Easy self-service for movers
As busy business owners, leaders, and professionals (often with lives dedicated to work, volunteering, and family), it can be challenging to prioritize much less actually follow through when it comes to true self-care. Sometimes this topic is blown off as a fluffy, female issue. However, while men aren’t often getting manicures or pedicures or planning coffee chats with friends, both men and women should make sure they rest and restore their own energy. It’s about taking care of yourself.
When we don’t take care of ourselves, we put ourselves in a position of increased vulnerability to stress, which leads to decreased emotional management and a highway to burnout. While our self-care actions may not make our top 10 list for today’s priorities, it’s time to start adding them to your list! Before we make a list of “ideals,” you’ll need to understand what self-care means to you.
For years, my friends and family told me that I was burning the candle at both ends and that I should take care of myself. Sometimes it was hard to understand what they meant. I knew I was busy, but I was doing things that were important to me, that I loved, and that I found energy and space for. My friends and family would say space for the price of my stay, but sometimes I felt confused about what I was supposed to do. I couldn’t imagine just sitting at home and reading a book for 3 hours or even an hour or taking a whole day to go for a walk while still trying to do the hobbies I enjoy. I felt like an oxymoron: “Relax and take care of yourself, but don’t plan anything.” How do I get a massage without booking and where do I fit this into my busy schedule? I usually replied, “I’m fine.” I had some self care things planned for my day and I felt very energized despite my work, but I knew I wasn’t really taking care of myself or making time for the luxury of downtime, but it just seemed more stressful to plan them in a day too.
What finally caught my attention, as is true for many, is when my body couldn’t handle me the same way it used to. After the birth of my second daughter, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism. Symptoms are supposed to include fatigue, brain fog, body aches, etc. I thought, “What’s new? You just have to stick with it.” Enjoying being productive and getting things done, I maintained a full schedule with 2 jobs, a family, and a heavy volunteer schedule.
Then I hit my 40s. While I enjoyed everything I did, I found that a fair amount of stress came with the low bar I allowed myself. The combination of stress and health is what I attribute to some anxiety challenges I started experiencing that culminated in panic attacks. That got my attention. I tried to deal with this new challenge with mediation, but found that it had additional side effects. I tried to go back to my years of opportunity and effort to exercise, meditate, journal, quiet time, etc. I began to notice the activities of those who were getting older but looked young, versus those who were the same age who looked old. This is when I started to consider how my low margins helped me get a lot done, but greatly increased my stress load. My stress load contributed to my compromised help and increased anxiety, which then had its own ripple effect.
So maybe you’re still in denial about self-care and people are telling you to slow down, or maybe you’ve had your own turning point and are realizing the importance of self-care. I believe everyone should take care of their body, mind, and spirit, but when we’re talking to those on the move, you should especially take care of yourself. You connect with a lot of people, you make an impact, and depending on your level of self-care, it will affect your ability to keep doing what you’re doing, as well as the amount of positivity you share while doing it. Well, how do you do it?
#1) The basics. Foundations are those things that contribute to your continued resilience. When we are healthy and young, we can easily take advantage of that health and get away without doing the basics. The older we get, the more we see the impact of this lack of self-care or the incredible shape of those who have taken the time. Health studies and articles constantly have similar suggestions:
– SLEEP. Don’t be fooled. You need 8 hours.
– MOVE. Even a daily walk is better than nothing. Get a pedometer. Take 10K steps. Get outside (lived in MN, I know how hard it can be.)
– WATER. Drinking your body weight in water is ideal, but for some of us, simply MORE water is a win. Add lemon slices or whatever helps you get as much as possible each day.
– THE GREENS. Eat more vegetables and greens (kale, spinach, etc.). To be honest, good vegetables are hard for me, but the more often you add them to your diet, the easier it gets.
– ANTIOXIDANTS. Either with good foods (turmeric, cinnamon, oregano, blueberries, nuts, etc.) or a great supplement.
– BREATHE. Whether it’s a classic meditation or just 10 deep breaths a day, maximize your moments to relax, de-stress and re-oxygenate your body.
#2) Restoring your body, mind and spirit. I believe there is a difference between a self-care checklist and learning to listen to my inner self and intuition for self-care. A checklist can be used to help give you ideas, get you started, or allow you to experience different options for what might really be needed. Deeper self-care does not mean being a slave to a checklist, but rather answering the call of the inner self. For example, if you are thirsty, the body needs water. You can look at the drink menu: soda, tea, coffee, juice, water… but you know what your body really needs, listen to your body and you’ll realize that if you try to drink the other options, you’ll still be thirsty. The body needs water to refresh itself. Likewise, in our self-care it is important to learn how to listen to yourself and hear what your body, mind and spirit want.
– Examples of checklists that incorporate activities from common self-care suggestions into your daily and weekly routine:
– Body (helps your body feel physically better): massage, walk outside, eat a salad, exercise, stretch, take a 10-minute break, eat fruit, eat breakfast, drink more water, cut back on sugar, get out in the sun , laugh
– Mind (helps reduce stress and clear the mind to relax): meditation, playing the piano or an instrument, reading a book, keeping a journal, making a list, setting boundaries, reading positive quotes and inspirations, decluttering, unplugging for an hour
– Spirit (encourages the heart, brings joy and an inner sense of peace): coffee with friends, listening to music, going out, dining out, reading the Bible, praying, keeping a card folder and reviewing, reducing or eliminating toxic and negative people in your feeds, voluntarily
– Intuitive direction. When you know how to listen to your intuition and inner voice, they will tell you what you need. It might sound like things that are on the self-care list, or it might be completely random. You may not want to do it, but understand how wise your body is and trust that it is giving you good guidance in what you need. It might be like this:
– You’ve been inside on your computer all day. You feel sluggish and tired. You ask yourself, “What do I need to recharge?” I AM GOING FOR A WALK.
– You feel uninspired and unmotivated. You ask yourself, “What do I need to charge?”
– You feel lonely, even though there are people around you. You ask yourself, “What should I renew?” CALL YOUR OLD BFF FOR DRINKS.
– You feel overwhelmed and behind. You ask yourself “What do I need to get rid of stress?” MAKE A LIST.
– You feel frustrated and nervous about all your projects. You ask yourself, “What do I need to relax?” LISTEN TO MUSIC AND WALK.
Whatever it is, the important thing is that there is no right or wrong. This is not a magical act. It’s about listening to your inner self and letting your body creatively tell you what it needs. This might sound a little “woo-woo”, and I hope it’s clear that I’m not talking about anything illegal or inappropriate, but when you get used to listening to your body (by being still and quieting your mind and listening to your heart), you will receive useful information that does not come from the head and the endless list of things that can be done, but rather real charging and uplifting self-care that is just for you, in this moment and moment, to support you be at your best!
#Easy #selfservice #movers