The 3 Rs of Self-Care

Going through your regular daily chores of living or dealing specifically with a rough, challenging situation(s) requires you to keep yourself replenished so that you can carry on well, cope and give to those in your care.  In other words, minimize running on empty, burning out and falling apart.

Just as we must have water and feed our bodies so we don’t weaken and get sick, we must nurture our bodies, mind and soul so we can maintain our strength in managing our life well.

I know what you’re going to say: I barely have time to breathe, let alone take any time for myself.  Now there truly is a few minutes a day that you can make and an hour here and there a week.  And it’s not about having the time, it’s about making it.

Ellen DeGeneres in her very funny way says we all suffer from TBD – too busy disorder.  This in and itself causes stress.  And then the problem becomes lack of recovery time.  We must have some recoup time.

We can’t wait for those big time opportunities like vacations for a week during the year or a couple of weekends per year.  We need to have micro time periods, those small bits of time each day/week to replenish.  These small amounts can positively affect the quality of our days and our managing abilities. Small changes in how we spend our time can bring about big change in our level of well-being. They are restorative and fill our buckets.

Let’s apply the 3 Rs in micro amounts.

 

Relax – Manage your stress more effectively by:

Taking some deep breaths throughout the day.  Try the routine of taking them when you’re at a red light.  Make them long, deep and slow.  You will feel an immediate release as your shoulders drop and your heart-rate slows down.

Going for a short, fast-paced walk during lunchtime or before walking into the house at the end of the day.  The ten minutes you give your body will be a great boost, energizer  and release of the days stress.  It will pay off more than the extra ten minutes in the house, coming in as a complete stress ball all knotted up.

Sitting in silence. I know some of you will resist even a few minutes but it’s important to tune out a bit.  Just sit and do nothing.  Try paying attention to your breath going in and out.  It turns off the outside noise and brings in a bit of calm, even if you’re mind continues to do its somersaults.  Quell those outside voices and begin to hear your own.

Rejuvenate – Feel more alive, focused and strong by:

Removing distractions – switch off all devices for an hour or so when home.   Put back some focus and energy onto other things without the beeps and bleeps from technology doing its thing.

Enjoying a happiness booster. Bring in something to your day that gives you joy and pleasure.  Remember, small bits are doable.

Spending time outside.  The outdoors and nature are soothing, healing and give us that larger perspective of life.  It’s expansive.  We feel like we’re part of something bigger and that itself is invigorating and uplifting.

Reclaim – Connect to yourself, to your best self by:

Knowing what you value and intentionally making it part of your life. It’s all too easy to get swept away by everyone else’s values and beliefs, including society and the media.  When you stay aligned to your values, you live more harmoniously with your true selves.

Knowing your character/personality strengths.  What are you good at?  Bring those forth daily.

Incorporating what is important and meaningful to you. You will tend to waste less time and expend less energy on the nonsense.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.  How do you nurture yourself so you can keep on going?  How do you recharge your batteries?