self care
Hmmm so what is self care. The definition goes something like this. Intentional actions you take to care for your physical, mental and emotional health. Taking that idea further, it's taking deliberate steps to ensure that your mind, body and soul are being nourished.
We live in an insanely stressful, fast moving society. Giving advice to stop and smell the roses will probably be the last thing you have time to do. It can be overwhelming to take on new things or adding another item to your schedule. The goal is to take small steps, choose ideas that can easily slide into your everyday life and build on that.
Taking care of yourself is hard and often left behind for last. Most of us have careers, children, partners, daily errands and responsibilities and it rarely stops there. It's ok to focus on your life goals, achievements and high expectations but without taking care of you, even a tiny bit everyday, makes those successes difficult to achieve without a lot of discomfort.
Here is a list of Self Care activities to help keep stress down, keep you centered and enable your body to thrive in this overly scheduled fast paced world we live in. Don't be afraid to start out slow, but choose a few to sprinkle into your day. It doesn't have to be a big deal, even a moment with your eyes closed, taking 5 deep breathes will make a difference. Give it a try!
- Go for a walk
- Putting your phone on airplane mode for a small period during the day
- Monthly massages
- Walking barefoot in the grass (grounding is a big deal! so much energy)
- Singing on the top of your lungs
- Taking a bath before bed, don't forget the epsom salt!
- Cuddling with your partner
- Scheduling a date night once a week
- Make an effort to be present...this one is harder than you think!
- Listen to a guided meditation
- Call an old friend
- Do yoga or Qigong
- Cook with your kids
- Drink your morning coffee alone with no TV or computer nearby
- Buy a good piece of chocolate
- Pray
- Stop and feel the sun on your face
- Organize something in your house
- Ask for help
- Forgive someone...let go, release, really mean it!
- Use essential oils (Buy here)
- Laugh
- Volunteer
- Spend less time on the internet
- Go to bed early
- Try going Gluten Free for 30 days
- Retrain your brain. Your thoughts become your reality
- Say THANK YOU first thing, every single morning
- Live with graditude, feel joy everyday
- Fake it til you make it! Did you know that if you visualize a beautiful, joyful event and really feel the energy from that emotion, your body can't tell the difference, whether it really happened or not. You just sat there watching that amazing sunset, holding your partners hand. Try it!
This is not an exhaustive list. I can think of hundreds of ways us humans can be gentler with ourselves. Find what makes you smile, gives you energy and makes the day go by with less stress and more joy. Put these ideas on your schedule for today and start taking better care of you!