There was a time in my life when I thought those who ranted about self-care were lazy selfish people who were just into the ‘fluffy wooo wooo’ stuff as a way of avoiding hard work and the real world.
I don’t think that any more – in fact understanding and practicing self-care probably saved me from being extremely ill.
Learning about self-care taught me how to slow down, be present in my life and most of all – how to be happy. It is now something I do every single day. It gets me in flow so I can be the best possible version of myself. I now believe it is selfish NOT to carry out self-care because when I care for myself, I can help others in a more productive and supportive way.
For me having good self-care is now a non-negotiable – it is an everyday MUST
My 12 personal daily self-care DO’s are all based around things I NEVER did for myself before. I now respect my mind, body and soul enough to honour myself these each day.
Maybe there are a couple of these you can add into your self-care!
LORRAINE ‘S DAILY DO’s ( in no particular order)
- I start each day saying good morning to myself in the mirror and giving myself a smile. This means the first person I appreciate in my day is me. I always connect with me first with a smile or cheeky wink in the mirror. If we don’t see us – others won’t.
- I have breakfast – I never used to have breakfast but have found not skipping it gives me much more focus, stamina and presence in each day.
- I treat my physical body with appreciation – walk – dance – move – stretch. Every day I appreciate my body and give it an opportunity to stretch. I love walking by the river, on the beach or having a dance to some favourite songs. Good for the mind and body.
- I don’t compare myself to others – love me for me. This was a tough one to transition to but when I stopped comparing, I started living. and it completely changed my outlook on my life.
- I practice breath work, meditation and/or mindfulness. This has been a game changer for me and I know has given my back my health and a much better relationship with myself and others. Being more in each moment has reduced my stress, anxiety and worries.
- I do what makes me happy and lights me up everyday. This may seem obvious but for me it wasn’t. I now connect with my heart every day doing things I love. If something doesn’t light me up with joy then I find a new or different approach, or change it. This can be applied to anything. I live my life, and don’t spend it trying to make everyone else happy.
- Turn off the TV. I was never one for a lot of television but I gain an average of 20 hours a week by using what was my TV time for something else. I go walking, read, be with friends, cook etc. There is defiantly always time for a good film on the sofa but turning off reality TV, news and often TV negativity has defiantly given me a lot in return.
- I celebrate my wins in life – big and small. I celebrate all achievements now, not just those that come with a certificate. I value days with family, homemade food, walking by the river, time with friends. These are all wins.
- I am patient with myself – I am ever evolving; life is not static. Things take time and I now trust everything happens for a reason when it is supposed to happen.
- I never believe all of my thoughts – some of our thoughts trick me into staying small and safe – that’s boring. I now play with my thoughts and if there is something I think I shouldn’t do I explore both sides of it. I look at ‘what would happen if….’
- I remember I can say no (with love) – if I don’t – my yes is worthless. Another big one for me. I realised I was not honouring or being respectful or myself or others always saying yes. Sometimes a no can be valued even more than a yes.
- I write things down – diary, journal and I love a list. Getting ‘stuff’ out of my head and on paper has been a blessing – so much so there is a book is on its way ……
