3 effortless steps to anchor self-care into your daily life

Lack of self care cannot be blamed on a lack of time. Lack of self care is about not making it a priority.

 

Making self care a priority ain’t an easy feat for most of us. Lengthy do do lists, and the demands of our jobs and family, keep us away from connecting with our own bodies and ourselves.

However, when we don’t fill our own gas tank first, we act  come from a place of depletion. Overwhelm, anxiety and burnout are easy to come by in this state. Also, we are much more sensitive and prone to anger outbursts, harsh words and fights for no reason whatsoever.

Once you realize that operating from an empty tank makes no sense, it will become much easier to make self care an absolute priority.

In this video, Tara Coyote and I shoot the breeze on what we do to take care of ourselves. Tara is on a deep self healing journey  from breast cancer and she does all of it NATURALLY. One of the her key ingredients: Raising the self care barometer to 150%.

 

If self care to you means getting your nails done, going to the hairdresser on a regular basis, and going on vacation once a year you are not alone. While these may all components of self care, it’s not the entire story. Deep and rejuvenating self care comprises much more than that.

According to yoga philosophy there are five layers of our being: the physical, energetic, emotional, intellectual and spiritual layers. And all these layers want to be fed.

 

 

Taking care of all these layers may seem overwhelming at first but one can approach this seemingly big mountain with a step by step approach, I call it the kaizen approach that I teach in my 10 week program Body Joy.

Here are your steps to get started: 

Step 1: Make yourself a priority

Make the decision right now to put yourself first.

It only makes sense.

If each one of us were to fill our own cups first we would have plenty to share. Everyone would operare from a full cup and a place of abundance. That way we can  help those in need much more easily. Our children, grandchildren, the sick, the dying and the old.

Shifting into abundance mindset starts with a decision. Then fake it until you make it. Align your actions and habits along that new belief system. Over time it will become natural.

Step 2: Schedule in DAILY self care

Self care is not about a big vacation once a year, a massage every blue moon, or a once a week exercise routine. Self care is a daily act of kindness towards yourself. Even 15 min per day makes a HUGE difference. Pull out your calendar right now and schedule 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening. Daily! Be specific about what you will do. Will you meditation, walk, exercise, do breathing exercises, take a bath etc.

Step 3: Bookend your day with things that feed your soul.

Start your day with self care and finish your day with self care. In other words, bookend your day with things that bring you joy.

Imagine a day where you overslept. The alarm went off but you ignored it, only to wake up an hour later realizing you are late for work. You jump out of bed, drowsily and hurriedly brush your teeth, throw some clothes on and rush out the door with a cup of coffee in your  hand. How did your day go? I bet you, not that great. You were likely discombobulated all day, not as focused, efficient or productive.

Now imagine a day where you got up in time, took a few moments on the balcony or your garden to appreciate your surroundings, did a few stretches, maybe meditated for 10 minutes before going about your day. I bet you, your day was calmer, more peaceful and more enjoyable.

 

For more on this listen to the conversation I had with Annie Barrett on work life balance.

We talk all about bookending your day.