Many years ago I was attending a business event where Pinball Clemons gave an inspirational talk. He was amazing and had great energy! At one point he brought up how people can feel all alone even when surrounded by lots of people. That spoke right to me, to my core. It triggered me terribly as I sat there feeling very much alone and unsupported even though I had people in my life who loved and cared about me. It took me many adult years to figure out that we are in charge of looking after ourselves and for putting together our circles of support.
Some questions to ask:
- Who do I turn to when things get dialed up in my life?
- Am I getting the support I need from them?
- Do I need someone to listen, to be a sounding board or do I need help with finding a solution, or both?
- Do I communicate with the person what it is I need from them at the time?
- Notice any patterns, does it help speaking with them or does it make things worse?
Sometimes the ones who are closest to us are not able to support us in the way that we need. What they can give to us and what we need in terms of support can look and feel very different. This is where it is beneficial to have neutral parties (paid professionals) included as part of the circle.
We can have different circles for different areas of life. I have 3 core circles of support:
Personal Health & Wellness Business / Career
I invite you to make a list of your circle(s). It’s possible you may want to make some changes depending on how you answered the questions above. Below are some ideas to help put together or add to your circle(s).
- Family
- Friends
- Colleagues
- Coach
- Chiropractor
- ND
- RMT
- Physiotherapist
- Mental Health Professional
- MD
- Faith
- Angels
- Spirit Guides
It’s important to remember that we are at the centre of our circles and relying only on others to support us is not enough. We must also play an active role of supporting ourselves through self-care. If you are having challenges with self-care, or your circles of support then let’s have a conversation! Please email your complimentary conversation request to nicoletomingas@gmail.com.