Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality, Uncategorized
Is your self-care routine starting to feel more like a burden than a source of joy?
You’re aware that self-care is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle – physically, mentally, and spiritually. Yet, it can be challenging to stick to a self-care routine if it feels like a burden. The goal is for self-care to be a joyful and fulfilling part of your day. You want to feel rejuvenated and refreshed. So, if self-care feels like another item on your to-do list, it’s probably time to reevaluate how you approach it.
When you’re feeling stressed or anxious, it can be difficult to find the energy or motivation to engage in self-care activities, even knowing that these activities can help alleviate stress and improve your mood. This is why it’s essential to manage your stress with a consistent self-care practice that you truly enjoy.
Avoid self-care activities that feel daunting, even if they might have a positive impact on your health. For example, if you don’t enjoy running, don’t force yourself to do it just because it’s what others are doing. Instead, try yoga, swimming, or dancing – or any other activities that bring you joy and make you feel good.
To keep self-care fun, make it easy by taking small steps and incorporating interests that have you smile or laugh. This could be reading a funny book, listening to upbeat music, or watching a comedy. Look for activities that you can do with friends or family, like walking or taking a dance or cooking class together.
Also, give yourself permission to take breaks and reward yourself for making progress. Self-care should be something you look forward to, something that lifts you up and brings you joy. So, approach your self-care practices with a positive mindset. Focus on the enjoyment you’ll receive in the moment, rather than the end result. This can help you sustain a fulfilling self-care practice that truly benefits your well-being. Remember, self-care shouldn’t feel like another item on your to-do list – it should be a source of joy in your life.
5 Ways To Refresh Your Self-Care Practice
Check-In Regularly
Take a few moments to assess your well-being on a regular basis, so you can identify areas of your life where you may need to make space for more self-care. Each day, consciously reflect on how you’re feeling. This could involve asking yourself questions like “How am I feeling today?” or “What do I need right now?”
When you’re aware of your thoughts and emotions, you gain a better understanding of your state of well-being and can identify areas where you may need to focus more attention or care.
Prioritize Values
Your values are the principles and beliefs that guide your decision-making and behavior, and they can be a powerful tool in helping you determine which self-care activities work best for you.
Start by identifying the values that are most important to you. These might include family, health, career, spirituality, creativity, or community. Then, determine how your values align with self-care. For example, if your value is health, then activities like exercise, eating well, and getting enough sleep may be particularly important to you.
By prioritizing your values and aligning your self-care activities with them, you can create a self-care practice that is more meaningful and sustainable over the long term.
Define Self-Care
Defining what self-care means for you is an important step in creating a sustainable self-care practice. Self-care means different things to different people, so it’s important to take the time to reflect on what it means to you personally.
Create a list of self-care activities that align with your values, needs, and priorities. These activities could include anything from taking a bath to spending time in nature to practicing mindful meditation. The key is to choose activities that nourish and restore your well-being. And remember, what works for another may not work for you, so it’s important to stay open to trying new things and adapting your self-care as needed.
By defining what self-care means for you personally, you can create a sustainable self-care practice that supports your physical, mental, and spiritual health over the long term.
Be Present
When you are present and mindful, you can more fully enjoy the experience of taking care of yourself and bring more joy to your self-care practice.
The act of being present and mindful allows you to avoid distractions that can detract from your self-care. Turn off your phone, set aside your worries, and focus on taking care of yourself without interruption. This will allow you to savor the sensations of a relaxing bath or the taste of a healthy meal, and appreciate the positive impact it has on your well-being.
Tap into your feelings, thoughts, and emotions, and experience greater joy by being fully present in the moment during your self-care activities.
Show Gratitude
Gratitude is the act of being thankful for the things you have in your life, and it allows you to focus on the positive aspects of your self-care routine. This can increase your overall sense of well-being and joy.
Giving gratitude can be an act of self-care on its own. However, when you focus on what you’re grateful for during a self-care practice it can enhance the experience. For instance, while taking a walk through nature, give gratitude for the beauty that surrounds you, the fresh air, and the sunshine.
By giving gratitude for the act of self-care you’ll experience more joy and fulfillment in your daily life.
Redefine how you practice self-care by focusing on joy as your goal. Don’t allow self-care to feel like a chore. Instead, look at it as an enjoyable and rewarding experience that brings you fulfillment.
For greater insight into which self-care activities will bring you the most satisfaction and pleasure, click here to claim your free Core Values Assessment: Aligning Your Core Values To Your Authentic Self.
Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality, Uncategorized
Do 5-Minute Self-Care Practices actually work?
Yes! Here’s why…
Self-care is essential to your physical, mental, and spiritual health. It’s a misconception that self-care must be a time-consuming act of luxury. The reality is that self-care is any mindful practice that helps you maintain or improve your well-being. This could be as simple as a focused breath of fresh air in between daily tasks.
Neglecting self-care provides an opportunity for stress and anxiety to build. This could cause forgetfulness, difficulty sleeping, frustration, inability to focus, and an overall lack of joy. As a high-performing woman, you may have a tendency to over-work yourself to the point of exhaustion. This is what happened to me. I continuously prioritized my career over my personal needs and put off self-care until I reached burnout.
After reaching this detrimental, de-mobilizing state, I recognized how crucial it was to be in balance. I began to practice sustainable habits, such as 5-minute self-care routines, in order to build a foundation that honored my essential needs. This helped reduce stress and overwhelm, while increasing my ability to stay focused and motivated. As a result, I was able to achieve greater success, while maintaining a healthy balanced lifestyle.
If you have the mindset that you’re too busy to practice self-care, give yourself the gift of 5-minute self-care practices throughout the day and notice the surprising benefits to your well-being. You’ll be able to sustain great success without sacrificing life balance.
Self-Care In 5 Minutes Or Less
Put Your Feet Up
Put down your phone and avoid distractions. Enjoy 5 minutes of rest with your feet up to reset your day. This improves circulation and recharges the body.
Focus On Your Breath
The simple act of mindful breathing can help you reconnect and focus your thoughts. A breath can invite self-awareness and calm the body. Count your inhales and exhales, noticing where the breath moves within your body. If you combine mindful breathing with other self-care practices, it helps release stress more quickly and enhances relaxation.
State Affirmations Aloud
Remind yourself how amazing you are by taking 5 minutes to state affirmations such as, “I am worthy of receiving love and care” and “I love the person that I am”. Speaking affirmations aloud is a great way to boost your confidence and improve your mental health.
Have A Laugh
It may not be easy to laugh on cue. However, you can evoke laughter by watching a 5-minute clip of your favorite comedian or funny animal videos. You could also contemplate a memory of a funny moment you shared with a friend or connect with a loved one who brings a smile to your face. Laughter instantly improves your mood and is a great way to care for your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Tidy Your Environment
Your environment is an extension of your Self. When you care for your space, it’s also an act of self-care. Take 5 minutes to organize clutter, water your plants, or dust a few shelves. This can brighten your space and your day.
Enjoy A Hot Drink
Calm your senses and warm your soul with a hot mug of tea, coffee, or lemon water. Ingesting warm liquids boosts your energy while giving you a sense of comfort. This is healing for the mind, body, and spirit.
Write In A Journal
Writing down what’s present in your mind helps you check in with your emotions. In addition, journaling harmonizes your subconscious and conscious thoughts. This is a great way to improve your spiritual health and connect with your higher Self.
Make A Gratitude List
Keep an ongoing gratitude list, so you can appreciate all the good you have in your life. This list will instantly remind you of all your blessings and provide a healthy mindset, giving you a feeling of greater joy and improving your well-being.
Stretch Your Limbs
Create spaciousness in your body and relieve tension with 5 minutes of stretching. Tension is stored throughout the body, and particularly in your shoulders, neck, and back. A gentle stretch loosens tension by creating space and movement in the body. This is great for reducing stress and improving your physical health.
Practice A Mini-Meditation
A short meditation can be as powerful as a longer meditative practice. During your mini-meditation, you could also chant a mantra or use a touchstone to help you stay focused and mindful. Meditation helps reset your thoughts, which can reduce stress and improve mental health.
Play Your Favorite Song
Music is a great way to lift your mood and bring relaxation. Whether you choose to dance to the music or not, it can help you disconnect from stress and reconnect with the present moment. Listening to a favorite song is a great way to care for your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Walk Around The Block
Take a walk around the block, in your garden, or to the mailbox and back. Moving your body, even just shaking out your legs for 5 minutes, is an act of physical self-care. When your blood flows better, your mood improves. This is also great for your mental and spiritual well-being.
Refresh With Water
Drink a glass of water, splash cold water on your face, or rinse off in the shower. Water refreshes your senses and boosts your energy. This can keep you focused and motivated throughout your day.
Routinely practice 5 minutes of self-care to improve and maintain your physical, mental, and spiritual health. Click here to claim your free gift: 7-Day Journaling Starter Kit. Get started with 5-minute self-care practices and enjoy a balanced life of success, without sacrificing your well-being.
Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality, Uncategorized
Do you engage in behaviors that don’t truly serve you?
These behaviors can bring momentary comfort. However, they may also lead to self-sabotaging patterns that negatively affect how you view yourself. As an example, eating junk food regularly can lead to poor physical health. This can make you feel less confident in your appearance, and induce stress, anxiety, and negative self-talk, which can undermine your capacity for self-love.
At the root of self-sabotaging behaviors are conditioned programming and limiting beliefs. Conditioned programming is the result of your learning from past experiences. When you are conditioned to think a certain way, it can be difficult to break out of that programming and form new habits. Limiting beliefs are similar in that they can be based on past experiences or on learned beliefs. These beliefs can keep you from seeing your potential and cause you to create a cycle of negative thinking and behavior, which can impede self-love.
In order to break out of the cycle of self-sabotaging habits, it is important to identify the underlying causes of these behaviors. For example, if stress is the cause, then it is important to address the stressors in your life (e.g., through therapy, lifestyle changes, etc.) and to develop coping skills to manage stress in healthier ways. Additionally, it is important to challenge any negative or limiting beliefs that may be perpetuating the cycle of self-sabotaging habits. As you release these patterns and develop healthier habits, you experience greater self-love.
My 5 Facets of Self-Love can enhance your quality of life by helping you challenge behavior patterns that undermine your capacity to love your Self on a deeper level.
5 Facets of Self-Love
Self-Care
Prioritize your mind, body, and soul with self-care. Self-care can be any activity where you put aside time to demonstrate the love you have for yourself.
Neglecting self-care can lead to detrimental habits such as overworking or even procrastination. This can cause overwhelm, a hard time focusing, difficulty sleeping, frustration and irritability, and burnout.
When you practice self-care, you acknowledge that your mind, body, and soul need time to rest and recharge. You can reduce anxiety, improve your mood, and stay motivated by exercising, meditating, lying quietly, or enjoying a day of adventure. Self-care enables you to avoid unhealthy behavior patterns while demonstrating a greater love for yourself.
Self-Acceptance
We are all designed as perfectly imperfect. Self-acceptance is being able to see yourself and your imperfections as perfect. Choose to accept all that you are by letting go of self-judgment. Love yourself unconditionally, despite perceived mistakes or failures.
Practicing self-acceptance enables you to release past regrets and struggles, be fully present in the moment, and love yourself no matter what. Allow yourself to let go of the idea that you need to be perfect in order to be loved.
Celebrate your achievements – big and small – and focus on gratitude for all that you have.
Self-Worth
Your self-worth has a deep impact on your motivation and how you make choices in life.
When you do not value your worth, habits like negative self-talk can develop. Words, like anything, carry energy and vibration. When you speak negatively to yourself, you not only lower your vibration, but the quality and quantity of what you receive in life.
Know that you are of value, you are loveable, and you are a gift to the world. Engage in daily positive self-talk and be aware of negative thoughts that enter your mind. When you change your mindset and know your worth, you tap into your highest potential.
Self-Preservation
Embracing self-preservation protects you from harm, allowing you to honor your needs and heal.
Conversely, when you lack boundaries in relationships or say yes when you really mean no, you can become depleted & drained. These are examples of insufficient self-preservation.
It’s crucial to set boundaries and say no, because it protects you from feeling resentful, annoyed, or frustrated. When you practice self-preservation, you recognize your limits and invite deeper self-love.
Self-Advocacy
Self-advocacy is the act of communicating what you need. It’s speaking up for yourself, asking for what you desire, and requesting support when you need it.
Most people are unable to read your mind. Failing to advocate for yourself can leave you overwhelmed, frustrated, and resentful of others.
Instead of struggling with the weight of the world on your shoulders, ask for assistance. Know that you’re loved and supported by others and can request help when needed. Have the confidence to ask for what you desire. Start by connecting with what you desire most through meditation and journaling.
Use the 5 Facets of Self-Love to break free from habits that don’t serve you and tap into a deeper love for your authentic Self. Click here to claim your free gift: 20 of My Favorite Affirmations. These tools can help you let go of old programming and limiting beliefs and embrace greater self-love and personal fulfillment.
Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality, Uncategorized
“You have no choice. You must leave your ego on the doorstep before you enter love.” ~ Kamand Kojouri
Self-love is an inside job. It’s about fully accepting yourself and loving what makes you unique, instead of seeking validation through your performance. It’s treating yourself with kindness and respect even when you feel uncertain about your choices or circumstances.
Self-love is a healthy choice for your mind, body, and soul. However, it is not always easy to achieve. You encourage greater self-love by carving out time for yourself, engaging in mindful activities, and connecting with things you’re passionate about.
You can fuel a deeper love for your authentic Self, ignite greater inner passion, and connect with the divine by nurturing your mind, body, and soul with self-love practices and self-acknowledgment. Yet, even as you engage in these practices, you may find that you struggle to connect with a more profound love for your Self.
Why do you find yourself struggling with true, authentic self-love?
The greatest obstruction to self-love is your ego. The ego is the part of the psyche that’s preoccupied with the Self and the external world. It’s driven by the need to maintain and protect the Self. This can interfere with your ability to love yourself, because it can cause you to be overly critical and judgmental of your own thoughts, feelings, and actions. It can also lead you to focus on your flaws and insecurities, which can make it harder to love yourself.
When you loosen the ego’s grip and focus inward, you can evoke a deeper self-love. You’ll then feel more passion in your everyday life and discover greater success that comes with ease—and without the ego.
7 Ways To Loosen The Ego’s Grip
Practice mindfulness and cultivate self-awareness.
Self-awareness is an internal guide that lets you know when self-love is needed and the ego must be checked. When you slow down and move mindfully and intentionally during each moment of your day, you cultivate greater awareness of your mind, body, and soul. Take a pause before starting something and inquire about the intention behind it.
Show compassion towards yourself and others.
When you show compassion towards yourself and others, you acknowledge that everyone has a right to practice what they love without judgment. Help others when they’re in need. Celebrate their accomplishments. Also, be kind and forgiving to yourself. When you learn to love yourself, despite your mistakes, the ego has less power over you. See mistakes as opportunities to learn something new and move forward with greater wisdom and understanding.
Let go of judgment and comparison.
The ego loves to compare the self to others. It will imply that something is not worth doing if your performance is not perfect. This is to protect itself from failure or inadequacy. Remind yourself that your journey is not to be compared with that of other people, as you are a unique individual. Celebrate your successes and the successes of others to loosen the ego’s grip of envy.
Question the validity of your thoughts and beliefs.
Your thoughts and beliefs often come from long-ingrained conditioning deep in the subconscious mind. However, these beliefs may no longer serve your best interests. Keep a journal to record these outdated thoughts and your ideas about more valid beliefs. The ego has less control when you can see things from a different perspective.
Challenge yourself to think outside your comfort zone.
The ego is the voice in your head telling you that something’s not possible. It fears failure and disappointment. Feel the fear and step out of your comfort zone anyway. You might surprise yourself or learn something new during the process.
Acknowledge and accept your limits.
Your ego will often tell you that you can’t do something. However, it can also push you to be an overachiever. It may tell you that you have to do it all and please everyone in order to be adequate and successful. Be mindful of when the ego is pushing you too far in this direction and pause to check in with yourself.
Seek outside help and feedback.
You don’t need to feel shame or embarrassment when you ask for help—that’s your ego talking. Learn something new or gain greater insight into your actions by embracing the wealth of knowledge from your friends, family, and associates.
Choosing self-love over the control of the ego is an internal shift. When you invoke a deep love for your authentic Self and connect with your greatest passions, you can transform your life from struggle to ease.
Click here to claim your free tip sheet: 10 Ways To Love Yourself and discover a more profound love for your true Self.
Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality, Uncategorized
We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Although you are a spiritual being, you may struggle with unresolved issues stemming from your human experience. These issues tend to cause emotional and mental upset, which can keep you “asleep” and unaware that you are a spiritual being. Yet, at some point you may tire of the struggle and desire to embark on the path of spiritual evolution.
Spiritual evolution is the journey to find and experience the divine being at the core of your existence, also referred to as your true nature or higher self. To evolve spiritually, you must free your awareness from your ego, identities, and the conditioning of past experiences. This allows you to dissolve your unresolved issues and view life from new perspectives. This shift enables you to experience greater peace, joy, and ease. As a bonus, your growth contributes to the evolution of the human collective consciousness.
The Process of Spiritual Evolution
A key step to evolving spiritually is recognizing that you’re on a journey to discover your true nature. You deepen your introspection by engaging in spiritual practices such as journaling, meditation, and mindful movement. This provides you with greater clarity and insight. As you continue forward on your journey, you may notice certain indications that you’re evolving. Here are 3 stages of spiritual evolution:
Conscious Connection
Your subconscious stores an accumulated wealth of knowledge that isn’t always accessible to your conscious mind. As you evolve spiritually, you’ll experience greater mental clarity, and connections between the conscious and subconscious become more frequent and distinct. You might notice that your instincts are heightened or that you make decisions with greater confidence and ease. These are signs of an increased connection between your conscious and subconscious.
Awareness
Being present and living in the moment is a sign that you’re developing greater awareness. This awareness is essential to connecting with your true nature. Being at ease with uncertainty or finding joy in quiet moments are both indications of your growing awareness. Appreciate the moments when you are present and aware, as they bring more clarity and a deeper relatedness with your true self.
Awakening
An awakened mind sees the positive aspects of a situation more readily. You’ll find that you have greater faith in the Divine, allowing you to better trust your timeline. As you discover your deeper purpose, you’ll experience profound levels of insight and joy. Awakening to your true nature enables you to access and activate your greatest potential.
Tips to Remember
It takes time
Spiritual evolution is an ongoing journey. Throughout life, your true nature will provide guidance and wisdom. The more you trust in the Divine and stick with your spiritual practices, the greater chance there is of synchronicities appearing in your life.
It’s not always easy
Even when you engage in consistent spiritual practices, you may encounter obstacles. Choosing to stay on the path of spiritual evolution requires discipline. How you handle the challenges that occur will determine the extent to which you reap the rewards of ease and flow.
Major shifts might occur
Change can be uncomfortable at times. Yet, it’s important to your spiritual evolution. Your insights may invite shifts in such areas as your relationships, career, and lifestyle. Welcoming these shifts opens the door to receiving outcomes that are beyond your imagination.
As you look for signs of your spiritual evolution, you’ll be more inspired to remain on the path that leads to experiencing your true nature. For additional guidance on this journey, click here to claim your free gift, Evolve With Intention: Become The Highest Version of Yourself.
Burnout, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Overwhelm, Receiving, Relationships, Self-Care, Self-Fulfillment, Self-Love, Spirituality, Uncategorized
Evolution is typically defined as “a change in the genetic composition of a population over successive generations.” When we hear “evolution”, we tend to think of the progressive change of a species adapting gradually over time in response to their shifting environment.
This article will address evolution from a spiritual perspective. For simplification, let’s say that evolution is a process of growth and change that usually produces a stronger, more advanced form that is better able to thrive in an existing environment.
The term “spiritual evolution” indicates that our mind and spirit evolves from a simple form, that’s dominated by nature and the physical world, to a higher form dominated by the Spiritual or Divine. In plain language, it’s the growth and transformation of your soul and the awakening of your higher Self. Therefore, understanding how to evolve can guide you on an unimaginable journey of self-discovery.
As you move through life, any number of circumstances can encourage your personal evolution. The choices you make in response to these occurrences are catalysts for the evolution of your Soul. These defining moments allow for transformational shifts in your journey and encourage growth and self-discovery, which are key to achieving success with greater fulfillment and joy.
4 Questions To Guide You Through Evolutionary Change
Where are you in your evolution?
The first step to realizing your full potential is to acknowledge that your journey has already begun. Recognizing where you are on your journey and where you desire to be helps you continue forward with greater confidence. Consider your past, your future, how far you’ve come, and the values you want to convey to the world. As you reach greater levels of awareness, you may discover you’re further along in your evolution than you thought or you might uncover new aspirations for growth.
How do you perceive your past choices?
As you reflect on your journey, you might feel regret about a moment in the past. If this occurs, it’s important to understand that dwelling on past mistakes can prevent forward movement. When you are able to look back and recognize these moments as learning experiences instead, you shift your narrative.
How do you respond to change?
Your response to challenges can significantly impact upon your evolutionary process. As you grow spiritually, you begin to shed your ego and embrace greater self-awareness. So when you are faced with unexpected external events, instead of reacting without thinking, you’ll be able to respond more consciously and with greater clarity. Learning to accept even the most difficult circumstances with greater ease creates the space for new opportunities and paths to show up.
What tools can help you have a positive evolutionary experience?
When a life event occurs, it may not seem clear at first how it will impact your growth. There are tools, or spiritual practices, that can provide the clarity and perspective to evolve with greater ease. Below are a few of these practices and how they work:
- Mindful movement: relaxes the body and calms the mind. Mindful movement is any activity that is done with intention and allows you to focus on your breath in order to create stillness in the mind.
- Journaling: evokes subconscious thoughts for greater mental clarity.
- Spoken affirmations: encourages greater confidence and ease during uncertain times.
- Gratitude: a reminder of how far you’ve come in life and the growth you’ve accomplished on your journey. Practicing gratitude daily to acknowledge all that you have can bring even more blessings into your life.
Spiritual evolution is a personal journey that might be prompted by an undesirable or unexpected circumstance. When you understand that any experience is a part of your evolutionary journey, you are better able to harness its positive aspects for a greater connection with your higher Self.
Looking for more? Click here to claim your free guide: Reinvent Yourself: Embrace Who You Truly Are and discover how to evolve into the greatest version of your Self.
This year, let life’s changes inspire your journey of evolution.
Page 4 of 6« First«...23456»
