what’s the first thing that pops in your mind when you hear the words self care? 

Maybe a relaxing bubble bath, a long walk, or some "me" time. 

Or maybe you think self care is overdone, and just a trendy way our culture makes everything about me, me, ME! 

In this episode of The Problem With Perfect, we're settling the argument, "is self care selfish?" once and for all! 

We will also go over the self care definition, scientific studies behind self care, ideas for self care, and some unconventional, but effective self care tips. 

Hey Friend,

Does this sound like you? 

You think you need to be perfect in order to be accepted by your friends and family... 

You find yourself criticizing the people around you when they aren't working on their bad habits... 

You have done everything you are "supposed" to do to achieve the life you want, but still, you feel like it's not enough... 

You set very high standards for yourself, and if you're honest, it leaves you anxious and exhausted.

If you answered YES to any of these statements, you may have a problem with perfect. 

In this episode, Rachel and I dive into the three ways perfectionism is showing up in your life, and discuss how you can break these patterns that are leaving you feeling like a hamster on a wheel... 

Listen in friend, this episode is a good one. 

If you are looking for job interview preparation, I have three job interview tips that will help you to be MAGNETIC in your next job interview! 

In this episode of R&R, I am going to tell you how to prepare for a job interview in less than 10 minutes. I'll go over job interview attire, how to prepare for a job interview before it starts, and how to be confident during those hard interview questions, like when they ask you about your biggest weakness. CRINGE! 

Can't wait for you to nail your next job interview 😘

If you've ever googled, "Kansas city things to do" "tourist attractions near me" or 
"kansas city restaurants" then you are going to love this podcast all about how to be a tourist in your own city! 

Since almost all of our travel plans are on hold, in this episode we explore how to have new adventures in our own backyards! 

In this episode of The Problem With Perfect, Rachel talks with Brittany Burdick who runs the account, KC Local Events. KC Local Events is a social media outlet that promotes local events and businesses around the Kansas City Metro. Moving to Kansas City 3 years ago, Brittany is a huge supporter of everything local KC! 

Listen to learn how to entertain out of town guests with the best local finds, how to find new food and drink places in your city, best date spots, and much more! 

HIGHLIGHTS

(6:23) Why is it important to shop local vs chains?

(9:24) Here's how to get started being a tourist in your own city

(13:55) Top 3 places to visit in Kansas City 

(17:11) How to Scout out the best date night places in your city 

(26:40) Here’s how to find new food and drink places in your city

You can follow Brittany on Instagram: @kclocalevents

Life is fragile. Bad things happen to good people. We lose jobs. We lose people. And sometimes, we lose faith. This fear of the unknown makes it easy to worry about what is around the next corner of life. 

In this R&R, Robin shares her strategies for staying present with the what is instead of worrying about then what if. Sometimes, we need to look back to have the courage to move forward. 

Just thinking about forgiveness can get overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you do the hard work? And is it worth it in the end?

Today's episode unpacks this struggle and offers a practical strategy to address the need for us to ask for and extend forgiveness. Using the acronym GRACE, we acknowledge these volatile barriers that keep us stuck in an unforgiving pattern and offer a tool for moving forward.

G - Get real with yourself
R - Remember what forgiveness is, and isn't
A - Affirm the value of forgiveness
C - Commit to the process
E - Examples of forgiveness

Show Notes:

4:00 The first step in forgiveness might surprise you, but here's why Getting real about the difficulty of forgiveness is important to acknowledge.

6:10 It's easy to confuse what forgiveness is and isn't. Remembering this definition will help clarify what it means to choose to forgive.

9:40 Without this Affirmation, it will be easy to abandon the plan to forgive and sit in our unforgiveness.

10:30 Everyone says we should forgive others, but why? These physical benefits of forgiveness confirm what the Bible says on the topic.

13:00 Unforgiveness blocks us from experiencing this to the fullest and should be one of the biggest motivators to forgive others.

15:20 Want more control of your emotions? This advice is counter-intuitive but works.

16:00 Forgiveness won't happen overnight, which is why your Commitment to this is step is critical. 

18:00 Listen here to understand how being image-bearers of Christ impact our desire for reconciliation.

19:30 Cultivate this "little" thing to help you forgive the big things.

20:30 Need encouragement to continue the forgiveness process? Remembering inspiration Examples of forgiveness can help keep you on track.

Sources: 
The Forgiveness Instinct by Michael E. McCullough, March 1, 2008 published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Magazine.

Mayo Clinic Article
https://mayocl.in/2ZmuIrZ

It's no secret - we are built for community. 

That's why it can be so hard to find new friends or meet new friends after a big life change. Whether that's moving to a new city,  relationship changes, or having a baby, it's times like this that remind us that we need other people. 

So what do we do when we know we want to meet new people, but just don't know how? Or maybe we just feel awkward about starting up a conversation with a stranger.

In this episode, we will give you four foolproof strategies for finding meaningful, lasting friendships after you go through a big life change. We give you non-awkward tips on finding new friends and meeting new people whether you are an introvert or an extrovert. 

Listen as Matt answers listener questions about his upcoming tranplant, faith, and staying positive during suffering. Stay until the end for some fun rapid-fire questions! 

No matter what your level of comfort is in re-engaging with the world in this post-COVID era, one thing is for sure. COVID made us all stop and think about our own physical vulnerability. This experience has many of us re-evaluating what we can do to boost our own health and give our bodies the best chance at being healthy.

In this episode, we pose these immune-health related questions to Certified Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner Karri Ball. And as an added bonus, we not only learn some simple tips for improving our overall health, we also get to hear Karri's inspiring story of leaving her well-paid, 9-to-5 job as a CPA to pursue her passion of helping others.

Special Guest: Karri Ball
Karri is the owner of Health=Wealth, a nutritional consulting firm that centers on the idea that real health can be achieved through a holistic approach to nutrition and lifestyle. Karri executes her mission of promoting health by providing nutritional education through one-on-one consultations and group classes. To learn more about Karri and her services, visit https://www.nutritionaltherapywithkarri.com/welcome.

Show Notes:
2:15 Hear what helped Karri decide to follow her dreams instead of settling for less.

7:30 Holistic health is a term that gets thrown around a lot these days, but how does Karri define it and how does that fit into the "problem with perfect?"

9:45 How hard is your immune system working? The answer might surprise you.

10:50 We all know taking in water is important, but there is more to being hydrated than simply drinking.

13:00 Is all water created equal and how do we know which water to buy?

15:30 Surprisingly, it is possible to drink lots of water and still be dehydrated. This simple trick can help your water do more work for your body.

18:30 Don't like water? Neither does Robin, but don't fall into the same pitfall that she does with her water consumption.

20:20 We all know sweeteners aren't good for us, but what can we use that tastes good and is also full of minerals and electrolytes?

22:00 Want to have a healthy immune system? This is the place to start!

23:30 What are the five foundations of health that always need to be balanced in the body? And how do you know if you are having dysfunction in these systems?

26:40 How are you feeling and what is your body telling you?

27:50 When anxiety is high, many of us reach for food to comfort us. Why is that? And what is the connection between the mind and the gut?

29:00 Would you be surprised to know that the majority of your serotonin receptors are found in your gut? Listen here to understand how to "nourish" the body with these feel-good hormones.

31:00 You might be wasting money on vitamins and supplements if you're not doing this first.

Want to connect with Robin and Rachel?

Get your #TeamMatt bracelet and frequent updates about Matt by signing up at www.RobinMayMinistries.com or by sending an email to [email protected].

Find Rachel and Robin on Instagram here:
https://instagram.com/theproblemwithperfect?igshid=9jvum57yip6l

Connect with Rachel and her life at the loft:
https://instagram.com/rachel__leigh__?igshid=1erbjftzgyje9
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Email us @[email protected] with your questions or comments about this or any episode.