Philly-Based Mental Health Conference Highlights Life Changing Self-Care Routines

It’s been a few months since the Self(ish) Philly self-care conference was postponed, but for those who waited for its return, it was not in vain. On Friday, September 18th, cofounders Danielle Massi and Carlee Myers hosted a conference of almost 50 virtual health & wellness sessions. Anticipating the event for months, I was excited to see how it turned out. The event going virtual didn’t take away from the message, content, or the fun that was had by all.

Each registered attendee was sent a form to fill out to choose which sessions they wanted to attend via Zoom. There were roughly 50 sessions to choose from, all at different times throughout the day. Each session presented so much value, that it was hard to choose which to attend. I had the pleasure of attending the Money Panel, Floatation Therapy session, and The Change Concept session.

Virtual Self-Care Panels

The Money Panel, moderated by Daniela Galdi featured panelists Michelle Dunk, Candace Galiffa, and Stephanie Heath. The main themes were negotiating salaries, how energy affects money, and how your childhood affects your feelings towards money. As someone who is growing more and more interested in building a legacy and generational wealth, this panel was incredible! Each panelist brought a unique point of view and I was able to take away some valuable nuggets of information.

The Floatation Therapy talk was led by Kaitlynn McCaffrey, the General Manager of Halcyon Floats. Flotation therapy is fairly new to me, but I received tons of information on the benefits. Floating, also known as sensory deprivation therapy, is a relaxation and healing practice. The process involves restricting sensory input to achieve a deepened meditative state and pain relief. Benefits include: stress relief, lessened anxiety, relief for back pain and insomnia, and helps your mind and body reset. The recommended amount of time to float is about 90 minutes, however, you can take less time if needed. Halcyon Floats was established in 2014 in Philadelphia and is still one of the city’s premier resources for floatation therapy. 

The next session I attended was about The Change Concept. A personal development company catered towards women founded by Carlee Ciaffone. Carlee spoke on the 90-day program that she utilizes to coach women dealing with depression, anxiety, stress, etc. She started her company roughly a year and a half ago. This was after experiencing severe burnout working 65 hours a week in a toxic work environment. This talk was valuable because she stressed the importance of shifting your mindset and changing behavior patterns. Carlee spoke about how digging deep into childhood trauma transformed her quality of life. If you want to make your life better, doing deep internal work will always be worth it. The best self-care tip she gave during her talk, is to write or journal every single day. Get your feelings and creativity out so nothing stays bottled inside.

Wellness Round-Up

Overall, the Self(ish) Philly conference was fun, informative, and balanced for the diverse group of attendees. Though there were mostly women attending, I believe that both men and women could find valuable self-care techniques and routines. I will always advocate for mental wellness, self-care, and constant work on yourself to become a better person. Self(ish) Philly is helping to push that mission along, and for that, we will support their events going forward. Thank you to the Self(ish) Philly team for allowing us to cover their event, and we look forward to the next one!