In today’s post we are going to tackle the topic of self care.
Many of us have heard the old adage that we need to put our oxygen masks on first in order to help others if the plane is going down; however, few have actually mastered that art without feeling guilty or causing their productivity to falter.
Your personal health is worth more than you may think.
Learning to create self care habits will actually help you help others better AND make you a much more efficient human in the process.
So, let’s dive in to the 3 steps to creating a daily self care routine.
DIY Self Care Step #1: Mindful Movement.
I know I’m all about movement, and for good reason! Science shows that people who move throughout the day are much more productive at projects, sleep better at night, don’t suffer from chronic illness, and have an overall higher quality of life. Those are some pretty serious benefits my friend, AND it’s why you are starting to witness standing work stations and workplace workouts being offered by many companies.
Mindful movement isn’t the killer workout you did at 5 am this morning. Those have a place for some people, but don’t fall under self care for most. Mindful movement could be starting your day with a mobility routine while the coffee is brewing, doing a yoga class, stretching as you get out of bed, or even taking your cute pup for a walk. Mindful movement gets you going, gets your blood and lymph flowing, and sets you up for your day.
DIY Self Care Step #2: Guard Your Mind.
It is ALL too easy to roll out of bed and mindlessly scroll through social media. I know! I’ve had to break this habit a few times myself. Social media is not a bad thing at all, but being bombarded with other’s lives right upon waking can have many negative side effects.
If you’re like me, you use a form of social media for work and then another for keeping up with everybody. Well, if we open our feed to bad news first thing, that can send our mind into a tailspin for the majority of the day. Participants in recent studies on the effects of social media all reported higher symptoms of depression and anxiety when opening their feeds first thing in the morning.
So, what’s a social lovin’ gal or guy to do????
Your brain is most receptive first thing upon waking. I know that seems hard to believe, but trust me for a bit. Instead of flipping open your apps, try sitting and journaling for the first 5 minutes of your day. Some clients like to jot down dreams they remember from the night before. Others work up an effective to-do list or (my favorite) keep a gratitude journal. I personally spend some quiet time reading the Bible and journaling along with a gratitude practice as well. I also write out my expectations for the day and week. This small habit doesn’t take long and sets my whole day up for seemingly unexpected success.
DIY Self Care Step #3: Meditation
What we think, we manifest.
Sometimes we can take this to mean a lot of squat, BUT in reality your mind is your most powerful asset. It can work FOR you or AGAINST you. The best part is that you really get to decide which way it goes.
If you’re new to meditation OR (are like me) and just want a guide so you don’t get all distracted, I totally recommend the HEADSPACE APP. Headpsace has done mountains of research on the benefits of meditation and they have put together a super easy to use app that will help you meditate daily without overloading your schedule or to-do list.
Studies have conclusively shown that regular meditation positively impacts stress, focus, mood, compassion, aggression, self compassion, work, anxiety and depression (which can both affect sleep AND even your hormones negatively if left unchecked). You can see a whole slew of benefits and studies posted at HEADSPACE. **Side note: I’m not being paid by them, they don’t even know me…I just dig the app.
The Takeaway: By taking just 5 minutes a day to focus on developing actual self care habits, you won’t feel the overwhelming need to leave your family for the weekend while you lie in a hotel room drinking wine and watching the Food Network until you can’t see straight….wait, is that just me? Seriously though, having self care habits in place will enable you to help others more effectively without draining your energy resources.
What to do next:
Now, it’s up to you to put these habits into place. None of them take very long, but you can choose just one to get you started. Maybe you stop opening social media up first thing and just spend a little quiet time with yourself and that big, beautiful cup of coffee first thing in the morning for 1 full week. Then you can add on a little mobility work or stretching for 5 minutes OR even while you’re in the shower. Once you’ve mastered those 2, start a meditation practice during the day (in line while picking up the kids is awesome) and take note of how you feel.
Always remember that you have something special to share with the world, but it’s hard to share when you’re too dang tired. So, make yourself a priority and notice how that will free up your energy to really be present and help others.
xoxo, Michelle
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