How to care for the mind, body, and planet without losing your mind
Happy Earth Month! Unless you’ve been living under a rock on our beautiful space rock, you’ve likely seen footage from NASA’s recent trip around the moon—including some of the incredibly insightful, inspiring, emotional words from the crew members:
“Trust us… you look beautiful… And from up here, you also look like one thing. Homo sapiens, all of us, no matter where you’re from or what you look like, we’re all one people.”
—Victor Glover
“I know I haven’t learned everything that this journey has yet to teach me, but there’s one new thing I know, and that is, planet Earth: You. Are. A. Crew…”
—Christina Koch
Both of these messages hit my heart because they’re a beautiful reminder of our collective humanity—our shared experience (even in different circumstances) on our shared home (even in different places).
That sense of individual and collective connection has become increasingly apparent and important to me as I’ve continued my own work in the mind-body-planet sphere. So I felt especially moved that those words were broadcast for so many of us to hear.
Now it’s up to us to act on it (no pressure).
Connecting the dots
When I first dipped my toes into the wellness waters, I was finishing a Master’s thesis on sustainable fashion and accessories brands.
It was a time when eco-conscious options weren’t as available or as hip, but there were inspiring pioneers whose passion helped pave the way for sustainability to become more mainstream. Although trends are still something to be wary of for other reasons, at least people started paying attention.
Yoga and nutrition both entered my life before I graduated, all of which opened my eyes to the inextricable link between personal and planetary wellbeing, like:
Awareness & attention → Taking better care of ourselves
Taking care of ourselves → Making choices that care for others & the planet
Taking care of others → Becoming more aware of the planet (because we all live here!)
Care for the planet → Others are naturally supported as a result
I couldn’t figure out a way to effectively diagram that, because it all goes hand in hand—and it’s kind of a chicken-or-the-egg situation. One part may come before another, and one part may be more accessible to you right now. But it’s all interconnected.
My own mind-body-planet timeline
My personal awareness around these topics began with a love of nature as a California girl, an interest in food via 90s diet culture and Italian family traditions, a relationship to movement as a competitive dancer and an athlete, and a curiosity of mindfulness from religion classes and Roman Catholic grandparents.
Eventually, nutrition became more health-focused than weight-focused, and I started to dig deeper into the effects of processed foods on the body and the environmental impact of mass production in farming and agriculture.
In my MFA thesis work, I also explored how agriculture intersects with the fashion industry—particularly through crops like cotton, synthetic materials, pesticide use, polluted water runoff, air pollution, animal feed, and more (I know—yikes).
Yoga became a weekly ritual to help with thesis overwhelm, relationship anxiety, and dance discomforts (I was in a semi-professional hip-hop crew, believe it or not). Through yoga, I started uncovering layers of the mind—how to recognize it, work with it, and understand how the body could be a gateway to knowing myself better.
In that sense, yoga shifted me from being religious to spiritual, and I became more mindful of the choices I made—from career to relationship; from eco items I invested in to convenience habits I relinquished; from what I ate to how I treated my body.
And as these components became more integrated into my daily life—however big or small or imperfectly—I felt compelled to share it with others. How groundbreaking would it be for the human race on a physical, mental, emotional, and ecological level if we were all even just a fraction more aware of how connected all this?
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Onward (TL;DR)
I’ve written a lot about caring for ourselves so we can care for each other, and I believe the planet is an intrinsic part of that.
Earth isn’t a separate component of the mind-body wellbeing equation—it’s the thing that links us together in the first place.
Here’s how I think we can carry on from here, informed by my own experience:
Stay curious. Notice what about the mind, body, or planet feels meaningful to you.
Start small. Experiment and see which practices or products work for you.
Stay kind. Be patient when you hit road bumps as you explore new territory.
Stay open. Receive what the mind, body, or planet can teach you.
Stay connected. Return to yourself and your intention(s), and keep going.
Remember to go outside and let Mama Nature show you how much she loves you, too!
What links do you see between the mind, body, and planet?
How does that connection inspire to you care for yourself, the Earth, and each other?
If you’re curious about cultivating your own unique eco lifestyle habits and could use extra support, book a free coaching assessment call.
Inspiring organizations that work to make a positive difference:
The Ocean Cleanup, Farmer’s Footprint, The Nature Conservancy, WWF, NRDC, Patagonia
Take good care,
S
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