How would you feel if a stranger walked up to you and gave you a bunch of flowers? Or, someone tapped you on the shoulder just to let you know how incredible you look in that dress? How would this random act of kindness make you feel, and how can you make a difference through small acts of kindness?
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.
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!
The core message: money and power are no longer enough. Give me a hell yeah! She introduces us to the 3rd 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 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!
