Self care is trendy, I know.... But for me, self-care goes way beyond articles about long baths, pedicures or relaxing with a glass of wine. Don't get me wrong- those are all wonderful! But shouldn't there be something... more?
Below are a few ideas for self-care that I've used in actual real life, and hope these inspire you too!
1. Use your commute to and from work to listen and learn. Download a podcast (or audiobook) that sparks an interest. It will make the commute way more tolerable! Maybe you’ll find something new... Perhaps a topic or hobby you’ve always wanted to know about and haven’t gotten around to.
2. Pay for day-to-day items in cash. Nothing will tell you how much money you spend faster than seeing actual money in your wallet magically disappear.
3. Unfollow and unfriend anyone and anything that makes you feel less than, sad or bad about yourself. Actively choose to follow social media accounts that make you feel happy, inspired and empowered.
4. Achieve your goals by taking them in really, really small steps. For example- maybe you want to mediate for 10 minutes a day but can’t seem to get going. Cut your initial goal in half. Now we’re down to 5 minutes..... But cut it in half again.
Can you do 2.5 minutes of meditation when waking up in the morning? Probably! This is so much more doable. Who doesn't have 2 minutes. Build upon this. Small action steps beget big goals.
5. Have you been putting off a dreaded doctor’s appointment? Make that appointment which scares you the most. Then, show up. You may not realize how much your subconsious has been stressing about this. Regardless of the outcome, being proactive about your health is a good thing.
6. Make time for friends and family. Be engaged. Try to minimize multi-tasking when someone is confiding in or speaking with you. It doesn’t go unnoticed and the effort to be present will be returned.
7. Don’t try to be all things at once. The idea that we can all be high-performance mothers, executives, girlfriends, wives, marathon runners, yoga masters and gourmet cooks is an outdated ideal no one can live up to. Stop striving for perfection.
8. Instead of having a ‘to-do’ list a mile long, pick 3 things at the beginning of each day you want to accomplish and see how much more you actually get done.
9. Don’t dwell on what you dislike or even hate about your life. Focus on what you are creating, where you are going and who you are as a person.
9A. If needed: Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left side of the page, write 3-5 things that aren't working so well, or that you want to change about your life. On the right side of the page write in initial action steps to help get you going.
10. Plan something for yourself. Call a friend for a coffee date, take a day trip, see that band coming to town, get your hair did. It’s good to have something to look forward to.
11. Take 10 minutes before bed to pick up your space. Toys, cups, dishes, towels, magazines. Clear off the countertops and clean out the sink. It’s much nicer to wake up to a clean (or semi clean!) home.
12. Call your mother, grandmother, father, sister, brother or bestie. Let them know you much you love and care for them. No a single one of us is guaranteed a tomorrow.
How do you take good care of YOU? Drop a quick comment below or message me here
In Health,
Jess