Ever jumped into bed and thought to yourself, I wish I took a bath or read a book? I forgot to make a green juice or my morning smoothie? I forgot to look after ME! Taking care of yourself is without a doubt one of the most important parts of your well-being and is essential for a healthy mind, body and soul. Self-care is looking after yourself in ways that nourish you. And I’m not just talking about food!
Your wellbeing is reliant on so many factors: your job, your emotional health, your relationships, your home life and yes food. Did you know that many women feel guilt when indulging in self-care? Not anymore! Taking care of your needs is never selfish and not only is it important when you are feeling a little frazzled, it should always be on top of your to do list.
In this free eBook, I will share with you more information about self-care, what amazing things it can do for your overall well-being and how to implement it into your daily life.
It’s time to make your own well-being a priority!
1 : What does Self Care look like?
So, let’s get to know what Self Care is all about.
Each person has their own version of what self-care means. It’s all about the individual. What works for you may not work for the next person. This is the same as your diet and the food you consume.
Put simply: There is no one-fits-all guide to self-care.
Only you will know what is good for you and what ignites your energy and joy. Not sure what that is yet? Start making a list!
Today go and spend 5 minutes thinking about ANYTHING that makes you feel good (and I’m not talking eating a bag of crisps or a chocolate bar!). I’m talking about the things you WANT to do or have but never get around to doing!
Some ideas to spark your self-care list could be:
- Something that makes you forget about work – even for 5 minutes
- Taking a warm bath
- Eating banana drizzled with honey
- Being with friends
- Jumping on a trampoline
- ANYTHING!
All you need to do is sit quietly and connect to yourself to find out what makes you smile, gives you goose bumps or that feeling of peace and calmness. This is what your self-care list will look like!
Now look at your list and try and incorporate one thing a day/every couple of days or once a week. These things should form part of your self-care routine so that you can start to feel better in your personal life and health.
2: Self Care Ideas for the Mind
Today we are going to focus on the mind. Your mental health is just as important as the food you eat. Today’s world means we are fitting much more into our day leaving room for stress to creep in and take charge. If you feel stressed, anxious, overworked or generally unhappy or uninspired then it is even more important to give your mind some extra space and calmness.
Many of us find it difficult to quieten the mind so here are a few ways you could start to take care of yourself which literally can take up only 5 minutes a day!
- Listen to your favorite song with your eyes closed
- Meditate for 10 minutes
- Read a positive book or magazine
- Unplug for an hour – flight mode on all devices and recharge
- Focus on your breathing – take a few deep breathes in and exhale out what doesn´t serve you anymore (emotions, energy, words…)
With a healthy self-care routine for the mind you’ll be well on your way to feeling better in no time. Sometimes it can take just 5 minutes in your day to change how it is going.
3: Self Care for your Body
So far, you’ve learnt about self-care, discovered your self-care list, looking after your mind and now it’s time to get your body in loving shape. It’s important to understand that you don’t need to exercise for an hour a day or go to the gym lifting weights. This isn’t what self-care for the body is all about. YES, it’s important for our overall health and well-being to move our bodies each day, but for each person it’s different.
Self-care for the body is all about doing physical things that make you happy AND have a positive effect on your body. Now it’s time to incorporate some extra body love each day – and guess what? You don’t need more than 5 minutes if you are super busy!
Here are some examples of some body self-love activities you can start implementing each day. Only a few minutes daily can make a big difference on your well-being!
- Get 15 minutes of sun
- Move and feel your body – run, walk, dance
- Have a short nap
- Stretch and release tension
- Eat a healthy nourishing meal using all your senses (smell it, touch it, taste it, enjoy the visual of what it looks like!)
- Lay on the grass with no shoes on
- Stand in some water and feel the sensation
- Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you
Your body responds not just to physical movement, but to sensory actions. What are some sensory things you can do each day that take up no time at all but have a big impact on your body? What does your body self-care list look like?
4: Self Care for the Soul
Wow. We are at the final day of learning about self-care. How is your nourishment going?
Today we are focusing on nourishing your soul with activities that make you happy and give you a break from your busy life. To be honest, the soul self-care could quite possibly be more important than anything else. Even food.
Here are some soul-food ideas for you to start with today. Don’t forget to create your own Soul Food list to work out what works for you!
- Enjoy your coffee/tea in the morning
- Take a hot bath after work
- Meet with your best friend
- Have a good laugh
- Watch your favorite movie
- Help someone else
- Give to someone else – charity, free-gift, thank you note…
- Create something
- Help someone else for free
Remember that self-care isn’t just something you tick off your list once and never do it again. It’s a constant in your life that forms part of your daily routine to create positive health and well-being on a deep level. You’ll very quickly feel the amazing benefits of just some small self-care routines that can literally change the course of your overall health – and even life!
I’d love to know how you are going to start implementing a self-care routine to finally feel good in your body and live the life you’ve been wanting.
Don’t forget, if you want to have a 30-minute self-care session with me you can book it in here, so that you will get back on your path to more energy and fulfilling life.