Bless you Gentle Reader and how are you today? I pray you and your loved ones are safe and well. Massive hugs and special greetings to new subscribers…welcome aboard and I hope you enjoy being part of our loving community.
Well, first of all I must apologise. This was not the post I sat down to write. This post is about 3 self-care mistakes I have been making over recent weeks and not, as originally planned the next post in our Yoga for Beginners series.
As I started to write my intended yoga post my flow was interrupted by this hacking cough – the remnants of a lingering 72 hour bug which knocked me for six at the end of last week. For the first time for years, I felt so unwell, headachy, achy joints, stiff sore shoulders that I went straight to bed as soon as I got in on Thursday and spent most of Friday and Saturday asleep in bed.
Like most of you, whether I feel ill or bright and bubbly, I push on and do what I have to do. It’s only in recent years that I have given myself some slack and started to take responsibility for my own self-care and look after myself.
However, whilst lying in bed and drifting in and out of sleep, I wondered what bug this was and how come I had missed all
signs. The truth was staring me in the face. I came back from our family holiday in Grenada on such a high that I was buzzing and just riding on fresh air and that feel-good-holiday vibe that I didn’t notice that I was slipping back into some of my unhealthy bad habits.
Old Habits Die Hard
Slowly at first but with each passing day I started to ignore when my body’s inner clock said stop, rest, eat now, do
one thing at a time. Plus on a personal level, watching my twin girls settle into university, worrying about them as well as listening to my eldest daughter frantically share her concerns about financing her year long trip around Canada, plus some unexpected hefty domestic bills I really felt stretched and pulled in too many directions.
As I lay wrapped up with my hot water bottle and lavender sprinkled over pillows I took stock and looked at some of the bad habits I allowed back in.
Here are the three key self-care mistakes I realise I have been making since coming back from Grenada (1 January 2013)
Self-care Mistake#1- Not Getting Enough Sleep
Over last 4-5 weeks I have drifted back into my old habit of surfing the web and working till after midnight, and ending up in bed wired and tired after 1am. I know from personal experience that lack of sleep is a killer and leaves you jaded and frayed the following day.
Going to bed past 1.00 am meant I was overtired, my brain was buzzing and because I was tired my night time prayers and mental preparation rituals for the following day didn’t happen. It felt like I had no space in my head between switching off from work and going into bed.
Solution – Re-establish Wind-down Night Time Routine
To get back into the habit of switching off my laptop by 8.00 pm (unless I have a pre-arranged online business call) reading at least ten pages from the novel my daughter recommend I read, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the window and disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
(absolutely hilarious read) and spend time breathing / meditating and journaling which includes reflecting over my day and setting out intention for following day. You can read more about this routine here.
Self-Care Mistake #2 – Worrying
I am thankful I am able to be self-employed to write, blog teach yoga. I wish to grow and expand my business and reach more people. In Grenada my heart was filled with visions and desires for the future it all seem so clear and easy. Yet back home in cold UK, I lost sight of these dreams and aspirations and instead of getting up and being proactive my energy and focus were diverted and I would worry and procrastinate about what to do next.
Laid out in bed and looking at how busy yet unproductive I really am with my time, I wondered how I was going to work in a calm and productive manner to achieve the results I say I want, what do I have to change and do differently. I have a fantastic business mentor Frederique Murphy, an excellent responsive webmaster, Warren Samu and recently invested in working with a VA Jenny Jameson
So everything is in place for me to succeed; yet deep down there is lingering self-doubt about my abilities whether I have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and I know I am not following through on their guidance and strategies offered. And when my energy is low and I feel tired everything feels too much and all manner of self sabotage surfaces:)
Solution – Restructure Time, Become More Focused
I know what I have to do. I just got to do it. I just need to organize my time, (ie go to bed early and wake up early, which is my preferred way of being is a good start) focus on core activities and do what I have to do. No magic secret here!
Self-care Mistake #3 – Mindless Snacking, Skipping Meals and Eating on The Run
It’s amazing how one thing leads to another, feeling tired, waking up with my head full of stuff lead to me not eating properly, snacking, and eating whilst working. I started to fill up on oatcake biscuits and bread (wheat based), which leave me looking bloated and feeling heavy.
Solution – Eat More Mindfully and Up The Greens And Protein Shake Intake
Given the various demands on my time and energy plus my desire to improve my overall health, last year I started taking raw and organic nutritional supplements which naturally boost your energy and cleanses and alkalise your body. Five Alive Green Vitality is my preferred choice of super greens to take.
Since coming back from Grenada, with all that wonderful sunshine in my body I felt extremely well and thought it would be OK to reduce my daily intake of super greens Yet my diet isn’t the best of diets, and add in a lack of sleep and worrying meant my body wasn’t getting the rest, support and nurturing she had come to expect and my immune system was lowered.
So I am back to my healthy habit of taking my greens as part of my breakfast smoothie and mixing up a nice glassful of Smooth Vitality to sip when out on the road or during the day when at home.
What’s Next?
Now that I have a clearer picture of where I was slipping up and not taking as good care of myself as I would like, I decided to set myself a Personal Self-Care Challenge.
40-Day Personal Self-Care Challenge
For the next 40-Days I intend to be in bed between 10-11pm, to eat more mindfully and take my greens and protein shake and to make sure every day I review the day, journal and plan my key work and home activities for the following day and stick to my timetable.
These are all easy things to do yet still require time energy and discipline to follow through. Would you care to join me? Are there any self –care habits you would like to do more of and some energy zappers and negative thoughts/habits leave behind?
I’d love you to share your thoughts and inspire me and others reading this post. Do let me know how I can support you with maintaining your positive self-care habits.
And if you wish to discover more practical and easy-to do yogic self-care habits check out my informative eBook – A Woman’s Book of Yoga A Guide To Relax and Nourish Your Body and Soul. You can order your copy here
Thanks for allowing me the space to share what is going on for me and to help me stay accountable to myself re my 40-Day Personal Self-Care Challenge
Take special care of you and stay tuned for the next yoga blog post coming soon.
Thank you
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