Katharine Milano.
KATHARINE MILANO
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Katharine Milano, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who practices psychedelic assisted therapy and metaphysical psychology in Sedona, advises others to really think of self-care as an internal process. “We often look at self-care as this external process, which is all valid. Taking a yoga class, going to a spa day, getting massages, these are all excellent self-care practices, and even retail therapy, but it’s very external, but we rarely consider it as this internal process,” she says. “My number one tip is to create that inner space.” Her first tip is to take a break from social media and the news. “It just keeps us in this really doomsday kind of energy, and that is a huge contributor to anxiety disorders or perpetuating anxiety disorders or depressive conditions,” she says.
Meditating at the Seven Sacred Pools in Sedona.
Katharine also told us it’s important that people have healthier relationships with their work and take time to really disconnect from their jobs. “There’s a lot of burnout that I’m seeing, and that’s why this idea of creating space is so necessary,” she says. She was working 60 hours a week and felt burnt out for about three years before taking a sabbatical. “You have to dedicate a time in your life at least once a day as much as you can, whether it be an hour or two hours, where you shut yourself off from the world and do whatever you need to do. For me, I would say that I developed a new hobby, which is, I have this little YouTube channel, and it’s like my little pride and joy,” she says. “I have that little thing to go to, and I get to play with it. It’s mine. I get to be creative. It’s this really internal thing for me.”
Yoga in Sedona.
Self-care can be, but it doesn’t need to be super active. “If you need to spend the weekend ordering food in, watching Netflix in your bed. I think that that’s such an underrated self-care practice,” she says. Another piece of advice she likes to give? “Play around. We don’t play enough,” she says. Play can mean drawing or connecting to your inner child in some way. “We take ourselves way too seriously.” In keeping with that last tip, it’s important to note that resting and taking time off work is not the end of the world. “You need to create this space for stillness. You need to create space for rest. We’re so conditioned to think that it’s laziness. It’s not laziness. No, our bodies need it, and your body will tell you when you need to rest,” she says.
Hiking in Sedona.
Finally, saying “no” to other people is crucial to our wellbeing. “You have nothing to feel guilty about,” she says. “Just prioritize your mental health and wellbeing.”
Monique Trujillo.
MONIQUE TRUJILLO
THE WILDE HAVEN SPA
Monique Trujillo, the director of spa at the Wilde Haven Spa, has been in the industry for about 25 years. Her parents knew the individuals who owned a massage therapy school in Sedona. “I got to attend some of their courses as a high school student, and I just fell in love with the concept of being able to help somebody not only be able to relax, but also help their actual physical being into being able to move more or heal, and that just fascinated me,” she says.
The Wilde Haven Spa.
“One of them is that you’ve got to make sure that you honor the self. And so when you take rest, it’s really important that you allow yourself to be able to feel good. Being able to feel good is so important. A really easy way to do that is at the end of the day, recap your day, and make sure you compliment yourself on three things that you’re proud of,” she says. The reason why it’s so important to rest and reflect at the end of the day? “It’s something that you internally start looking forward to, and you know that you’re taking care of yourself because you care about yourself, and you start just feeling good throughout the day because you know that you’re looking after yourself throughout the day.”
The Wilde Haven Spa.
Being a spa pro, we had to ask her about ways she advises others to really relax. Here’s what she had to say: “Definitely taking the time to care for your body, because you actually care. So rather than making it a task, make it into something that you enjoy, something that’s going to be able to nurture yourself,” she says. She gave us the idea of making bath time extra special. Light a candle, play some music, and drop a bath bomb in the water. She also advises people to do something small every day that they actually enjoy to care for themselves and make it stick. “They’re so caught up in their everyday lives that by the time they finally get to it, they’re exhausted, and then they get overwhelmed and burnt out, and so that’s why it doesn’t happen often,” she says. “Plan something special for yourself each day.”
The Wilde Haven Spa.
She suggested using a hair mask, buffing out your nails or using cuticle oil. Post-shower, Monique will apply hydrating pomegranate butter from Flagstaff-based Peak Sense. She also recommends using a gua sha scalp tool and foam rolling to loosen up sore muscles.
The Wilde Haven Spa.
She also emphasized that’s important to take time to really rest without feeling guilt about it. “It’s really important to be able to just honor yourself and take a day and just take a break and enjoy it and not feel bad about it,” she says. “The best way that you can just do nothing is to go to the spa and get pampered and get so much TLC. Know that it’s really benefiting your entire being, physically, emotionally, mentally and giving that reboot of energy within you. And you know, it’s good to feel good about the self, and it’s good to take care of yourself.”
Stacy Davidson.
STACY DAVIDSON
MEDICALLY YOURS
Stacy Davidson, founder of Medically Yours, says she feels that there’s more of a focus culturally on wellness and self-care than ever before. “I find that there has never been more wellness and self-care opportunities than there are now,” she says. “There are just so many immediate benefits in terms of caring for oneself in a respectful way and really maintaining our sense of dignity with regard to health and lifestyle choices.”
Medically Yours.
She recommended exercising, weight training, getting plenty of good sleep, maintaining a healthy social life and potentially having your hormones checked and balanced. Her med spa offers something called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, which can help others. During this procedure, patients don a cap that administers magnetic pulses. This has been used to treat conditions like anxiety, depression and PTSD. She uses it to help her patients stay mentally sharp. The health and wellness expert knows how difficult it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. She has struggled, like many, with this.
Medically Yours.
“I came through 2020, and I really saw that I was not caring for myself in the ways that were aligned with my own values. And I was doing a lot of things out of obligation. And I began to let go of some of those things, and I began to really value my time better,” she says. “I started going to the gym and lifting heavy weights and following a more structured diet program and really valuing my sleep. That was tremendous. I was able to completely change my body composition around, and I was able to really foster more meaningful relationships and find more purpose in my work.”
Medically Yours.
She loves to do red light therapy as a quick and easy way to relax. Stacy also logs her macronutrients to eat healthier. For her, it’s key to find things that personally work for you. “You should always be noticing that the things that you’re investing your time, energy and resources in are moving you toward the direction you want to go,” she says. “You may not get there in a day or a week or even a month, but you should be noticing gradual positive change.” She told us to really focus on the fact that time is one of our most valuable assets. She advises others to ask themselves if what they’re doing today will benefit their future selves. “We only get one day at a time. And so that is really such a beautiful reality, honestly,” she says. Ask yourself the following: “Am I doing what I need to do today to align myself with my true value?
Ayla Sarnoff. Photo by Syvonne Kozuch.
AYLA SARNOFF
CLARIT Y OF HEART YOGA STUDIO
Ayla Sarnoff, owner of Clarity of Heart Yoga in the Village of Oak Creek and the founder of the Therapeutic Yoga Method, knows that we spend a lot of time in our heads, and that it might as well be a nice place to be. “A huge aspect of self-care is about how you speak to yourself and how you’re tending to your inner world,” she says. She even encourages people to incorporate a yoga practice into their lives that helps individuals speak to themselves in gentler ways. She gave us this specific example: Pratipaksha Bhavana, which means “cultivating the opposite.” This is the yogic practice of consciously replacing a negative or unhelpful thought with a positive one that is supportive and true. For example, instead of saying “I can’t do this.” Reframe that as, “I’m learning and improving every day.”
Clarity of Heart Yoga. Photo by Syvonne Kozuch.
“I think Pratipaksha Bhavana is the very heart of self-care because it teaches us to care for ourselves at the deepest level by cultivating an inner atmosphere of positivity, kindness and respect,” she says. “The way we think and relate to ourselves naturally ripples outward and shapes our words, actions, habits and the energy we bring forward into the world.” She acknowledges that when dealing with a difficult experience, it’s easy to let our minds be consumed by negative thoughts.
Clarity of Heart Yoga. Photo by Syvonne Kozuch.
“If we can redirect our mind to trust a little deeper and to be more positive, then we can change that into, well, this experience that I’m having, yes, it might be challenging me, but I know that because I’m being challenged I’m growing, and I’m evolving, and I’m transforming,” she says. As the owner of a yoga studio, she (naturally) turns to yoga as a way to unwind, relax and destress. Yoga is an ancient form of meditation that involves performing a series of poses or asanas. “The poses are meant to help downregulate the nervous system, so going from fight or flight to rest and digest, rest and repair so the poses themselves have a very relaxing quality,” she says. “A yoga practice will teach you how to pause and how to breathe and how to choose balance and harmony over like reactivity … A yoga practice really teaches you that it is OK to stop and pause so that you can center yourself right and get clear.”
Clarity of Heart Yoga. Photo by Syvonne Kozuch.
One of the main ideas behind yoga is that we can quiet the mind if we can get that in our bodies. “It’s hard for us to relax because our mind is so busy all the time and so distracted. If we can learn how to relax our body, then our mind will get on board with that,” she says If you’re searching for a way to rest during the day, try this simple breathing exercise. Inhale for a count of four, and then exhale for a count of four. Breathe through your nose. It can help calm us down. “We’re not thinking, and we’re not worried, and we’re not anticipating the future thinking about the past. We’re just right here,” she says. Ayla keeps a gratitude journal and writes down three things every day that she’s grateful for. She also thinks having non-negotiables is very important. “My non-negotiable is yoga every day, and so I practice yoga every day,” she says. “It’s really important to me to have space and to have quiet time where I can just be present and go within.”
