The first trend I’ve observed, is waiting for the weekend to reward yourself with self-care, especially after a busy and exhausting work week.

You were not taught how to take care of yourselves. You were taught to work hard, to put in effort to achieve your big goals and then take care of yourself.

The second trend that I’ve observed, is seeking self-care after you’ve fallen sick, feeling overwhelmed, nearing burn-out and needing a break from life.

Self-care becomes a go-to practice when fatigue creeps into your body and tells you that you need to stop and take care of you.

The truth is that your body, your soul is always asking to be loved and cared for and you have been ignoring this message! The lack of love builds up and manifests as physical symptoms in your body that waves a red flag in your face to finally catch your attention. I have been stuck in this cycle before as well.

Having a morning or evening routine is great! Setting intentions and energy at the start of the day is wonderful! Hobbies, exercise, rest, sleep, healthy eating habits, massages, journaling, meditation, hanging out with friends or partners, me-time. Affirm and appreciate yourself for your go-to practices that you have!

It’s time to go beyond that and continue to take care of yourself throughout the day – not only in the morning or evening. I’ve found that this level of self-care truly nourishes my energy, my body, enabling me to speak with greater self-compassion and kindness towards myself and others.

I am advocating for self-care to be practiced every single day, as many times as you can throughout your day, in small practical ways!

Here are top 7 favourite ways to practice self-care in my busy work day, as a case worker in the child protection field:
– 5 morning audio meditations to set intentions for the day ahead, claim ownership of my energy during interactions with others, clearing and balancing my chakras.
– 5 daily alerts on my phone, throughout the day, reminding me to drop into my heart
– Switching off the Facebook app to be more present in my day
– Clearing my energy after every client session to reset my energy by choosing how I intend to feel
– Taking mini breaks: walking out of the office to the toilet, looking at trees, breathing in the air, taking a pause to drink water only
– Taking a shower the moment I get home, to cleanse and ground myself
– Sleeping early

Having a toolbox of self-care practices that you love will enable you to get out of the chaos of the moment, into the calm of your heart and your body.

Prioritising self-care and your needs on a daily basis means that you feel renewed energy and inspiration to show up in your day to interact with your clients, colleagues, family and friends.

It means that you know how to set boundaries and say no, so that you can honour your body’s desire for rest and relaxation, stop saying yes out of obligations and focus your energy on the things that you really want to do!

If you would like to implement a daily self-care practice, take my Daily Self-Care Assessment which will help you see how your current self-care practice has been serving 6 important aspects of your life and walk away with a sustainable self-care action plan that fuels you from within, allowing you to show up as more of who you really are, every single day!

Please share your thoughts below on practicing self-care on a daily basis!

Posted On : July 2, 2017 BY Viknesvari | No Comments | ADD YOURS