Is life feeling like a vicious game of Dodge Ball these days? You know, balls whirring past your head, hitting your hip, tripping you up at every turn or ouch…maybe even gut punching you?
It happens to all of us right?
Sometimes we are just so busy with work, kids, school or busy-ness that we don’t see what’s coming until, out of the blue, we are hit.
Usually that hit comes in the form of a cold or flu, sometimes it can be worse like pneumonia or an auto-immune flair up.
A few weeks ago, I let my life get frenetic. I had just finished a 5 day yoga training intensive and was leaving to spend time with my coach at a mastermind retreat. The day before I was to fly south for the retreat, I woke up feeling achy all over, low appetite and incredibly tired.
There was no way I was going to fly in that condition, nor was I going to miss this retreat, so I went into…
Super Self Care Mode
It WORKED!!! The next morning when I woke up at the not so civilized hour of 3:30 a.m., and I felt great!
Okay, I know, great is a stretch at that hour of the day, but I had no aches, I had an appetite and I wasn’t abnormally tired. Keep reading to find out exactly what I did to send this nasty bug on its way.
Super Self Care Mode isn’t about being indulgent with pleasure, though it is indeed pleasurable.
Super Self Care Mode is about honoring the sensations of your body so that you can stay well even at times of high stress.
If you are taking care of a sick loved one, a parent that can no longer care for themselves or feel like you are hanging on by your finger nails you owe it to your body and your health to take super-dupe good care of you.
There are a lot of people that rely on you, but you will not be able to support them if you are not committed to your health first.
So if it isn’t about being indulgent with pleasure, what is Super Self Care?
Super Self Care is about not harming your health with toxic things like
- sugar (that tub Ben and Jerry’s may feel soothing, but it isn’t going to change your circumstance),
- one too many glasses of wine (may make you ‘feel’ relaxed, but your sleep AND you skin is going to suffer),
- all-nighters (are not only counter productive to creativity and productivity, they add flab around your belly and bags under your eyes) and
- critical self talk (simply the most destructive habit you can engage in…science has proven that your cells hear every word or thought you say or think and they respond accordingly).
7 Super Self Care Mode Tips
to help you make through the rainy days of life.
# 1 Get to bed no later than 10:00 p.m.. Studies have shown that the more sleep you get before midnight, the better you sleep. Good sleep is vital to a slim waistline.
#2 Drink plenty of water. Your brain is 60% water by weight, drink up for optimal functioning.
#3 Eat as many whole, minimal processed foods as possible. It takes a lot of energy to digest today’s processed foods. Those crunchy chips may seem appealing, but they hold no nutritional value and create oxidation and inflammation in the body and they use way too much energy to digest. It’s like leaving the windows open and running the air conditioner. Stress will deplete your body of stored vitamins, trace elements and minerals.
#4 Be social. We all feel better when we are not alone. Call a friend or mentor, someone that won’t take mealy mouthed complaints from you, but will lend a compassionate ear.
#5 Practice gratitude. I know, I know…that is always said, but once again, studies have shown that when we take time to feel gratitude for even the smallest of things, like this next breath for instance, our immunity increases, our ability to manage stress goes up.
#6 Actively rest. What??? Yep, there is such a thing as active rest and no, it has nothing to do with video games or Downton Abby marathons, those pastimes are not restful to your mind, body or eyes. Active rest is deliberately resting with no visual or mental stimulation. If you’ve been in a yoga class, you have engaged in active rest at the end of class, it’s called Savasana. Meditation is a form of active rest that is being widely studied. The benefits are noticed not only in the physical body but also mental health and emotional stability.
#7 Only do the necessary. We often put more on our plates than we actually need to be responsible for. Focus on what absolutely needs to be done. Ask someone else to the rest or just let it go…the world won’t end if the laundry isn’t folded ‘just so’. I promise.
Tell me…
What is stressing you out these days?
Email me to learn my personal recommendations
Comments
Thanks Wendy! I kept up with my Essential Oil regimen for 2 more days just to be sure and didn’t even have a single ache, cough, sore throat or feel tired. Stay well and feel good!
You are definitely speaking my language. Of your list above number 5 through 7 resonate with my personal experience. I think that active rest is what our body craves often and yet we deprives ourselves of this nutrient. If rest was a vitamin we would all be deficient! So rest, gratitude (creates positive attitude) and paring down out to do list are the healthiest things we can do for ourselves whether we are sick or not!
I’m so glad you found value Angela! You’re so right, if we had a blood serum test for adequate rest we would all be deficient at times, I like how you state that…if rest was a vitamin. The great thing about is that we can get that without spending a single dime!
I used to ignore my body all the time and shove whatever I could get my hands on in my mouth, but then I developed food allergies and had digestive problems (anything that could go wrong did) and so I changed my entire life. Self care requires enormous mindfulness and proactive thinking. So many people go through life on autopilot, just acting, never taking a moment to consider what life would like look if they played an active role in everything they do. I use doTerra essential oils now to look after my health and my family’s well being. In addition to having a vegan diet and getting plenty of exercise, I take extra steps to ensure my health by taking my supplements and treating my ailments with essential oils. Essential oils (I kid you not, have change my life, the way I look at medicine and a holistic approach to life). Thanks for sharing this. I really appreciated what you wrote.
Hayley, I totally get what your saying. The doTerra oils are both curative and supportive. Self Care really does take enormousness mindfulness, proactive thinking and… I’ll even add one to your list…commitment to be of service and fulfill our purpose. It is anything but selfish because the only way we can best care for others is to be sure we are on our A game. Thanks so much for stopping by!
I LOVE these 7 steps! They are so simple, but somehow we all seem to constantly forget about them! Thank you for the awesome resource and for making a list so we can print it out and tape it on our fridge so we never forget! 🙂 I love the active rest part as well. I know for myself, it’s hard to turn my brain off and usually when I’m resting there is always still the TV or noise stimulating my brain, thank you for the reminder!!
Hi Jessica, thank you sooo much. Active rest has strong healing, restorative AND rejuvenating properties…no calories, no caffeine buzz and no sugar dumps! Our ears are the hardest working sensory organs…they are always on alert, even when we sleep, so giving them a break is super charging our rest.
I especially liked tips 5 & 6! Looking for the things to give gratitude usually changes my entire perspective of the circumstances of the day. Tip 6 is a great reminder to sometimes shut out the noise of the day even in small ways such as turning off the TV, car radio, or finding a quiet spot for a few minutes. Great list!
Thanks Sue, I’m glad you like it! And really, you’re right, it can be in those small ways you mentioned. I always have a song in my head and #6 makes me sing…the sound of silence…
I like your list of 7…especially # 1 to bed by 10:00…I have much better days when I get my beauty sleep. & GRATITUDE…that changes every thing! Thanks!
#1 is probably my most challenging investment but the one that pays me the biggest dividends! For me too, Gratitude is a game changer…Thanks Cathy!
– See more at: http://rommy-kirby.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/blog/2013/03/7-super-self-care-mode-tips#sthash.leNuUc9j.dpuf
Those essential oils are terrific!! I have been taking flu bombs today and am drinking the water with lemon and on doing the On Guard too. ALL your tips are great! Thanks for the reminders. Sharing!! <3