AN EVERYDAY SELF-CARE MINDSET
An Everyday Self-Care Mindset
Monday was International Self-Care Day. According to the WHO, that date was chosen as a reminder that we ought to self-care 24/7. And if you’ve followed my work for any amount of time, you know that self-care is not something we do at the end of the day, or week, or year, to recover; rather, self-care is a mindset we carry with us all day every day that shifts how we think, engage, and act.
I had the privilege of spending a few days recently with friends and colleagues at the National Speakers Association conference. Community is one of our three foundational relationships: self, others (community), and work, and as such, community is self-care. And it is built on the foundational relationship we have with ourselves.
I always say self-care is a relationship we have with ourselves, and for that relationship to be a healthy one, we need to have healthy conversations with ourselves.
But when’s the last time you had a good chat with yourself? I mean a really good chat? Where you paused for just a moment and checked in with your body? Your emotions? Mind? Soul? And you asked yourself, “How am I doing in there?”?
My guess is it’s been a long time because of the new reality we live in and let’s face it, most people have not been taught to do so, ever. And it begins by learning to pause, listen, and ask better questions. I call that “Power- Pausing.”
The Power of Power-Pausing
It's actually not only double power, it's triple power :)
There are three different types of Power-Pauses:
- the physical pause,
- the emotional pause,
- and the mental pause.
Each one helps us to reclaim agency over how we think, feel, engage, act, and behave. You can think of it as how we reset our mind and body, re-engage our focus and attention, and reclaim our ability to make better decisions all day long.
For now, we’re going to focus on the physical pause, which is where we pause to listen to our physical needs in order to reset, recover, and reclaim energy, attention, and focus.
Five minutes is plenty of time to get the benefits. Here are the instructions:
First, start by lowering your gaze or closing your eyes.
Focus your attention on your breath. See if you can breathe all the way down into your belly. Expand your stomach while inhaling and then let the breath flow outward without forcing it.
After a few deep belly breaths, turn your focus on your exhale. Focusing on the exhale helps calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety and stress.
Stop and notice how your body feels. Let go of the buzzing mind and reconnect with your body as it will help stabilize you.
Now, observe your feet. See if you’re able to “breathe all the way into your feet.” The intention of drawing energy toward your feet can help you feel calm, centered, and grounded.
The last step is to scan your body. Consider how you feel in your legs, back, stomach, chest, neck, shoulders, head, eyes, and throat. All you’re doing here is noticing and learning how to pay attention to your body without judgment.
This physical Power-Pause might be all you need before you begin what’s next in your life or on your agenda at work once more. It allows you to manage your stress levels and just be for a moment instead of constantly thinking and obsessing so our nervous system can cool off.
What do you need so that you can unlock your self-care mindset? What’s standing in your way? What are beliefs that are holding you back? And what would it feel like to be your own best, most supportive friend all day long?
LET'S ADOPT A SELF-CARE MINDSET EVERY DAY SHALL WE?
