By Janet Verney.
Are you so busy taking care of others that you put yourself last? It is an all too common problem in today’s world, especially as the holiday season kicks into high gear. When you finally sit down are you so exhausted, with no energy left to take care of you? Well then, it is time to make a change.
To be at your best, self-care is non-negotiable, no matter the season. Self-care is an expression of self-love and self-compassion. Only you can care for yourself the way you need to be cared for and no one else can do that work for you.
To shift into self-care, baby steps are the way to go! Be gentle with yourself. It is not about seeking perfection; it is about loving yourself along the way and learning to listen to your body and trust your intuition. Experiment and find ways to personalize what works for you and when they work, add them to your tool kit. Soon you will have little rituals for morning, noon, and night, and for when you are at work, in the car, or on the run. You will then have these tools at your fingertips to keep you at your best!
Let’s break it down into four areas to consider on this self-care journey: Fire-up Your Neurotransmitters; Reboot Your Battery; Fill Your Fuel Tank; and last, but not least, Fun with Friends.
Fire-up Your Neurotransmitters
Did you know that on average folks have 60,000 thoughts a day and 80% of them are negative? That’s a little scary when you think about it… The power of positive thinking can really shift your overall health in the right direction and it is a critical part of self-care. When we think positive and happy thoughts we really do “fire-up” those neurotransmitters, which is better than any drug for feeling super charged and joyous!
If you find yourself going down the rabbit hole and feeling blah, create a negative chatter/positive thoughts chart. You might just be amazed at how often the negative stuff pops into your head. The trick is to convert these negative thoughts into positive ones and then you can either incorporate these new happy thoughts into a personalized letter to yourself (to be read over and over again), write them on sticky notes that you place around the house or on your phone, or collage them onto a vision board of the life you truly wish to live. Give it a try and watch what happens…
Reboot Your Battery
It’s time to schedule some self-care rituals into your “to-do lists” and your calendar! From simple daily rituals to making time for a long walk in nature, or an hour at the spa, or a soothing Epsom salt lavender bath. Others may include yoga, a massage, or sitting in an infrared sauna. Don’t forget that SLEEP is one of the most important ways to reboot your battery, so be sure to plan some simple self-care sleep support rituals; like white noise, soothing music, lavender essential oil on the bottoms of your feet, a little light reading, and of course not eating anything for at least 2-3 hours before bed.
Your daily rituals may include starting your day with a big stretch, a long slow breath, and a whole bunch of gratitude! You may consider replacing toxic products with cleaner options, even homemade solutions (cleaning supplies/healthcare products). Check out EWG’s Skin Deep website for more ideas and information: https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/.
Other practices daily & weekly may include dry brushing, topical coconut oil post shower, an oil hair treatment, sitting with some tea & a good book. Don’t forget to take a “digital detox” from electronics now and then and replace it with some meditation or exercise!
Fill Your Fuel Tank
I bet you can guess what this is about… you got it, food! Many of us run on empty, or on too much junk and that is when we can get into all kinds of troubles. Think of yourself as a fancy sports car and if you fed it regular gasoline, or even worse diesel fuel – that car would run very sluggish, or not at all! It is so important to fuel your incredible bio-machine with whole foods, preferably organic, and many, many more plant based foods. If you have read any of my previous columns, you will have a sense of my preferred “food fuel.” What we put in our mouths, and what we don’t, is a big part of self-care.
Fun with Friends
Another aspect of self-care is making time to be with supportive friends! It will give you a dose of happiness & joy and provide a sense of purpose and belonging. It can reduce stress and anxiety and be a safe place to explore feelings. The right friends can support you through life’s challenges and inspire healthier habits. The side effects of friend time may cause laughter, increased self-esteem, and be the boost you needed to follow your dreams!
In closing, if you are new to this self-care thing, then pick one and practice it over and over again until it becomes part of your routine. If you have dabbled in self-care, then begin to add to your tool kit and build a greater foundation. If you are an expert, well then, keep up the great work and inspire others to do the same! Cheers to the love of self!
If you have a topic you’d like to learn more about, please email me at connect@roots2wellness.com. Until next time!
Janet E. Verney is an Author, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Wellness Designer, and Healthy Food Chef who resides in Higganum and loves helping others to “health-up” their lives! Have a burning health or nutrition question, write to Janet at connect@roots2wellness.com. To learn more, visit her website at roots2wellness.com.
