Self-Care Your Way to Early Retirement

Dear Amor,

I hope you have been engaging in the 7 types of rest consistently. One of my weekly self-care practices that provides me with physical rest, emotional rest, mental rest, sensory rest, spiritual rest, and social rest is getting a massage and energy work done with my physical therapist/healer, Eddie. However, it took me A LONG time to make this practice a part of my self-care routine.

Back in 2019, after being sick and on medical leave for 6 months in desperation for relief I set up an appointment with Eddie. In one session, I felt more relief than I had in any medicine that I had been prescribed. At that time, giving my body what it needed felt like a luxury. When he recommended I see him again in two weeks, the first thought I had was "I can't afford to" and told him I would prefer to see him once a month. 🙈

Within 2 weeks after my initial visit with him, I started to feel the same physical symptoms that had led me to leaving my teacher job in the middle of the second semester. Husbae suggested I call Eddie to schedule an appointment to see him sooner but I convinced myself I could wait two more weeks. (It's wild to me now... but I legit spent two weeks in discomfort instead of seeking the relief I needed because I prioritized following a budget over investing in my wellness. 😵‍💫)

There was a part of me that thought "Let me pay off my student loan debt first and then I will spend the extra money on taking care of myself." But once I became debt-free, I wanted to make sure to build my family's six-month emergency fund before I started spending money on the support I needed. 🤦🏽 So I didn't start seeing Eddie weekly until March 2020 right around the beginning of the pandemic and when I started my Wealth Para Todos Instagram account.

Those weekly visits were a game-changer not only because I left feeling limber and ache-free but because Eddie helped me let go of beliefs that were no longer serving me. He would tell me that I needed to rest and that just because I was a parent didn't mean I needed to give all my energy to taking-care of my kids. 🤯 He taught me to breathe in a way that would ground me when I started to feel overwhelmed and he held space for all my emotions without judgement. He consistently gave me what I couldn't give myself: permission to prioritize taking care of myself.

Yet, healing is work and sometimes I felt overwhelmed by everything I needed to UNLEARN in order to be healthy. There was a part of my brain that was skeptical that I could ever live pain-free again. There was a part of my brain that was impatient about the time it was taking me to learn new practices that supported by wellness. And there was a part of my brain that would make me feel guilty about spending hundreds of dollars a month to get the support that I need.

Learning to take care of ourselves can be hard when we feel responsible for taking care of so many others. Learning to rest can be hard when we were raised by loved ones who always worked to the point of exhaustion. Learning to listen to our bodies can be challenging when we are told by society that "champions push through." And learning to invest in the support that we need is difficult when we live in a country that promotes competition and individualism.

I share this with you because I can see now my journey to financial independence didn't begin with my decision to create a budget and pay off my student-loans. It began with starting to see a therapist in October 2018 to get support with my PTSD. I realize now the only reason, I had the mental capacity to start learning about building wealth while sick on bed-rest in July 2019 was because I had already invested in getting the emotional and mental support I needed from a therapist.

And witnessing the value in working with a therapist, eventually led me to get the support I needed from a physical therapist which made me feel more comfortable about investing my time, energy, and money in increasing my financial literacy. And now years later, it's why I feel comfortable investing thousands to work with a business coach, lawyer, and accountant to grow my own business.

It took time for me to realize I needed support and even more time to unlearn that it was okay to invest in that support. It took time for me to get used going to therapy and visiting Eddie weekly and even more time to unlearn that it wasn't selfish or financially irresponsible to pay for MORE support. Poco a poco, I've learned to lean in to the expertise of others so I too can have the knowledge and habits they have mastered.

And now, I am passionate about sharing the information I've learn contigo which is why I'm hosting a workshop called "Self-Care Your Way to Early Retirement" on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 1pm HST/ 4pm PST/ 6pn CST/ 7 pm EST. Please share the workshop with others. The more BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ gente on track to retire early, the better!

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Todo con tiempo,

ANNOUNCEMENTS + REMINDERS

• On Monday, May 2, 2022 by podcast interview on CNN Diversifying will be shared publicly. Listen to it wherever you hear podcasts to learn more about my journey of pursuing FIRE as a parent. It will also be added to my Spotify Podcast Interview Playlist. ​

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• This Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at 9am HST/ 12pm PST/ 2pm CST/ 3pm EST, I will be going live on Instagram to talk about how having a Loved One Emergency Fund can help you build financial security while maintaining your collectivist values. Join me live or watch the replay on Instagram.

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• Watch the replay of my powerhouse panel discussion hosted by Womens Way addressing the barriers and unique factors that impact a woman’s ability to save and plan for retirement here. ​

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• I have a few coaching spots opening up in June 2022. If you are interested in working 1:1 with me to create your financial plan to retire early, apply here. A reminder that my coaching program will increase to $5,000 starting July 2022 and to $6,000 starting September 2022 so please budget accordingly if you want to work with me in the future.

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