Jackie Johnson – Nurturing Self-Care In The Garden Of Your Life
Self-care is very en vogue right now and it seems that you can hardly go a day without an Instagram post or article telling you that you should take a bath, meditate, diffuse essential oils, etc., all of which are supposed to “solve” all of your problems. I did not find this to be true to my experience.
My journey of self-care took me from a 20 year old who on the outside seemed to be thriving but internally was in agony, to a 33 year old whose outsides now match my insides. It all started with a realization: my life was not what I wanted it to be. My garden was in disarray.
The Realization – My Garden Was Full Of Weeds, Covered With Pests, Sitting In Dry Dirt
When I was at my lowest point of self-esteem, and putting myself last on my To Do List, the result was that over 70% of my hair had fallen out, I was covered in a head-to-toe rash, and I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me in the mirror. I was at the height of my professional career in the corporate world. I was young. I had friends. I was fit. I had connections. To everyone else I appeared “healthy and happy.” To the outsider, there would be no reason to think that the wellness of my mind, body, and soul was out of balance because everything “seemed” to be going my way.
By far this was one of the lowest moments of my life and I knew I needed to make some lifestyle changes to foster my wellbeing. My confidence was down and my mindset was in a pure state of desperation to fix my skin, my hair and my health. I wasn’t even thinking about how the result of my lack of physical self-care even related to my emotional wellbeing.
Time To Start Over – Rip Up The Garden, Pull The Weeds And Plant Some Seeds
I started looking at any and every remedy to correct my skin and hair issues. I stumbled upon the holistic world that my heart was always seeking. I overhauled my diet, started meditating, taking yoga and began creating my own body care products. By working on fixing my outward appearance, I was exposed to a whole world that also held the tools of how to help heal my inner world. When my outward lifestyle changed, my whole inner life came into focus and really did change for the better.
Tearing up the garden, removing the weeds in my life, and planting some seeds to better myself on how I wanted to grow was (and by the way, should be) a journey. This was a process and it wasn’t easy and it was like physically tearing weeds up in my actual garden. However, when I started over, it felt liberating. I removed people from my life, which was painful but when I did life got better. I created a good foundation on how I wanted to live my life moving forward. I had space in my life for new people and was able to have true connections. The result of actually taking care of myself was a life that I always wanted with less stress, increased self-confidence and more time for the things that I valued. Oh, and it also helped my hair grow back, resolved the rashes on my skin and I finally recognized the person I was looking at in the mirror again.
Every time you take a walk through the garden and decide it’s time to start digging into the soil and planting some seeds, it is a reflection of your true heart’s intention and values. Shifting your mindset, your surroundings, and your inner being also affects everyone around you. You can finally invite others to join you in the garden because you have some flowers and herbs to share.
Impacting The World Around You – Watch With Joy As Your Garden Blooms
Who knew that in 2009 when I was going through my health crisis that it would result in me creating Wildling Botanicals and clean beauty products that connected my own wellness journey holistically. Moreover, my voyage gave me a platform to touch other people’s lives through Wildling Dreams.
Wildling Botanicals was birthed out of my personal stress, anxiety, low self-confidence and desperation. Every product I now create is formulated from my heart and experience. Every time I receive a testimonial from a happy customer who loves my products it reminds me that I did not go through this valley for nothing.
At the beginning of my journey, I was narrowly focused on healing my physical body, but that was only one part of the real transformation. After taking time to nurture growth in my own garden of life, I was able to have children (which I was told was impossible by doctors). I was able to balance my life and truly seek what I’ve always desired. My personal relationships blossomed. My empathy increased with others around me. I connected with people on a day-to-day basis on a deeper level than ever before.
Every time I have a speaking engagement or interact with people now they can see the new me. They do not see the old frustrated angry version I used to be. All of this practice of self-care and all of this is true wellness is the key to live a holistic life.
So… what state is your garden in?
About The Author
Jackie Johnson is a Holistic Brand Strategist who founded Wildling Botanicals, Wildling Herbs and Wildling Dreams Consulting. Through her businesses, she has created proprietary body care and herbal supplement products from homegrown, clean ingredients she farms herself.
Jackie’s credentials also include a 15-year career in business, helping grow retail, hospitality and fitness companies before striking out on her own to create luxury wellness products she wasn’t finding in the marketplace. She brings a much-needed perspective to the beauty world by joining nature and business together to empower people inside and out.
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