Arianna Merritt, M.Ed.

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Dr. Nina Savelle-Rocklin's Self-Discovery Lesson on Learning to Slow Down

What do you struggle with in maintaining your self-confidence? What obstacles get in the way, preventing you from achieving your personal best?

These were the questions ending my last blog post, “Practice the Skill of Self-Confidence.” Many readers emailed me saying that Dr. Joseph’s insights were very powerful and that practising self-confidence on a daily basis was one of their goals.  Yet, the readers also expressed a common obstacle: their busy schedules made it challenging for them to incorporate the repeated practice of self-confidence into their personal routines. Can you relate to this?

Therefore, to continue the conversation, I reached out to Dr. Nina Savelle-Rocklin to share her Record Worthy Practice with us.  She is a mom, wife, and “busy” professional. Despite her packed schedule, she has been a mentor to me, giving me lots of advice through sharing her personal insight. Dr. Nina (as she is known) is a psychoanalyst, an author, an award-winning blogger, and the creator of the ‘Win the Diet War’ program. In the past, Dr. Nina has been on the blog sharing her insights; we’ve also been following each other on Twitter since we have similar professional interests. I emailed her to ask how she finds time to incorporate self-care into her busy schedule. 

(c) Dr. Nina Savelle-Rocklin

Dr. Nina suggests:

“Given my podcast, video series, blog, online programs, and private practice, productivity is not a problem. Besides being on a first-name basis with my local barista, I'm also a naturally high-energy person, so my particular challenge has been to learn to slow down.  I also have a family, so my down-time is limited to my commute - and in Los Angeles, that's a lot of time daily.  My secret weapon? Digital downloads (thank you, Audible!).  Every day I carve out "me" time on the road, listening to books that transport me to other times, other worlds, from detective fiction to travelogues to novellas.  Plus I'm learning to speak French, something I've always wanted to do but could never find the time.  Rather than feeling drained and frustrated by the long drive in traffic, I'm relaxed by the time I get to my destination.  After all, I've just been entertained, uplifted, challenged and/or engaged for over an hour, and being recharged helps me be fully available and focused on others.”

Such a practical tool for personal care. Thank you, Dr. Nina, for sharing this thought with us! Your practice really resonated with me; it made me think of all the time I have spent commuting - ever since elementary school. Downloading books for the commute, whether by car or public transit, is a great way to calm our minds.  Look how easy it is to incorporate something enjoyable into our daily “busy” routines?! Such changes, although they may seem small, can make a huge impact in our overall health and well-being.

Here’s to finding more time to practicing self-care!

Do you feel like you have no time to do the things you really enjoy in life? Can you find ways to carve out more “me” time in your busy schedule? Do you have strategies for ‘slowing down’ and adding more relaxation into your life?

Thank you for reading and for your presence at this beach retreat. You Rock! We are all looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the Comments section below.

See you at the beach!