We were lucky to catch up with Monica Hines recently and have shared our conversation below.
Monica, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
In 2019, after 15 years as a bedside nurse in a high-risk teaching hospital, I reached a breaking point. I was experiencing panic attacks and deteriorating mental and physical health due to chronic burnout. As a highly sensitive person, I absorbed secondary trauma regularly, which compounded my stress without ever learning how to detach myself from the intense experiences of others. Realizing I had lost myself in the service of others, I knew I needed to make a change but was unsure where to start. The journey to recovery began with therapy and partnering with a life coach, which was pivotal. They helped me develop crucial life skills to manage what I now understand as a dysregulated nervous system. Living under constant stress had pushed my body towards a shutdown.
As I embraced new habits and mindfulness practices, I learned to manage stress and genuinely inhabit my body. This transformation sparked a desire to help others navigate their stress and rediscover their vitality.
A significant part of my recovery involved understanding the critical role of gut health in mental well-being. It taught me the importance of paying attention to what invigorates us. For me, that’s gardening and connecting with nature—both are not just hobbies but vital parts of my mental health toolkit.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a nurse-turned-life coach with a deep passion for holistic wellness and sustainable living. My journey began in the high-pressure environment of a high-risk teaching hospital where, after 15 years of bedside nursing, I encountered personal health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and burnout. These struggles were compounded by my nature as a highly sensitive person, often absorbing the trauma and stress around me without a way to process or detach from it.
Realizing the toll it was taking on my health, I sought help through therapy and life coaching, which introduced me to the transformative power of habit change and mindfulness practices. These tools not only helped me heal but also reshaped my approach to health and wellness.
Today, my focus is on empowering others to break free from the cycles of stress and burnout through sustainable habit changes. I specialize in teaching the integration of mindfulness into daily life, emphasizing the importance of gut health and the therapeutic benefits of nature. My approach is rooted in the belief that our environment, both internal and external, plays a crucial role in our overall health.
Through my coaching, I aim to help individuals reconnect with what makes them feel alive and use that as a compass for navigating life. Whether it’s through developing a green thumb in the garden, enhancing mental fitness, or transforming dietary habits, my goal is to guide others toward a balanced, healthy, and fulfilling life.
Here is the truth
Small actions, when repeated, have the power to shift your life. Your results will be found in your everyday Habits.
Not the habits you do sometimes. The more healthy habits you have, the easier it is to create the life of your dreams.
One of my favorite things to talk about, especially on social media, is how much getting in a garden positively affects your mental health.
Another topic I love to talk about is how mind and body illnesses develop as a result of your nervous system being stuck in survival mode, NOT because you have a weak immune system, fragile health, or this feeling that “something inexplicable is wrong.”
Survival mode (AKA- fight or flight) is activated by a continuous high level of perceived threat in the mind and body.
Whether you are aware of this or not, it is how you have been operating for most of your life.
How does it happen?
Our past experiences shape how our nervous system responds to life today. When our nervous system gets stuck in these past experiences, it activates the survival response, which, over time, starts to create symptoms.
Many of us live in this chronic state of stress activation for years and even decades and we may never realize it until we develop symptoms.
How do we repair and heal our nervous system? Well, it takes some work and time, attention, and noticing.
Your symptoms are your body telling you it’s time to change. When we learn to listen, that is when we can start to heal.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Acknowledgment of Need: The first and perhaps most critical step was acknowledging that I needed help. It took courage to admit that despite my expertise in healthcare, I wasn’t immune to mental health challenges. Accepting that it was okay to seek support was a pivotal moment that set my healing in motion.
Resilience: Resilience was vital as it meant persistently showing up for myself every day, even when progress seemed slow or invisible. It’s the resilience to face each day, to learn from the past but not be held back by it, and to see challenges as opportunities for growth.
Tenaciousness: Tenacity pushed me to keep going despite setbacks. It’s a fierce determination that fueled my journey through recovery to where I am now, helping others. This quality helped me to not just dream about a better life but to actively build it, ensuring I didn’t fall back into old patterns.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, my first step is always to pause and remind myself to slow down. It’s crucial to take a moment to breathe and assess what’s causing the overwhelm. I am always curious, reminding myself that curiosity and judgment cannot exits in the same space. Being a life coach and a former nurse who has personally navigated burnout, I’ve learned the importance of managing my reactions to stress. My strategy involves breaking down overwhelming tasks or situations into smaller, more manageable parts. This not only makes the task seem less daunting but also helps maintain focus and efficiency without sacrificing well-being. I also prioritize what needs immediate attention and what can wait, which helps in reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed.
Additionally, I lean heavily on mindfulness practices. Taking even just a few minutes to center myself can drastically change my perspective and reduce stress. Gardening, for instance, is a personal retreat that reconnects me with the calming rhythms of nature and provides a physical as well as mental break from stress.
My advice? Find what soothes you and incorporate it into your routine. Whether it’s a hobby, mindfulness, or simply taking a walk, regular engagement in these activities can build your resilience to stress over time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.monicahineslifecoach.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monicahineslifecoach/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mohines
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicahineslifecoaching/
Image Credits
Tiffany Stumpf Photography https://www.tiffanystumpfphotography.com/personal-sevices
