After 30 days of caring for ourselves lets discuss what we learned. What were the take aways? What matters most? I have narrowed it down into 5 overarching lessons that I cannot wait to share.
Do you ever sit down at the end of the day drained of energy and wonder where the day went? Do you go to bed exhausted just to get up the following day just as exhausted and wonder why you have no stamina or vitality? You are not alone!
Today, we are taking a look back at what we have learned over the 30 Days of Self Care. We talk about the lessons we have learned and the take aways that we can carry with us going forward.
We talk about what it means to truly start caring for ourselves by putting ourselves first and everyone and everything else second.
In this episode we break it down into 5 straight forward lessons beginning with the importance of presence.
We’ve got to recharge, sister, so that we can go after those dreams of ours! Prioritizing self care helps us do just that. Then, we can start empowering other women and girls to do exactly the same thing.
Show Links
https://www.facebook.com/howshegothere/
https://www.instagram.com/howshegothere/
https://howshegothere.com/2018/10/how-to-follow-your-passion-and-raise-a-family-with-nichole-nguyen/
Transcript
Hey Pod Sisters!
I’m Susan Long and welcome to another episode of How She Got Here, Conversations with Everyday Extraordinary Women. I am so excited about todays episode because, as you know, we have just wrapped up our 30 Days of Self Care. So, I thought it would be fun to chat about what we have learned over the last month. From the conversations I have had with listeners, I have whittled down all we have learned into 5 overarching lessons. The take aways. After you have had a chance to listen I think it would be fun to share our experiences with each other over on our private FB Group Page. I’ll make sure to include a link to join that group in the show notes over on our website. So without further ado, lets dive in.
Lesson Number 1: Presence is a Present
We live in a time where we are over connected with our devices, but less connected with each other. We “see” each other on social media and we may know what is going on in each others lives, but actually knowing people in real life takes intentionality and is often outside our comfort zone. We had a few options over the past 30 Days to just that. To be more present. For example: turning social media and our devices off and having a face to face with someone. I hope you took advantage of a few of these opportunities. Taking time to reconnect with those that mean the most to us takes effort, but it is fundamental to our well being. I hope you were able to focus on those relationships and give them the attention they deserve.
One area in which I struggle is scheduling time with my girlfriends. I am able to get together for play dates with those that have kids often, but if you have kids you know this is not an ideal situation. It’s conversations between wrangling 3 and 4 year olds…it is chaos. Now that the little guy is in school I am making a point to schedule coffee and lunch with friends more often.
When you have the opportunity to catch up, might I also suggest putting away your phone. Now, this might be difficult if your kiddo is at school or with a sitter. You might need to be within arms reach of your phone. I get that. I am not saying leave it in the car. What I am saying is be with the person who is in front of you. Be fully present and listen.
Lesson Number 2: Owning your own self care enables you to care for others
This is about prioritizing. This is about time management. Something I am working on getting better at myself. One thing that has really helped me is writing out my morning and evening routines and then scheduling 3 days a week for yoga. I find that when I write things down I actually remember them and am more likely to do them. The first day of the 30 Days of Self Care suggested that you write out your morning and evening routine. I shared mine on Instagram (so you can still check it out there) and I will also make sure to link it in the show notes of this episode. There is also a free “routines” printable on our website you can download. I will make sure to link that as well.
I think I learned this trick from Emily Ley and I cannot remember if it is in one of her books or on one of her social media pages. At first I thought it was silly and I wasn’t going to do it. When I took the time and looked at my day, there were things I was missing. I was bolting out of bed in the morning and literally not feeding myself. It was (and sometimes still is) easy for me to forget to eat breakfast and or lunch. I make sure everyone else gets fed…including the dogs. But I forget myself. I do not prioritize ME! It is so easy to let your day dictate you and not you dictate your day. This is why writing out your routine is beneficial. Owning your own self care also means taking care of your stuff. I’m not talking about your belongings either. I am talking about mental, physical and spiritual and by that I mean your soul. What did you find most helpful from the past 30 Days? Was it journaling? Meeting with your psychologist or psychiatrist, a minster perhaps? Was it finally scheduling that appointment you have been putting off? Mine was actually becoming more physically active. Since formulating the idea of this podcast I have thrown my whole self into it. I love it! It means everything to me. However, it is a lot of brain work. I am often sitting and writing or researching. Not much physical action going on. Yoga has been a game changer. It is really helping me care for my whole self in ways I have not in a long time. It is physically active, it helps me clear my head and it is also really really good for my soul. I am already seeing results in prioritizing my own self care. I find I have more patience and just more to give to others in general. Now that I am making time to fill myself I can better help fill others as well.
Lesson 3: Caring for your whole self
The importance of caring for your whole self and being able to recharge your batteries is different for each of us. Some recharge by being with other people. Some prefer solitude. Believe it or not I am a total introvert. I love being around those that I am close to, but small talk with those I don’t know that well or strangers takes everything out of me. So for me to recharge I might take a little time to be totally by myself and then really really want to hang out with my husband or my close friends.
I want us to think about our whole self. Mind, body and soul/spirit. What does that mean for you? What does the perfect day look like for you? Is it meeting with your counselor, working out and spending time with friends and family? Does it mean bible study, a walk and a little while alone? Whatever it looks like take time to do it. Schedule it! You can’t care for others well if you aren’t caring for yourself.
Lesson 4: Taking care of yourself is a state of being not doing
It is easy to get caught up in the doing. The goal over the last 30 Days was not just to add another item to your to do list. It was to get us thinking about how we treat ourselves. Are we kind to ourselves? Are we compassionate with ourselves? Nichole, the founder of Mommy’s Home Office, talked about that in a previous episode that I will make sure to link in the show notes. She shared how unkind she was with how she talked to herself. I don’t think this is unique to Nichole. I do this and I would bet you do too. We get so caught up in our “to do” list or what we think we should be doing; what we see others doing or accomplishing – that we forget to be. We forget to be ourselves. We are to busy with the doing.
Lesson 5: Reconnect with yourself
It is so important to know yourself and have a relationship with yourself. That is why I included journaling opportunities on days 8, 16, 22, and 27. If you haven’t had a chance to do this yet it is worth going back and revisiting. Take the time to think about these things and write them out. Be still and think. I find journaling in the morning right after I get up with a hot cup of coffee or right before I go to bed with a hot cup of tea really beneficial. It helps me be focused and centered. I think when we take the time to know ourselves it is easier to be ourselves. When you really know what you are about you will know what your next steps are. You will know if something is good or bad for you. You will feel better connected with yourself.
To close, Thanks so much for listening today. I am so glad we took time over the last 30 Days to really take care of ourselves. If you participated in 1 day or all 30 know you did something good for you! I am going to put all of the days into a calendar and e-mail it out to our subscribers. So, if you haven’t had a chance to subscribe head on over to www.howshegothere.com and do so. If you are enjoying this podcast, head on over to iTunes and hit subscribe. And while you’re there I’d really appreciate it if you would rate and review it in order to make it easier for others to find. I also make sure to read every review and email and Facebook post you leave, and Instagram comment you leave. I’m always excited to hear your feedback. And finally, one last announcement, we have finally created a private Facebook group, the How She Got Here Community Page, and would love to have you join us there to continue the conversation on today’s episode, as well as any other fun “How She Got Here” content. So, with all of that said, thank you so much for listening. I’ll see you soon.
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