Now For Some Baby Steps: No matter what stage of life you’re in, you may be a bit overwhelmed by the exercise from yesterday. That’s because there’s always something we are called to tend to in our lives. Remember that nobody’s life is free from challenges. Responding to ourselves as if we are worthy of care is different than trying to control our lives or achieve perfection.

Look your lists over and ask yourself, “What is really demanding change? What is the one thing I know I need to address?” Underline that item.

If you’re feeling stuck to identify just one, you can choose up to three items. It’s important to keep it to a max of three because small, consistent changes in a manageable way will yield the most progress for you. You don’t want to get stressed and overwhelmed trying to become less stressed and overwhelmed, right? Don’t be afraid to make a stretch but absolutely do what you know you can do.

Again, the idea is not to fix yourself so the issues go away. The idea is to encourage yourself, to believe in your needs, and to respond to yourself in a nurturing way. Next to each item you’ve underlined (remember, only 3!) write down a few action steps that you can take. Make them as concrete as possible (“take a walk after work”, “an apple a day”, “barter for babysitting”, “share my truth about___”, “read on the train”, “schedule a massage”, “schedule date night”). These actions should be personal to you and your life. You don’t have to know right now if they will work. The idea is that you’re sending a message to yourself, “Hey Self! Your health and wellbeing are important to me”.

As you consistently incorporate these new actions into your life, you are creating an environment in which intuition can flourish.