There is a vast difference between being alone and being lonely. Loneliness is a feeling of separateness, a feeling of emptiness that can be overwhelming. Being alone doesn’t need to feel like this. In fact, being alone should be a time to reconnect with yourself and reassess your priorities. A time spent entirely on your own life questions, goals and aspirations.
For me there are layers of self-care that make up a good day. On the top of the list of self-care ideas is sleep. It all starts with good sleep! So, a good bed and a good headspace is your foundation for your day. If you wake up feeling grumpy you’re off to a bad start. If you wake up feeling rested you’re doing well. So, make sure you’ve ticked all your sleepy time boxes the night before. Have a relaxing shower before bed, make sure you’re snug and comfy, wear your favourite pj’s and don’t drink caffeine too close to bedtime. For me these are the best tips for getting a good nights sleep, and staying sane, because without sleep we are basically useless!
Mindset can make or break a day. I like to ease into my day. It starts me off in the right mindset. Hitting snooze repeatedly and dragging yourself out of bed is a sure fire way to a bad day. Give yourself time to ease into it. Take the time to sit in bed with a cup of coffee and a good book. If you have kids, this is the best time to just be quiet. I love this time, when all I can hear is the birds singing outside. It is peaceful and my quality ‘me time’.
The next thing I do is set my intentions for the day. This follows on from choosing your mindset. Setting your intention is like making a decision to be happy. It’s a conscious choice when you wake up in the morning to say thank you for being alive and well. Wriggle your toes, stretch out your limbs and remember the blessing of a new day. Set an intention to have a productive day, a joyful day, a healthy day etc. When you step into your day making a conscious choice you are much more likely to achieve your goal.
Next, let’s look at the resources and products that I use to set up my self-care routine.
Our emotions are there in every waking moment. But, they are so much a part of you, do you ever stop to consider how you manage your emotions? Or, do you tend to shrug them off if they don’t suit you?
Our emotions, or our feelings, are our ‘guiding light’ through this life. They warn us when we might be about to get hurt and they excite us when something major is happening for the positive. Although they are super reliable, they are not always convenient. They force us to sit up and pay attention. In a world full of ups and downs this is often not welcome and we tend to close ourselves off from our emotions.
You might have seen a post I put up recently on Instagram asking this question. I think that too often we just ‘don’t want to go there’. We don’t want to discuss the suggestion to move to another city. We avoid making that appointment with the Doctor to check out a niggle. Or, we would rather walk away than have another argument with the kids over who gets to sit in the front seat! Emotions can be overwhelming and exhausting and sometimes we’d rather just walk away.
In some situations it might be the best thing to do, to walk away. It could be the difference between letting something blow over and having things go so far that there’s no coming back. Sometimes walking away is the right thing to do. But, what you need to avoid is letting your emotions stew inside you. That is unhealthy. That turns to bitterness, resentment and anger and can start to work like a poison on your heart and soul. There is a fine line that we need to learn to recognize. We need to learn to assess our emotional state and reel ourselves in when necessary. Let’s look at some ways to manage our emotions.
We all love words in one form or another. We love books, poems and quotes. They inspire us, make us laugh, put life into perspective and so much more. But, do words have the power to shape us into the person we grow up to be? I want to share some of the words that have influenced me in my life. I have chosen some thought provoking quotes, poems and a special blessing that I absolutely love. I’ll start with some quotes.
So, what does personal growth mean anyway? I’ve personally learnt a lot about myself over the last year. For me it has been a metamorphosis, a slow process of change. Personal growth (it’s right there in the title) is personal. It is different for everyone. For me it is like going full circle. It is realizing that I had wandered away from my true self and finding a way to wander back to it. Finding a way to not only get back to myself but to work on getting better.
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.
If you’re someone who dreams of donuts and slabs of fudge, your go-to healthy choice has to be the good old smoothie! I have always had a serious sweet tooth. I love fudge and cake and anything in between so finding a healthy alternative that I can enjoy is a major win for me. Luckily for me I discovered smoothies! I swear I could hear the angels singing from up high! A natural and easy choice to keep me on track, while still enjoying that glorious guilty pleasure that is sweetness, smoothies are a no-brainer. So, it’s time to simplify your healthy living with smoothies!
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!
Question: How can you find inspiration? When last did you see it as an opportunity to be inspired! Ok, so you may not have to challenge yourself to be inspired, BUT….. challenging yourself will almost always result in inspiration! Challenges will leave you in a state of wonder at what you are capable of. Stepping outside of your comfort zone is almost certain to surprise you and teach you something about yourself.
