Self-Care & Mental Wellness: Cheya Thousand Of CT Wellness On The Top Five Selfcare Practices That Improve Mental Wellness
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Prioritize getting rest so your mind and body have time to restore and replenish.
Let’s face it. It seems that everyone is under a great deal of stress these days. This takes a toll on our mental wellness. What are some of the best self-care practices that we can use to help improve our mental wellness and mental well-being? In this interview series, we are talking to medical doctors, mental health professionals, health and wellness professionals, and experts about self-care or mental health who can share insights from their experience about How Each Of Us Can Use Self Care To Improve Our Mental Wellness. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Cheya Thousand.
Cheya Thousand, the founder of CT Wellness Co., knows stress isn’t just inconvenient and bothersome; it can be downright paralyzing and debilitating. As an author, prolific speaker and Stress + Self-Care Consultant, Cheya teaches students and corporate teams the importance of managing stress and leveraging self-care tactics to thrive at work, school and in their everyday lives.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us. It is a great honor. Our readers would love to learn more about you and your personal background. Can you please share your personal story?
Thank you kindly for inviting me. My personal story begins in Brooklyn, New York, and I currently reside in Jacksonville, Florida with my beautiful rescue dog. I moved to Florida for a job ten years ago and have never looked back. It was one of the wisest choices I’d ever made. I’ve spent the entire time focusing on my own personal well-being and healing. I have grown both personally and professionally during this time. I’ve also had the good fortune to grow and start a business that supports maternal wellness, which has now evolved into a wellness education company. I love what I do and the woman I’ve become as a result of following my calling.
What has brought you to this point in your life?
Throughout my work, I suffered from burnout three times, and that’s when I realized that something needed to change. On fumes, I was hardly surviving. The last time I thought my job was difficult was when I was working more than 70 hours per week. Much more than that was involved. I have to delve more and address the source. I was so exhausted, irritated, and unmotivated that I had practically disappeared. I had to understand that no job would ever truly satisfy me. Fulfillment is something that can never be obtained outside of oneself. It’s something that needs to be identified and sought after within. When you are out of harmony, it is not always straightforward to perceive or understand this. The first step in any serious self-care strategy is to align with your true self since doing so opens the door to the path of self awareness and the journey of self.
What is your “WHY” behind what you do? What fuels you?
Recognizing the detrimental effects stress can have on peoples’ lives, I view my work as a vital calling and a way to pull ambitious, hard-working professionals and students into the stress-free lives they deserve to live.
Sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake or failure which you now appreciate has taught you a valuable lesson?
My biggest mistake, I believe, was a failed relationship, which revealed to me that I had low self-esteem and little self-love because I didn’t take the time to care for myself. The most important lesson I learned from that relationship was to hold space for self. What that looks like is always taking care of myself, and the practical application of that is making time for my spiritual, physical, and creative wellness.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Self- reflection, self- awareness, & compassion. Can you please share a story or example for each? I was not always this way and for many years I lacked emotional intelligence. You don’t know what you don’t know. It wasn’t until I started looking for was to manage my stress that I started to take a deep look within and unpack my traumas. While unpacking my traumas I was able to begin the healing process in doing so was able to unlearn bad behavior and habits. This allowed me to learn how to self-regulate, hold space for self and others through communication and compassion.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now?
I am very happy to announce that on January 7th, The Art of Self-Care Seminar will begin. Participants will learn about beliefs and attitude, routines, value alignment, boundaries, and much more throughout this series. This program is for everyone who has stress or anxiety, for managers and staff who are tired of the status quo, for high performers, and for anyone who feels guilty about taking a break.
How do you think that will help people?
This program we’re going to explore the importance of self-care. More importantly, we’re going to show you how to build new habits which will help members practice better self-care. It is about cultivating and engining a life you don’t need and escape from through leveraging self-care into your daily routine.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview, about the interface between self-care and mental health. From where you stand personally or professionally, why are you so passionate about mental well-being?
Lessons from my journey and training inform my practice as a self-care consultant, and they are at the heart of my work. It all comes down to the idea that an active self-care routine opens the door to personal freedom and fulfillment for me.
Based on your research or experience, how exactly does self-care impact our mental wellness?
Self-care has the ability to lower feelings of stress, anxiety and depression. It also, can boost your energy and lower your risk for illness by incorporating it into your everyday life.
Here is our primary question. Can you please share your “Top Five Self-care Practices That Each Of Us Can Use To Improve Our Mental Wellness”?
1. Prioritize getting rest so your mind and body have time to restore and replenish.
2. Explore creative activities and develop hobbies.
3. Practice live a life rooted in gratitude.
4. Make time for friends and family.
5. Move your body.
Can you please share a few of the main roadblocks that prevent people from making better self-care choices?
Self-care isn’t siloed or one size fits all. What works for one won’t work for everyone!
People think they need permission to take care of themselves. What People don’t realize, what they really WANT is permission to rest and replenish; write your own permission slip I say!
What would you suggest can be done to overcome those roadblocks?
Holding space for self is how you build the habit of self-care. This is how you begin to prevent stress & reclaim your time. This is about living an intentional life in all areas and how you show up for yourself daily.
Thank you for all that great insight! Let’s start wrapping up. Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”?
“God doesn’t call the qualified he qualifies the called”
Why does this quote resonate with you so much?
We spend so much of our lives trying to figure things out and discover our purpose. When I hear this, it reminds me that it is God who in control, not me. He also implanted in me everything I would ever require. It is my responsibility to peel back the layers and trust him and the call he has on my life.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? They might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)
In my mind, Queen Latifah, also known as Dana Owens, has been s a role model. Her growth as an actor and businesswoman have been so inspiring.
I truly appreciate your time and valuable contribution. One last question. How can our readers best reach or follow you?
Thank you for having me, I appreciate the invitation. Your readers can follow me on LinkdeIn, Pinterest, TikTok @cheyathousand also visit my website at www.cheyathousand.com/hello and listen to my podcast The WellFit Lab https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-wellfit-lab/id1561283255
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
