Yes that's right, I have to plan in my own self care to make sure it happens and ensure I'm maintaining my own resilience levels.
In this blog I will share my simple 6 step self care plan with you. It doesn't always come naturally to me to put my own needs first, so I have to make a deliberate and concerted effort to make sure my routine and self care priorities doesn't slip too much. It's so important that you consider doing something similar for yourself, if like me, you are also pron to putting others and other priorities higher than your own self care needs sometimes! Life happens, you are human, that's all OK but to be able to enjoy life to the full every day, getting those simple self care actions into your everyday routine as much as you can, is a must and not something optional you can skip without there being an impact on your mental and physical health. It will catch up with you.
Once you plan time in for self care and they are in your routine and flow with your every day activities, you will naturally begin to find new ways to be able to do even more of the things that you love, than you ever had time for before. You will become more productive when you are working, not less and when things do get tough you will have some energy in reserve to be able to keep going.
Here is my 6 step self care plan to greater resilience.
1. Make selfcare part of your everyday routine or ritual.
By building it into your daily routine you automatically allow the time you need for it. Link it to other every day activities that you rarely ever skip, like brushing you teeth, washing your hands, breaks to go to the bathroom etc.
2. Block out specific time in your diary
Block out space in your diary for very important 'self care' bookings. Actually book it like an appointment in your diary, even if you don't know when they are going to happen specifically yet, so you allow the time and space to shuffle things around to do them, once you do know. If your diary is perminenty full with no reserved time in it that is just for you, others will take it. You are always going to find it hard to make time for yourself if you allow this to happen. By reserving time for yourself, like a table for dinner. It doesn't matter what is served up, there will be some space for it.
This way your self care activities are far more likely to actually happen, rather than remain wishful thinking.
3. More stress = more self care not less.
If you have more than usual on your plate, make self care an even higher priority goal. Don't be tempted to skip the self care to give you more time for all the other stuff. That may work short term but will often form a habit that becomes long term if you allow it to. There are always going to be deadlines and pressing things for you to have to attend to. So make goals realistic, build in extra contingency time so your own time rarely gets squeezed out of the picture.
4. Don't let it slide
If you find you're not making enough time for your self care needs or have allowed 1 too many less helpful habits to creep back into your routine, take a look at what non essential tasks you can clear, postpone or deligate out of your to do list. Are they really essential? Do they really all have to be done today, this week, this month, even this year. Clear them out, to make more room for your own self care again.
5. Tighten up on your boundaries and flex your 'No' muscle.
Lastly, remember to tighten up on your boundaries not slacken them off. When tired or stressed it can sometimes feel easier to just cave in and take the easier, less assertive options. Remember to practice and flex your 'NO' muscles. Bending and being accommodating for others is good, being a push over and taking on even more work and tasks than you can handle is not on. You need to assert that because if you don't say when enough is enough, things will just keep piling up on you.
6. Have fun! Choosing what self-care you plan to do, with all your new found time you now have on your hands. Use it wisely, so you include a healthy dose of things you love doing. What energises you? Meeting up with friends or sitting quietly on your own with a good book? Team sports or dancing on your own like no one is watching. Taking an invigorating shower or long soak in the bath. We are all very different, so one person's self care may be another person's nightmare. Choose what YOU love not what you think would or should be best for you. Try new things and see how you get on with them.
Obviously I'm going to recommend setting aside an hour for a Reflexology treatment each week if you can. That's 2 clear hours in your diary, so that you can have time to relax and unwind at your own pace. Unrushed and unhurried both before and afterwards, not having to rush to your next appointment straight away. Ideally do this every week if you can, fortnightly, monthly or even 6 weekly at a stretch will still have a cumulative effect on your overall sense of wellbeing.
Book in a free 30 minute consultation call to find out more and book in a reflexology session with me.
Take care and enjoy reclaiming your self care time for yourself.
If you need support or would like to book on to a workshop, do get in touch. For more free resources sign up for my newsletter and receive your free gifts
Shelley Mason MAR
Reflexologist and NLP Practitioner