, our new bathtub was delivered last week and is on the patio in its cardboard box, about the size and shape of a coffin, until my hubby is ready to install it. 

He joked around that we could save the box and bury him in it when his time comes. We are finding ways to enjoy the process, and humor helps a lot.

Another concern is properly disposing of the construction debris. Our current solid waste services don’t take or hold everything, so we’ve got homework to do.

We have a local metal recycler who will be happy to have our old tub and metal medicine cabinet once they’re removed. That’s a win-win for us and him.

I've been taking good care of myself during this whole process. Staying hydrated, cool, and well-rested has been a priority. My husband's health, safety, and nutrition are also priorities. 

A huge part of my self-care is seeing the big picture and knowing that today's inconvenience and mess won’t last forever. One day, in the not-too-distant future, we’ll have a gleaming new bathroom that will not only please our eyes but also increase our home value.

We were talking about our new bathroom this morning and I teased my hubby that it will soon be Pinterest ready. He is really excited to see the final project, too.

Today, floor tiles are going in, and the plan is to also paint the wall behind where the new vanity and medicine cabinet will be.

We chose a soothing green called jojoba, and we’re anxious to see how it brightens up the room.

I write this article as a beautiful reminder to please take extra good care of yourself. There is so much going on in our world right now that can make us feel wobbly, stressed, and uncertain. 

A great self-care tip is to stop and consciously breathe in the midst of chaos to help balance and center yourself.

Place your hand on your heart, take a second to focus on taking a big, deep, beautiful breath, let it out…in…out…repeat as needed, and enjoy the sense of peace that rushes in with this boost of oxygen surging into every cell of your precious body, dear heart.

I have a gift for you to help you begin or enhance your self-care practice. It’s especially helpful during times of stress or chaos. It’s a PDF full of tips, tools, and ways to help you prioritize yourself.

Self-care isn’t selfish; it’s a way to honor the precious gift of your life. Get your gift HERE.

I am sending you so much love. 

Embracing Joy Through Adversity Interview of Janette Stuart by Katarina Todorovic

Written by Katarina Todorovic | Published On April 15, 2024 on MysticMag

In a world often shadowed by uncertainty and challenges, Janette Stuart emerges as a radiant beacon of hope and joy. As the Emissary of Joy at Angel Angles, a best-selling author, angelic practitioner, and a triumphant survivor of pancreatic cancer, Janette’s journey epitomizes resilience, faith, and the transformative power of positivity. Through her remarkable experiences and unwavering spirit, Janette has touched countless lives, illuminating pathways to inner peace and healing. In this exclusive article-interview, we delve into Janette’s inspiring story, exploring her insights on navigating adversity, embracing joy, and finding profound meaning amidst life’s trials. Join Mystic Mag as we embark on a journey of enlightenment and empowerment with Janette Stuart, a true testament to the extraordinary strength of the human spirit.

Can you share a pivotal moment or experience that led you to discover your connection with angels and pursue angelic practices?

My “why I do what I do” now came as a result of my beloved brother’s sudden illness, rapid decline, and passing in 2012. I grew up in the church and knew about Angels but didn’t know they could help “regular people” just like me. I thought you had to be a Saint or Holy One to work with the Angels. I found a woman who worked with the Angels, and her words on Facebook shared the love and wisdom from the Angels, which were like a healing balm to my soul during that difficult time of my brother’s rapid health decline in 2012. I could feel the love pouring my way from the Angels during those dark days. I felt loved, supported, protected, and held. Following a year of grief, I reached out to have a private Angel Card Reading with her, and it was marvelous and healing. It was pivotal in my life, and a mere six months following my first angel card session, I was taking classes on how I, too, could assist people during life’s challenges by sharing the love, joy, and peace I received from the Angels and became a Certified Angel Card Reader.

As a Best Selling Author, you’ve likely encountered various challenges in your writing journey. How do you navigate obstacles and maintain inspiration throughout your creative process?

When I first began my business in 2015 following a successful career in local public administration, I was afraid to put my name on my work. I came from a financial and human resources background, and switching to using my soul wisdom and guidance, I thought, what will people think when I profess to channel Angelic Love and Wisdom? I felt the imposter syndrome, with feelings of not being good, credentialed, or brilliant enough. I’m sure many of your readers can identify with those feelings of inadequacy which happen to many of us at various points in our lives.

I wrote my first book in 2016 as I was guided by divine inspiration. From the age of 8, I knew I would be a writer and author. I self-published and didn’t even know there was a whole process to get your words out to readers. I had several thousand followers on social media then and thought I would sell a thousand books easily. Boy, I was in for a surprise!

Although disappointed in the initial sales, I wasn’t deterred from my mission to release a series of devotional books in my volume set, “On a Path of Joy.” I felt guided to release four volumes before I became ill in the fall of 2018.

In early 2019, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and for a few months, my writing was put on hold while I underwent treatment. I began blogging about my journey to provide hope for others also experiencing that difficult physical and emotional healing journey. Today, I am thriving, and I am so grateful.

I write every day to express myself and obtain clarity. I share my writing as inspired, and I am in quietude daily to nurture and fill my cup with divine inspiration. As an empath, I require much time in solitude to recharge my energy and nurture my creativity.

What type of services do you offer?

I’m happy to provide private 1:1 Angel Card Readings and 1:1 Self-Care Strategies sessions on Zoom.

Your blog, Angel Angles, serves as a platform for spreading positivity and spiritual guidance. How do you ensure authenticity and relevance in your content while catering to diverse audiences?

My Angelic guidance is to spread love, joy, and peace through the content shared on my blog, and I like to remind the visitors of their divine heritage and that they are not alone. Lately, Self-Care and Self-Love have been a huge focus to share the reminder we are never alone; the Angels have our back. We each have at least two guardian angels who are with us our entire life and love us unconditionally. We don’t focus on any one religion but share universal love and compassion. Our audience has a diverse community of Angel lovers worldwide, and I rely on divine guidance regarding content and frequency.

Your work encompasses both spirituality and practicality. How do you reconcile these seemingly contrasting aspects in your teachings and writings?

For me, life is very simple. I am a spiritual being living here now, and so are you. It feels like we are more alike than dissimilar when we focus on the truth of our nature. I like to remind myself and others that we are here to shine our light and to live a life of love, joy, and peace. We came from Love, and that’s where we’ll return when this journey is over. I try to remember to view my world through the Divine lens of Love. I don’t always remember that concept, but I can begin again and lean into Love.

As someone who helps others connect with their divine inner wisdom, what advice would you give to individuals who feel disconnected or lost in their spiritual journey?

We are all unique individuals who came here for a specific purpose. Being our most authentic, true selves and sharing that bright light with the world brings fulfillment and joy. It doesn’t matter if you are excited about painting, cars, decorating, writing, music, cooking, crafts, technology, or animals…we all have something that sparks our creativity and makes us feel happy and grateful to be alive. We should point our compass to what brings us joy. Be your “you-est you” and I’ll be my Janette-est Janette.

We go amiss when we give away our personal power by hiding or shrinking our truest selves by turning from our joy and catering to others ideas of what is best for us, what we “should” do for a living, how we should live our lives, dress, behave, what we should acquire, attain, or how we should conform. That’s where we get disconnected or lost in life.