Personal Growth Archives - Page 4 of 4

Category: Personal Growth

July 16, 2020

12 Self-Care Tips on a Budget

Tips on how can we achieve an impactful level of self-care on a budget

I don’t know about you but when I hear self-care I think of a) time I do not have and b) overpriced ‘spa days’. 12 self-care tips on a budget does not come to mind.

So, I’m here today to give you a few tips on how you can give back to yourself without having to organize a babysitter or take out a loan.

Let’s start with what self-care really means. In this busy life we all live, it quite simply comes down to taking time for yourself. Time away from EVERYTHING. It means having a moment where you acknowledge your own feelings and give yourself permission to breathe. Really, it’s about shaking off the rest of the world for a moment and allowing yourself to just be you.

So, how do we make self-care more achievable?

We have to take a closer look at ourselves for this one! Why do we tell ourselves there isn’t enough time and that self-care can wait? We look at the lists we have prepared of ‘things to do’ and cannot see a way to fit in time for ourselves. The reality is, it’s up to us. Taking time for yourself can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 5 hours. Yes, if you have been denying yourself for too long you will probably need more time, but you can start small. When you see that the act of completely switching off from your stressors relaxes your shoulders and lightens your load, you will want to add 5 more minutes!

How about we start by being completely honest with ourselves? Take a moment to think about how much time you spend scrolling on your phone. We fall into a trap and before you know it you’ve lost 2hrs of your life (or more). There are different reasons we go on the internet but mainly we are either looking for information or inspiration. The problem is once we are in the mindset of finding inspiration we kinda don’t want to give up until we find it. So, we scroll and we scroll. In the end we toss the phone into a corner feeling frustrated. We don’t feel inspired and we have lost precious time that could have been focused on our self-care. Am I right? So, instead of getting lost in the scroll, let’s have a look at our self-care tips on a budget to get us started.

Disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

What small steps can I take today?

Quick and easy:

Make a hot cup of tea or coffee and sit quietly by yourself with your thoughts. No distractions. Walk out into the garden if you need to but make sure you have those few quiet moments alone. This is self-care tip no.1 because it’s an easy, no-excuses start to taking time for yourself.
Paint your nails. Again, the self-care comes in the time spent alone. Painting your nails can be a great exercise in mindfulness and gets your head out of the craziness of daily life.
Learn how to breathe deep, clear breathes. When we are stressed we tend to breathe shallow, anxious breaths. Try to focus on taking deep breaths, this is a quick and very effective way to calm yourself almost immediately and self-care is not possible without being calm.
Eat well. We all enjoy our treats but try to get into the habit of eating food that energizes your body – read my blog on Smoothies for inspiration on self-care for your body in a healthy and super speedy way.

June 19, 2020

Thrive by Arianna Huffington: The Power of a Book to Help us Thrive

How often do you read a book that REALLY makes you think?

Thrive by Arianna Huffington is a beautifully written reminder to return to our inner wisdom. To reconnect with ourselves and each other. A reminder of what really matters. Through her retelling of life’s ups and downs the author helps us to rethink our priorities. She shares touching personal stories and practical advice that we can apply to our lives. Thrive by Arianna Huffington reminded me of the power of a book to help us thrive. This book leaves you feeling motivated and inspired! Having it with me during lockdown was such a win!

In Thrive, Arianna Huffington talks about the concept of success and how we need to redefine what success means to us.

The core message: money and power are no longer enough. Give me a hell yeah! She introduces us to the 3^rd metric of success, measuring our wisdom, well-being and wonder. Essentially, success should be more about balance and finding joy than financial reward. This is something we all know, but have pushed aside for the sake of ‘fitting in’. I cannot express how much I want to push the message in her book out into the world! The way she writes, in a conversational way, clearly lays her ideas out on the table so that they really sink in. The concepts are not new or difficult to understand but so well presented that they ring true on a deeper level. Quite possibly it is a message we just really want to hear.

It is time to find balance in order to thrive.

It is becoming the norm to take on more than we can physically and emotionally manage for the sake of approval and success. One of the subjects discussed in the book is meditation. How it helps us to remain calm in stressful situations and its benefits for our general well-being. Having practiced meditation myself I know that this is not the woo woo, out there craziness it was once seen as. Meditation is undoubtedly the most effective stress release tool available to us all. And, it is 100% free, easy to use and accessible. All it requires is a simple mindset shift. If you have never tried it before I seriously encourage you to give it a go. Find a quite time to center yourself and re-connect with who you really are. Trust me you have never felt so at peace!