Stop for a second, take a breath and ask yourself: “What makes me feel connected to my- self?“ Maybe, it’s reading, writing, yoga, meditation, cooking or being in nature... It can be anything that helps you to recharge yourself.
You will realize that it’s often the simple things and yet, it’s exactly these simple things that fill up your cup with energy; which is WHY it is important to integrate them into your daily routine even if it’s only ten minutes per day, YOU DESERVE IT!
Was there ever a time when you felt guilty or bad that you took time for yourself questioned if you were being selfish? Often times, we want to take care of ourselves, but it takes a back seat and we put others first. A simple “no“ to a friend or family member can easily leave you with a guilty conscience.
We all live such busy lives and on top of that, making sure that we have time for family and friends, it’s normal to feel disconnected from ourselves.
Why make connecting to yourself a priority?
Remember that you can’t pour from an empty cup. So the question becomes, how to fill you cup back up?! How does making yourself top up your energetic cup?
1. It grounds you and helps to clear your mind.
2. It will have a positive impact on everything in your life. If you feel happy, content and recharged, your friends and family will feel it. You will naturally be more accepting and compassionate, to yourself and others.
3. It’s a way to get to know yourself better. You will start to figure out what moves you? What drives you? What scares you? Time for yourself creates the space needed to remove the layers that block you from seeing your deeper Self!
4. Showing up for yourself! It can feel empowering to make space for yourself daily. It means that you are setting boundaries and protecting your own energy.
5. Your physical health will benefit. If you make time for yourself, your overall awareness will increase which can lead to better life-choices.
Time for myself
with Coffee and good books
How to integrate it into your day?
1. Schedule it! When you schedule things, you are more likely to do them.
2. Put your alarm earlier. Your morning sets the tone for the day ahead. If you can fill your morning with something that makes you feel good, you will benefit from it throughout the day. Even fifteen minutes that you usually don’t have will give you more time to sit down, drink your coffee and read something that inspires you! TRY IT!
3. Date yourself. I once read the book “The artist way“ by Julia Cameron, where she suggested having a date with yourself once a week. On that “date“ you can do anything you feel like doing, visit an exhibition, go for a hike, eat out in a restaurant, it can be anything. It should help you get deeper in touch with yourself, refresh, make space for creativity and new ideas.
4. Write little reminders. Remind yourself to take time for yourself. You can place sti- ckers in your house that say “go out for a walk“ or “yoga practice at 9 am“ or “cook a delicious curry.” Simple reminders that help you not to skip your self-care practice. You can also add reminders on your phone (but something handwritten can be beautiful as it’s so rare nowadays).
5. Stay in the now. Try to practice to be more aware and bring yourself back to the now wherever you are. The mind is mostly in the past or future, but rarely in the now. How can you bring yourself back to the now? Focus on your breath (you can include breathing exercise like inhale for five and exhale for ten; concentrate on the inner aliveness of your body (feel your heartbeat and vibrancy in your body); feel your feet on the ground. The body is a powerful instrument that is always present (whereas the mind is not)! Connect to your body to become more present!
Things to keep in mind.
Self-care isn't selfish.
Being selfish means that you only have your own advantage in mind and eventually hurt or harm other people with your actions. Whereas self-care is to replenish yourself, without causing damage to another person. Like I mentioned above, self-care is necessary to build strength from within and therefore you have more energy to give to others.
There is no right or wrong way, do whatever makes you feel good.
What are you craving? What brings you joy? What makes you smile? What warms your heart? Listen and focus on yourself and don’t worry about what others think.
Doing nothing is also doing something
You don't necessarily have to do something, to recharge yourself. Sometimes just sitting, breathing and JUST BEING is enough!
It’s okay if you don’t feel at your best every day
Every day is different, filled with challenges, experiences and different circumstances. You will have stressful days, where you feel tired, exhausted and feel like doing nothing... and that’s okay! Exactly in these moments, you should have compassion for yourself as you would have for a family member or friend. The goal is not to be perfect, it is to thrive, to grow, to take good care of yourself, give it your best, ENJOY life and have fun!
These guidelines are just some suggestions to inspire your internal conversation with Self; do whatever works for you and remember that the smallest change in the right place and at the right time can have the biggest impact!
Take care!