Last week was Self Care Week here in England. It sparked the creative fire inside me and I thought to myself lets write a blog.
Over the last couple of months I chose to take a little detox from blogging, which in turn spread itself into a detox across social media and mobile phone usage in general. It was a deliberate habit I started as part of my 'self care' strategy that I have in place. Sometimes it's good to take a break from technology and reconnect with real people in the the real world.
Self Care...what is it and why bother?
In my opinion, self care is about implementing strategies and habits in your daily routine to give your life, body, mind and soul a bit of love and attention it so thoroughly deserves. My theory is self care can be split into emotional, mental and physical self care sections and all need their own bit of attention from time to time. Self care often doesn't cost a thing, other than your time. My advice is to spend your time wisely.
Shona's Self Care Tips
For the soul..
- Feeling stuck in life or generally a bit low? I've been there. Imagine you're your best friend. If you were, what would you tell yourself right now? Listen to your own advice and take action.
- Make a small connection with someone new. Say hi to someone new in the office, the barista in your regular coffee shop or (god forbid) perhaps someone on the Tube. It certainly makes me feel a bit better about myself saying an extra hello, please or thank you to someone during my day.
For the body..
- Focus on your food - put the right stuff into your body. Take 30 minutes on a Sunday to sit down, have a coffee and plan 3 evening meals for the week. Make something new, make an effort. My source for new recipes is the BBC Good Food website or any one of Joe Wicks's Lean in 15 books.
- Add some extra super foods into your diet to add an extra kick of nutrients. Three I really like at the moment are:
1. Chia seeds (I use ones from Chia Co as they come in a large bag size to put in porridge or yoghurt)
2. Cacao powder (added to {coconut} yoghurt - try it! Also contains 20% protein and 37% fibre)
3. Flax-seeds for healthy insides (nearly 20% protein and over 35% fibre)
For the mind..
- Unplug yourself. Take note of how many times an hour you habitually reach into you pocket, get your phone out and mindlessly scroll. Don't close yourself off to the world and bury your head in your phone. - Read...bear with me if you aren't a fan! I used to hate reading at school, really hate it. I've now discovered the many benefits of it. I personally find it a great way to wind down before bed (obvs not if you're reading a horror novel!). I like being able to take myself away into a totally different, non judgemental world and forget about this one for a while. Reading autobiographies (my personal faves) also provide an opportunity to learn about the lives of others and what they may have been through.
- Write. Take 2-3 minutes at the end of your day or week to go through 3 good things that have happened recently and 3 things you are grateful for. It helps me reset my mind if I need it. There's always something to be grateful for - the weather for not raining when walking to work, a friend paying for your coffee, having working heating in the house. Some days are easy and some you just have to search a bit harder than others to find them. I like to use a good quality note book to write stuff in too - either my new personalised GB Smythons book (big thanks!) or my trusty little BookBlock Doodle pad. There's also a ton of apps out there for the more techy2k18 people.