In the last blog we discussed strategies for a successful self-care routine. We talked about the importance of establishing healthy routines and setting clear boundaries.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the specifics of what your self-care routine might include. These are just a few ideas based on years of experience as health coaches and working with clients. Have fun with your list. After all, health, wellness and the road to your best self is meant to be FUN!
Before you keep reading please know you can now hear my thoughts on this topic on our YouTube Channel or you can just keep reading.
Remember, self-care is an active and conscious choice. Choose to engage in activities that nourish you from the inside out on a daily basis. Self-care is anything you do to take care of yourself mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
A consistent self-care practice can result in mood improvement as well as a relaxed and stress-free mind. This aids us in achieving an optimal level of overall health, which in turn helps create balance, focus and vibrancy in our daily lives.
“The better you know yourself, the better your relationship
with the rest of the world.” (Toni Collette)
So many of us give our power away to everyone around us - thinking this is the pathway to peace. It turns out, the pathway to true and everlasting peace is through self-care. It’s only through introspection and treating ourselves with love as well as kindness, that we can in-turn give love and kindness out to the world.
Know this: however you treat yourself is how you will treat others.
This is why, ironically, the most selfless thing you can do is to be self-centered
(albeit not selfish.)
Once we establish an active, daily self-care practice, we are no longer looking outside of ourselves for what we will never find. We learn to go within and to ask ourselves, “What do I need now?” The answer to this question will begin to fill up your self-care list. Here are a few ideas we found to be helpful for ourselves and our clients.
7 Ways to Practice Self-Care
1. Create a JOYful Movement Routine. Moving our bodies daily is so vital for our mental health, our strength, and for healthy skin. This looks different for everyone depending on what you enjoy doing. For some, it’s daily walks, for others, like me, it’s a yoga class, or a hike in the woods; getting out in nature.
Whatever it is that YOU enjoy doing, start to do a little of that each day and you’ll begin to feel the JOY moving your body can bring.
2. Maintain Consistent Daily Sleep. Getting adequate sleep is a cornerstone to any self-care plan. It’s impossible to be our best selves when we’re sleep deprived.
Create a daily routine. Go to bed and get up at approximately the same time each day, even on weekends. Do the same thing before bed each night, i.e. a bath to wind down or read for 15 minutes. Also, it’s so important to turn off and limit electronics before bedtime which really wreaks havoc on your sleep schedule.
3. Practice Mindful Eating. This act of self-care encourages you to take your time and apply thoughtfulness to your daily eating patterns.
It even applies to shopping for your food and cooking the meal. Asking questions like, “Where is this food from?” “Is this food in season right now?” “What is its nutritional value?” Other tips include listening to your body and stopping when full and eating foods that are nutritionally healthy. Here are more ways to practice mindful eating.
4. Develop a Spiritual Practice. Spiritual self-care means connecting to the source. It supports your efforts to be more connected to a higher calling and gives greater meaning to your life.
For me, this is reflected in my relationship with God. Having a daily spiritual practice allows me to connect to God and set intentions for my day. This might also include spending time in meditation and/or journaling.
It’s a way to get quiet and go within, to listen to the voice of your intuition. This is an incredible act of self-care. You will begin to create greater awareness and see evidence of your intentions manifesting.
5. “Live and Let Live.” Put simply, this self-care practice reminds us to be tolerant of others’ imperfections as well as with our own. It encourages us to live our lives in a manner that we wish and to allow others to do the same.
This is a simple but difficult practice. It involves allowing others the dignity and respect to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes. This practice affords a lot of peace and tranquility as we begin to let go of others’ “stuff” and focus on our own lives.
6. Take a Self-Care Trip. Travel is an excellent form of self-care. It physically removes you from your current environment and asks you to do something different.
Getting lost in a new city, especially while traveling solo, can really open your mind to what you want in life and help you grow as a person. Travel can be motivation to set new goals, or just serve as validation that you’re happy. Either way, travel gives you time to set aside the technology and stress, to focus on yourself.
7. Hire a Coach. This is one of the ultimate ways of taking care of yourself, invest in a coach. They are there for YOU and only YOU. A coach is highly focused on helping their clients create sustainable and transformational physical, emotional, and spiritual self-care habits.
We practice what we preach. I worked with a JOYVIAL health coach and can’t tell you how much it has helped me. Yes, coaches need coaches too. Take this tip and invest in yourself.
Are you ready to level up on your self-care game? Why not speak with a JOYVIAL health coach and see what they can do for you?
JOYVIAL health coaches help you discover what your vision of optimal health and well-being looks like for you, the whole you – mind, body and spirit. Through your coaching partnership, you’ll identify ways to navigate the obstacles between you and what really matters to you. No matter how big or small, your coach will help you meet your health and wellness goals.
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Remember, at JOYVIAL, we are committed to helping you live your healthiest, most JOYful life. For all the latest health and wellness tips and to get inspired, following along with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.