Looking after yourself - its the little things….
Self care isn’t just having regular massages, it starts daily….
By Nicole Webb
My profession is all about self care. But what if you cant get to a massage practitioner regularly, or better still, don’t enjoy massages? You don’t have to have a massage to do self care. Here are the little things that I have found so beneficial for achieving self care every day…
1. Taking time out every day
This can be just for 10 minutes every day. It can vary in what you do, but the idea here is to stop your routine, and do just that – STOP. I like to go outside and sit, so does my husband. Sometimes we sit out on the front porch, sometimes on the back steps. Its the break in the routine that allows for you to recoup, and therefore allows for you to feel like you are you again. Oh and try to do this without your phone by your side, remember its about breaking routine….
2. Go for a daily walk is a great way to do self care
This is an obvious one, but worth mentioning, because it doesn’t take much time, and well, its free! Exercise increases endorphins, which is the feel good hormone, and getting your step counts up is a great way to do this. I like to take a different route with every walk. I follow my nose, and go with feeling, its fun and I usually listen to my favourite podcast, these days its anything Abraham Hicks
3. Have the intent for looking after yourself
The thing with self-care is the intent. Intent is a way to set the trajectory, the momentum. You can do any of these things without the intent of self care, and it may not feel like self care. If doing any of things things feels ‘forced’ for you, then try a different thing on the list. Its about choosing the path of least resistance, and what brings you joy.
4. Meditate
This doesn’t have to take an hour. It doesn’t even have to take 20 minutes. (Although, once you start your meditation practice, 20 minutes will be easy.) Starting with 5 minutes a day is a great start. In a quiet room, find a comfortable spot to sit. On the floor or a chair, it doesn’t matter. Slow your breathing down to a comfortable deep, natural rhythm. It’s important to not force it, but it is important to revisit your breathing from time to time throughout your session, to bring it back to comfortable deep, natural breathing.. Now, allow your thoughts to enter, and leave you, that is, they come in, and they go out, like leaves on a stream, like float right on by you, and you are merely observing them. That’s it. If you find that’s too hard there are many apps out now, that can take guide you through the process
5. Draw / colour in / paint / creative
Because we are creative beings, we love to create. No-one is excluded from this fundamental human experience. No matter how old we are, we can all benefit from good ol’ classic creativity. Bringing out the pencils, textas, paint, or whatever your favourite medium is can wire up the left and right parts of your brain, calm your mind and bring you joy. I go to a weekly painting class and am loving it. The process is a great way to be on the moment, and for some, takes the place of meditation.
6. Have a bath
One of the ways to do self care is to draw yourself a bath and have a long soak. Put some candles on and perhaps some music too. Your nervous system has a great chance to rebalance itself, you will appreciate your muscles unwinding as you time out for yourself. It doesn’t have to be a long soak, but try to aim for 20 minutes if you can. If you are experiencing achey muscles, pop some salts in a kill two birds with one stone, relax AND help your muscles.
7. Drink water
This is looking after yourself 101. Our bodies are 90% water, and if you arent drinking at least eight glasses of water a day, you could be dehydrated without realising it. These symptoms include lethargy and headaches, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t make great decisions when I am tired and / headachey .
8. Eat more veggies
Preparation is the key here, at the beginning of each week, chop up a huge batch of veggies, cauli, broccoli, carrot, beans, celery etc and have them ready to snack on when you’re hungry. I love mine with hummus ( yumis is yummm). My husband takes his 2 cups worth in to the office every day, and has them for lunch.Looking after yourself is looking after your digestion system. Your belly will thank you for it, and as we know, your gut health is a huge part of you. Happy tum, happy you.
9. Looking after yourself can be as simple as booking in a massage
Of course I will say this, this is what I do, massage right? Personally, no matter how busy I am, if fact, the busier I am, I make sure to book in a treatment for myself.
It gives me time out, I can drop into the feeling of my muscles saying thank you as the trigger points get released. I love deep tissue and cupping ,but there are so many different styles, you can choose relaxation, Lomi Lomi, myofascial release. They will all fundamentally do the same thing, give you time out and your body will love you for it.
10. Catch up with a friend
Another different way to do self care is to catch up with a friend. Not with just any friend, catch up with someone that’s on your team, that really cares about you, and gets you. That supports you, but gives a slap on the hand if you need it; someone who you can have a laugh with too. Self care is about not doing it alone, so good ol friendship can be just what the Dr ordered.
11. Dance / listen to music
There’s a universal language in music. Lyrics of a song can poetically touch the soul of many. Listening to music connects you to this fabric of universal understanding of human experience. Self care if about understanding your are not alone in your experience, that knowing this means you don’t have to carry the burden of figuring it out on your own. Pretty deep explanation to music, yeah, but I have shed many tears listening to music, and thus not feeling alone because of this.
Dancing is the expression of this language. Its fun, its free’ing, and if you do it like the saying gors, dance like no-one is watching, I’ll bet there will be a great big smile that will be found.
12. Laugh at yourself
Its the taking of life seriously that can feel heavy and well, plain old boring. I know we need to be serious, but when that takes over, we can be too hard on ourselves. I find that when I do something silly, if I don’t laugh at myself, I am going upstream, against the flow. Having a laugh at yourself is a great way to do self care because its helps you to look at the lighter side of life. Laughter releases those happy hormones, and thats what self care is all about.
13. Do something fun
Break up the mundane, and do something different and exciting. It doesn’t have to cost anything, it could be swinging on the swing set when at the park with the kids, or if you don’t have kids, jump on one when walking. I remember years ago, some friends and I randomly went wig shopping because it felt fun. We followed our noses and had a great day out. And yes, I bought a wig. Flying doctors style. Classic!
14. Go with the path of least resistance
All of the above self care ideas need to have this in it. If you feel you are forcing yourself, or if it doesn’t feel right for you at the time, please stop. Breathe, and ask what it is you need to do, and what will be the path of least resistance. For me, when I feel like I am ‘fighting’ my day, I remember to stop, breathe, and check in with myself with what I need, what is the path of least resistance, and if my body says take a nap, then I feel best when I listen to this.
15. Appreciation / Gratitude - start a gratitude diary
I believe a way to connect to who you really are is to tap into the good feeling thoughts ( thank you Abraham Hicks <3 ).
A fabulous way to do this is to feel appreciation for the life that is happening around you. To build upon this feeling, starting gratitude diary is to make this feeling strong in your day.
Here’s how to do this. Find a notebook, it can be a pretty or as plain as you like, it really doesnt matter. At the end of each day, at bedtime, write at least three things that you are grateful for. You can list the big thing, the important things yes, but I encourage you to also include the little things too. ( you will find the list will grow after a good practice gets started ). The reason I say look for the little things, is that these things are what happens if your every day. As you build this practice, you will start to notice that you will feel the appreciation at the time they occur.
The more you can connect to this feeling, the more you are being you, in all that makes you tick and come alive.
