Self-care

Self-care does not have to be booking the big holidays, it is about what you do everyday to make sure you are OK, although holidays are fabulous!!!

What is it? and Why does it matter?

Self-care is a conscious act people take to promote their physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. It is vital for building resilience in life. When you've taken steps to care for your mind and body, you'll be better equipped to live your best life.

A lot has been written about how we can do this, by providing frameworks, however it is a very personal practice that you need to work out for yourself. 

Frameworks for Self-Care

Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod was an international best seller and gave a mnemonic that you could practice every morning. There is an App to support and you can buy beautiful templates on other websites with the Miracle Morning routine, it is quite intense but can easily become a daily routine:-

S - Silence - being there with yourself

A - Affirmation - positive message to YOU

V - Visualisation - what does the day hold for YOU

E - Exercise - understanding and being there with your body

R - Reading - feeding your mind

S - Scribing - writing what you are grateful for

The 7 pillars of self care is another model and less intense than the Miracle Morning you could spread across the week:-

1. Mental - how have you stretched your mind
2. Emotional, - who have you spent time with this week who makes you feel good?
3. Physical - what have you done in the form of exercise?
4. Environmental - have you done anything that helps the planet?
5. Spiritual - have you enjoyed meditating, or just being?
6. Recreational - have you pursued a hobby something fun for you?
7. Social - have you mixed with friends or new people?

On a Micro Level

Think about what are those things that give you immediate happiness, those micro moments.  I have a coffee mid morning and I am there for the coffee, no other distractions.  However the day maps out, I will always try and find that moment with the coffee.  Think about what could be micro level self-care for you?

First thing in the morning I hand write my journal, a review of the day before which gives me time to reflect on what well and what I would do differently.  I always give myself a GAIL which stands for:-

G - what was I grateful for?

A - what did I achieve?

I - what could i improve?

L - what did I learn?

Gratitude is something that you have to practice it is not enough to say I am grateful for...interrogate why and how you can make it happen again.

Summary

Self-care has to be intentional and making it a routine that you can build into your day will help ensure you stick to it.

Please do get in touch for help and support on self-care. bev@nuggetsoflearning.co.uk