Our culture thrives on being busy, applauding those who are the busiest and don’t slow down for anything or anyone -- especially themselves. It has taken years for me to learn to allow myself to take time to care for and love myself. I want my kids, friends, family, colleagues to know a different way, and to feel fully supported in their needs to maintain daily balance. For instance, to regroup after a long day at school, my son needs time outside, while my daughter needs to draw or read. I encourage them both to take the time they each need for those activities each day.
The most effective way to teach is to lead by example. Below are self-care and self-love tips for you, your family members, and friends to implement during this holiday season and into the New Year.
The most effective way to teach is to lead by example. Below are self-care and self-love tips for you, your family members, and friends to implement during this holiday season and into the New Year.
- Affirmations. The Zendoway “I Love Me Affirmations” cube has prompts that ask you to write down why you love yourself, to create a love dance or song, to repeat “I love me” 10 times, and other similar activities. The self-love affirmation is a powerful tool as we all need that daily reminder that we are awesome, no matter what. Using the cubes at the dinner table is an interactive way to spark new conversations and learn about each other. The first time I gave my daughter this cube to roll at the dinner table, she said, “I don’t love anything about myself.” I was baffled, since she shows a consistent front of self-confidence and happiness. With further conversation, I was able to figure out that she just had a bad day and was temporarily feeling down on herself, which we can all relate to. I was so grateful that the cube facilitated that conversation, so I could support her! What do you love about yourself?
- Do something you love daily. Ask yourself, “what brings me joy?” We get so caught up in the day to day of being tugged in so many different directions, it can come to the end of the day and we have forgotten all about our own needs. Let’s give ourselves love, attention, that one special treat that will make us smile, and brings us ultimate joy. What brings you joy?
- Spend time alone. We all require downtime to process our busy lives. Mindful time alone allows us to decompress, tap into our creative nature, solve a problem, and discover what to say to nurture our family or team members. Time alone can be in meditation, a walk, a run, or even driving in our cars. I love to have the first hour when I wake up to myself to spend in various ways; if I don’t take that time, I find I feel all out of sorts. How do you spend your alone time?
- Nurture your body. Eat healthy food, use organic lotion/oils on your skin, and practice self-massage. An easy self-practice I do each night is to massage sesame (warming) or coconut (cooling) oil on my feet before I go to bed. It not only keeps my feet well moisturized, it promotes sound sleep and is an effective way to give back to my body at the end of each day. How do you nurture your body?
- Check in with your feelings. Many times, we think we should feel or act a certain way. When was the last time you checked in with how you were truly feeling? When I started this “check-in” practice daily, I was amazed at my own personal insights throughout each day. When you are feeling stressed, check in with yourself. How are you really feeling right now?
- Gauge your mental chatter. What is going on in our minds can be mind-boggling. My meditation teacher Rolf Gates taught me how to release these thoughts by putting them into an imaginary boat, giving it a label, and letting it go. Do you have a boat that is full of to-do items or filled with worry? Either way, it is okay; just label it, and set it off to sea. What is your mental chatter?
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