“You owe yourself the love that you so freely give others.” ~Alexandra Elle
“Fall in love with caring for yourself, in body, mind, and spirit.” ~Jill Conyers
There was a time in my life that I actually did not know what I liked, what I enjoyed, what brought me satisfaction or fulfillment. I could go on and on with many reasons that caused this, but the number one reason – I was too busy going, doing, and being for everyone else, that I lost my way and didn’t realize how much I mattered too. Today is a new day and I’m embracing ME! I always lived a selfless life and I deeply love serving others, however, I now understand that I can make my holistic self-care a priority in the process. Self-care is vital, relevant, pivotal, all-important, and NOT self-indulgent, it’s NECESSARY! I have found my FLOW! What about you?
Find your FLOW! Everyone has something they love to do, some kind of skill or hobby they can spend hours on and still enjoy. When you feel passionate about something it engages you fully, keeping you focused and boosting your confidence, reassuring you of your own abilities. Self-care is deliberately taking care of your well-being, and making it an intentional conscious act.
Question: Do you have complete awareness about what you need to do to take care of yourself? Here are a few invigorating activities.
1. Moments of stillness and silence. Be Comfortable, Be Still, Be Silent, just “Be.”
We’re bombarded by noise everyday – yet the loudest noises of all is the voice in our own head and for some, according to a research conducted by the National Science Foundation around 80% of our thoughts are negative. And we have around 12,000 - 50,000 thoughts daily.
Hence, when you meditate and have moments of stillness and silence it brings AWARENESS to the internal voice. And when you have awareness, that’s when you can choose what thoughts you’re holding onto and which ones you want to let go of.
2. Movement is another invigorating activity.
Our bodies are meant to MOVE. A body in motion stays in motion, a body at rest stays at rest. When we move, when we exercise, our body creates endorphins which at first helps us sleep, which naturally reduces stress and it also sends a positive feeling through the body. Rather it’s walking, bike riding, yoga, dancing… just MOVE.
3. Time in Nature. Get outside and enjoy the great outdoors.
According to environmental psychology, time in nature will improve our mood, reduce stress, and improve cognitive function. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends 93% of their life indoors. 87% of their life is inside buildings, then another 6% of their life in automobiles. That's only 7% of your entire life outdoors. That's only one half of one day per week outdoors.
THIS IS FOR YOU! Self-Care Is A Deeply Important CHOICE!
Combine these invigorating activities and practice them daily, it will support your mood, increase your energy, and JOY. Practice self-care for 30 minutes a day – 10 mins of stillness, 10 mins of movement, and 10 mins of time in nature – that’s 180 hours of self-care in a year. THIS IS FOR YOU! Self-care is a deeply important CHOICE! Research shows that 40% of our happiness comes from the intentional choices we make. It affects every aspect of our life, personal and professional, mental to physical. Schedule a regular getaway and have something to look forward to, like quarterly or every two months and not wait until things get hectic. It doesn’t have to be fancy or cost anything – you can go to a neighboring town, change things up – break from your usual routine. For me, I enjoy getting in my car and driving to destination "nowhere" or going to a forest preserve or finding a large body of water and take in the beautiful sceneries.
Experiment and adapt as needed with what works for you! It’s a practice; it’s about showing up for YOURSELF EVERYDAY! Looking out for you is not selfish, it is NECESSARY.
Questions to Ponder:
How will you practice self-care today?
How will you MOVE your body and be intentional to get outside today?
Best Wishes,
Tracy Diamond