Learn how to manage the stress in your life so you can do the work you love in a way that is balanced and sustainable.

What We Do

3 Essential Connections, also referred to as 3EC is a professional development training for stress mitigation. 3EC is a program of Toivo.

Preventing compassion fatigue and burnout is necessary in the line of work you do. This educational and experiential program was created as Toivo’s professional development program: a holistic approach to managing the personal and professional stressors that often weigh us down. By connecting with ourselves, others, and nature we can navigate our daily stressors with more ease and find ways to build self-resiliency. This training explores various self-care techniques that can be practically implemented into our routines at work and home.

3EC is more than just a training, it’s a declaration and a commitment to a new way of being. By embarking on this journey you are renouncing the message woven into our societal fabric that tell us that stress, burnout and endless doing are not only a natural part of everyday life, but also badges of honor we must don in the pursuit of success. In choosing this training, you are challenging the belief that self-care is selfish and acknowledging that a solid and healthy connection with yourself is the foundation for everything else that you do.

About the Training

In the US, 3/4 doctors visits are directly related to stress.

With stress rising at alarming rates, it's time to take a more serious look at how we deal with it. In this professional development training, we will learn about the physiological effects of stress on both the body and mind. We will discuss the benefits of re-connecting with yourself, others and nature. You will experience the impact of stress mitigation techniques first-hand and explore ways to integrate such techniques into your life to combat stress and improve overall health and well-being. Below you can see what we believe to be the 3 Essential Connections and how they lead us back to a balanced and whole life.

About the Connections

The First Connection: Self

Taking time to go within, learning to be comfortable with yourself and witnessing the fluctuations of your internal experience without judging or reacting can drastically improve the quality of your life, yet so many people spend their days avoiding these acts. Unfortunately, the more disconnected you are from yourself, the more disconnected you become from everything else. Without the foundation of self-awareness, it’s hard to maintain healthy relationships with others and it’s hard to feel connected to nature or something greater than yourself. In this three-day training, you will learn about some of the most common reasons that people become disconnected from themselves. You will also be introduced to a variety of techniques that can be used to re-establish your internal connection and you will be encouraged to identify the tools that resonate most with you and the ways that these tools can be integrated into your life. The First Connection Training is equal parts education and relaxation.

The Second Connection: Others

Human beings yearn to feel connected to one another. Although many people would prefer to believe that they can go it alone, isolation and separation can be detrimental to our health and well-being. Sometimes, even when we do our best to connect, we still fall short. Interpersonal relationships aren’t always easy and factors like stress and trauma only serve to widen the gap between us. In this three-day training you will learn skills that can help you navigate relationship dynamics, improve communication, resolve conflict and hold space for someone in need. There will be many opportunities to practice what you learn and to form connections with the other participants.

The Third Connection: Nature

Over the course of the last decade society has shifted away from their innate interconnectedness with the natural world. Although our ancestors were accustomed to living in rhythm with nature for their survival, many people today can spend long stretches of time without interacting with the natural environment. As a result of this shift, respect for the Earth has dwindled, leaving the environment in a precarious position, and people’s health, happiness and creativity have suffered. In this three-day training you will learn about the benefits of spending time in nature, how to bring presence and intention into your relationship with the environment, ways to integrate nature into your daily life and how connecting to the natural world can mean connecting to something greater than yourself.