My Power (Erin Jean Warde)
Here I am, starting a coaching journey of my very own, seeking help and support, because if anyone should know the power and importance of coaching — it should be a coach.
My Power
Hello friends,
I have been down for the count with a nasty allergy cold. It’s wild to me how I can go through this same cycle, over and over again.
The cycle: I end up working really hard, burning the candle at both ends. I feel so burned out by the end of each day that I eat food that doesn’t really nourish me and completely space out for my evenings. I don’t sleep well, so I’m chugging caffeine in the morning to try to push past the grogginess and get to work. I feel overcome with stress about all the things I need to do, but I feel like I just have to keep pushing. Then, when I’m finally able to breathe, go on vacation, have a day off, etc. — illness hits.
I wish I could say that I have mastered not falling into this very obvious cycle, but here I am, coughing as I type. When the allergies started hitting me hard, I found myself walking through multiple pharmacies looking for over the counter remedies. And I kept thinking — Well, no wonder. You didn’t rest well the week before, then you were on a 5 hour plane ride of recycled air, then you arrived in a corner of the U.S. you’ve literally never been to before. So clearly your immune system was super low, then hit with allergens it has never processed before.
And as of today, I’m on day 12 of the struggle. Things have gotten significantly better, thank goodness, but that lingering little cough remains.
I share all of this to say: I am a recovery coach who helps people work on the rhythms in their lives, to try to find a way of life that is more nourishing to them. As a spiritual director, I often help people through the same challenge of nourishing rhythms, especially regarding prayer.
And I am no different. We all need nourishing rhythms, and to be completely honest, I have lost mine. But there is hope. Last week, the day after my 5 hour plane ride home (no wonder the cough still lingers!), I had my first meeting with my very own wellness coach.
The past year and some change of my life, since my sister’s death in December 2022, has done a number on me. I keep thinking back, almost wistfully, to the days of early recovery, when I had a morning routine, evening routine, walked every single day because I knew it helped me stay sober, how I would read voraciously and feel the palpable gift of the Holy Spirit.
Since December 2022, I’ve lost those things; I’ve lost my rhythms. I haven’t been drinking alcohol, thank you Jesus, but I’ve been struggling, and I lost the practices of self-care and joy that I know support me in my mind, body, and soul.
Because I’m a human and humans need support. As I say in almost all my speaking opportunities: Coping is not wrong; coping is human. I am a human, trying to figure out how to cope with deep grief, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But the question that calls people into coaching has been at the front of my heart: Is this way of coping helping me heal?
And the answer is no. I need my rhythms back. So here I am, starting a coaching journey of my very own, seeking help and support, because if anyone should know the power and importance of coaching — it should be a coach.
It’s important to me, as someone who is a coach, to let you know that I am a coach who needs a coach. I don’t just offer coaching, I know the power of coaching, which is why I am seeking it out for myself, too.
So, today, I don’t know how you’re doing in life, what burdens you might be carrying, how you might feel out of your rhythms, or how you might have your own deep seeking for care.
But I know this: You’re worthy of support. You’re worthy of the care you seek. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, seeking accountability, and exploring different care modalities to try to receive the true healing you need right now.
I am doing all of these things for myself in this season of my life, because I am a coach who needs a coach and a spiritual director who needs a spiritual director. And I believe that is my power, not my weakness.
With love & care,
EJW
Summer Topics?
Now that I’m back, I’m excited to not be traveling for a while, which means more time to dive back into this space. I’m currently thinking about what we might explore together this summer, and I’m open to your thoughts! Any ideas? Just reply or comment below!