“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create” ~ Buddha ~

The PEMS© Approach to your Wellness

The Core Four

Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual: These are the four core elements requiring self-care, to experience holistic wellness, vitality and joy.  When you tend to each of these, you are practicing what I call radical self-care.  Your mind, body and spirit are worthy of this deep level of care, every day!

PEMS© came to me by accident.  Stopped in my tracks by a major burnout, with little support from conventional medicine, I faced a choice: Stay stuck, exhausted and unable to function, or find an alternative way through.  I chose the latter, and thankfully, the burnout became my breakthrough. (You can read more about that in this article.) and PEMS was born!

What is PEMS?

Your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing are all intrinsically linked.  By caring for one element, you influence the others.  When one is out of balance, so are they all.

In finding the unique approach that best serves YOU (it is different for each person) you will find the wellness sweet spot, and your most vibrant life.

You can eat all the healthy food in the world, have the best exercise regime and sleep like a legend.  But if you don’t address what’s occurring on the INSIDE (your emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing), then you’re missing a FUNDAMENTAL piece of the puzzle.

In a wellbeing talk I did recently, we discussed self-care and different ways it could be integrated into life.  Some examples are below, to plant seeds of inspiration. They are deliberately not categorized because many of them overlap across the core four – the holistic approach in action!

• Take a walk in nature. You are supporting all four aspects in one go;

• Spend time with animals. They are known to be therapeutic for the nervous system;

• Meditation and mindfulness practices calm the mind and nervous system. You can learn how to allow thoughts to pass through, rather than be caught up in them:

• Swimming, preferably in natural waters. Being immersed in water can act as a container, helping you feel held and supported, not to mention the fun of just splashing around!

• Talking it out. Whether through formal talking therapies, coaching, or with loved ones. Stress is greatly reduced when we stop bottling it all up inside.

• Take part in crafting activities;

• Gardening – every weed you pull up could represent a thought or belief that is no longer serving you. And you’ll be connecting with mother earth with her naturally healing vibrations.

• Go for a holistic treatment to support you on an energetic level. Reiki, Acupuncture, Pranic healing and energy healing are all excellent examples;

• Sing, hum, chant and make sound.  Your voice is connected to your heart, and forms a part of the vagal complex (an intrinsic part of your nervous system).  The vibration and resonance of sound has a regulating effect on the nervous system and can help move emotions through your body;

• Take part in movement practices such as Pilates, Yoga, Qi Gong and dancing.  Whilst they all enhance your physical fitness and health, they also awaken the spirit and calm the mind;

• Take a break from devices.  Information overload can lead to overwhelm as we race to keep up with the demands of messages, emails, news and information.  Our attention spans are reducing as a result, not to mention the impact of non-native electromagnetic stress on our physical and energetic health;

• Find a moment alone, in stillness, to simply be in your own energy.

• Give yourself a loving hug.  Yes, really!  You will still reap the benefits of the oxytocin release, whilst also practicing self-love, self-compassion and self-acceptance

• Set healthy boundaries.  Knowing when to say no, step back, and take a break is fundamental to your wellbeing.  (I write more about this in my recent people pleasing article.)

• Watch or read something that makes you laugh.  Laughing raises your vibration, and supports the parasympathetic nervous system. You can rest, digest and restore when this is activated.

• Make deliberate time for the things and people that bring you joy, fun and playfulness.  With a tendency to take life too seriously, I’ve been learning this lesson repeatedly!  Nothing raises your vibration more than simply being in pure joy.

How can I implement PEMS©?

Whilst this list might seem overwhelming at first glance, my invitation to you is read it a couple of times and notice - which one stands out the most? Try it, and notice how you feel.  Can it be an experiment that you embark upon? Being in the energy of curiosity will help you be more open and receptive to new ideas and concepts.

Spend some time journaling, or thinking about each of the four areas.  If you could score them out of 10 (1 being poor and 10 being excellent), how would you rate your overall wellness for each one?  Don’t over-think it or judge your answer, just go with what feels intuitive. Trust the number that comes into your mind first.  The area with the lowest score could be the place to start.

The correct motivation is important.  I used to be driven mostly by self-criticism. Doing things for my wellbeing was coming from a place of ‘not good enough’ and ‘must fix myself’.  The truth is, this simply adds pressure and potentially drives limiting beliefs related to low self-worth.

This is another topic entirely and not one to go into in this blog.  But the point is – how can you approach this from a place of self-compassion, self-love, and self-kindness? Because, you truly are worth it.

The bigger picture:

In another article I wrote about the PEMS© approach, published in the wonderful More to Life magazine, I talk about a bigger picture perspective, and how we are an intrinsic part of nature:

“You are a whole system. You are not a separate mind, body and spirit. You are an energetic being. An extension of Mother Earth and part of her complex, rich eco-system. Imagine that as you have cells within your body that make up organs, bones and tissue – so too are you a collection of cells that make up a part of Mother Earth. When you thrive, you are contributing to the vitality of the whole planet.”

Knowing and integrating this, in itself, becomes a spiritual practice, because you are in service to something greater than you.

Conclusion

I stumbled upon PEMS© accidentally.  It was only reflecting on my recovery journey that I saw the pattern. In hindsight, it looked like a natural unfolding, but at the time it felt chaotic.  Not only did I recover from burnout, I also healed long-term depression, anxiety and crippling low self-worth. If the PEMS approach can do this for me, what can it do for you?

If you feel called for some assistance to discover and implement your unique version of PEMS©, then please get in touch and book a free 30-minute consultation. 

You never know, it could be the start of a beautiful new chapter with your wellbeing!  Those who feel called to work with me are guided through self-healing. You will learn to tap into your sub-conscious, transform what’s holding you back and bring into harmony the core four of your life.

To be the first to know about new blogs, offers and events, sign up to my newsletter and receive free resources to de-stress your life.