SIMPLE SELF-CARE HABITS

What is self-care?

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Often it brings to mind activities like massages, mindfulness and yoga.  

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There is nothing wrong with those activities. I love yoga. But I suggest that these activities sometimes are seen as the recovery after the intense stress. So we go from pushing ourself to our limit, and then having a (probably all too brief) recovery activity. Instead of this peaks and troughs approach. there are more helpful habits we can have for our self-care. 

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1. Stop before we are feeling overwhelmed. 

It's so tempting to try to keep going even when we are tired. Building in rest will be better for us and help us keep going sustainably.  This New York Times article uses the example of sled dogs to demonstrate the impact on resilience: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/sports/sled-dogs-mushing-unknowns-planning.html/

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2. Know our boundaries.

This wonderful Brene Brown video explains how the most compassionate people have the clearest boundaries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U3VcgUzqiI

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3. Just take a moment to ask ourself "How can I take better care of myself right now?"  This question is from Michael Neill, who has found it will almost always be a simple activity like stretching or getting a glass of water. Through asking this question, and acting on what comes up, we will give ourselves the feeling of being cared for. 

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Let me know how you get on via the contact form.