Seven acts of self-care
Yesterday I really focussed on self-care. I’m recovering from having covid and realised that, despite taking two weeks off, I’ve probably pushed myself too hard this week. So I went back to basics, and made sure I really looked after my body, my heart and soul and my mind. I can’t honestly say it fixed anything overnight but it did remind me, once again, that self-care is in the tiny things and it doesn’t need to cost you anything. I’m sharing here the seven things I did yesterday specifically to look after myself. I hope it inspires you to make tiny choices to take care of yourself today. I’d love to hear what you do!
Self-care 1: Taking vitamins and medication
I started the day with good intentions. I’m pretty good at taking my vitamins, prescription medication and herbal blends, but there are times when I have to pay it more attention and it felt today like it would be easy to have forgotten or overlooked them. It never helps when I neglect teh absolute basics.
Self-care 2: Listening to a 10 minute meditation on the Calm App
In the sample chapter for The Woman’s Guide to Change I talk about my longstanding resistance to meditation and mindfulness, and how I’m now a reformed character. I truly do feel the benefit when I plug myself into some form of mindfulness practice, for even ten minutes in the morning. I let the habit slip when I was sick with covid and it’s feeling a challenge to get back into it again. I’ve got a three day streak now, let’s see how many consecutive days I can keep going.
Self-care 3: Eating a proper lunch
This is another place I can easily neglect myself, particularly when I’m busy. I tend to expect my poor body to just cope with whatever I throw at it. One thing I have discovered is that when I know I’m going to the gym, I eat more and better. I know I can’t exercise well without the right fuel so in committing to working out I also improve my nutrition - a definite win-win situation. So yesterday I cooked eggs and made myself an egg roll, with a smoothie and a bowl of a few dates and some pecans. I also drank a LOT of water. I will say that I tend to get bored by tap water and, although I know there is an environmental impact, I tend to prefer sparkling water and it’s a trade-off I’ve accepted for now.
Self-care 4: Having an art therapy session
I am a firm believer in working with the right trained and accredited professionals to support you at different times in your life. Right now I’m working with a brilliant art psychotherapist, primarily to work through things associated with the loss of my mum last year but of course we look at other topics. As a coach and coach supervisor it’s really important that I do my own work so that I can be fully present for my clients. If you choose to work with a helping professional, don’t be afraid to ask them what they do to support themselves - you need to know they’re not inadvertently bringing their issues into your supportive space. My therapy session this week was really helpful and I also happen to like the artwork I made, although that’s not really the point!
Self-care 5: Moving my body
My next step in self-care was, without pushing myself too hard, moving my body again by going to the gym for the first time in three weeks. This is another space where I have to keep recommitting to myself and getting back on the (metaphorical) bike again. I haven’t found a form of exercise that I truly love, but I do know that it makes a huge difference to me to move my body and get my heart rate up, so I go to the gym and do predominantly weight-related things. I easily get frustrated with myself for my lack of progress, but it really is a great place to practice self-compassion and self-kindness and to recognise that even showing up is actually progress.
Self-care 6: Saying no
In work terms, the biggest thing I did to take care of myself yesterday was to say no to potential work that would be putting me under pressure at a time when I don’t need it. I had two new projects that would be happening around the first anniversary of losing my mum and I realised it just wasn’t in my best interest to do either of them. The work doesn’t totally align with my business strategy and although they’re both interesting, I had to find the courage to say no to them and trust that the right things will emerge which don’t feel like they carry undue amounts of pressure.
Self-care 7: Getting to bed
Lastly I ended the day by getting to bed by 10pm (just!). I get up at 6am and I really do need 8 hours sleep - probably more to be honest, so I work hard to get to bed at a decent time and to not scroll through my phone when I do so. It’s another ongoing challenge, but one where I know the benefits are absolutely worth it.
So there we have a day of intentional self-care. What can you try out to take care of yourself? What’s the small change you can make that will help you to prioritise yourself? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
