4 Doable Self-care Hacks That Can Change Your Life
By: Lisa M. Hayes – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.
I preach the self-care gospel. You might say I’m an evangelist. I believe for about 100 reasons nailing your self-care is everything.
- Self-care fuels you so you can enjoy the life you have now.
- Self-care fuels the energy it takes to create change in your life.
- Self-care sets the tone for how other people treat you. If you don’t’ value yourself, why would anyone else?
- Self-care buffers you from stress and ensures you stay heathier.
- Self-care is a cue to the Universe that you think you’re deserving.
I could go on. There are lots of reasons it’s important and as vital as it is, most women don’t have a handle on their self-care. Being the self-appointed evangelist of self-care, you’d think I’d nail it consistently. I don’t. I’m on my game most of the time. However, I’m an all or nothing kind of gal. It’s either go big or fail spectacularly with me. So, I confess, there are days, even weeks at a time when my self-care is sucky – you know, the failing spectacularly category.
And because I’m an all or nothing kind of gal, sometimes it’s hard for me to get back into a solid self-care routine because I tend to over-complicate things, especially when I’m stressed. The problem is, I need it most when I’m stressed.
There is no real shortcut to self-care. However, it doesn’t have to be complicated. The good news is, solid self-care builds on itself. The time and energy you invest in self-care tends to make more space, more time and energy for more self-care, self-nurturing, and self-love.
So, if you’re like me and you’re looking for a way to maximize your self-care with minimum time and energy, here are four foolproof tips to get that party started.
1. Nail the one thing that makes the biggest difference.
There is always one thing, and you know what that one thing is. I like lists and scores so, I keep a list of ten items a day I like to be doing for self-care. However, there is ONE thing on that list of ten that has more weight than all the others combined.
For me, it’s committing to an intentional morning routine. For someone else, it might be planning meals and eating well or daily yoga. Whatever it is for you, commit to that one thing and get it done daily at any cost. If you consistently nail your ONE big thing, you’ll create energy to add other things sooner than later.
2. Let it be ok for other people to have their own feelings.
Seriously now, it’s ok if someone is else angry, even if they are angry with you. It’s ok if they are sad. It’s ok if someone else disapproves.
We burn a lot of emotional energy trying to control or take responsibility for other people’s feelings. If you can be 100% ok with whatever anyone else is feeling you will have the kind of energetic and emotional freedom usually reserved for the highly enlightened. You know you’ve always wanted to be Buddha. Start here.
What someone else is feeling is not your business. Letting that one sink in is the kind of self-care that requires a zero extra time or money investment. The payoff is priceless.
3. Get over needing to exercise more and get into moving more often.
Stop beating yourself up for not going for that run or getting to the gym.
Start giving yourself a dance break every couple of hours, taking the stairs, or walking to the corner store when you’d usually drive.
Most experts agree intermittent exercise is the bombdigity for your metabolism. So, yes, that gym membership or palettes class is probably a good thing. But if you’re not doing it, that’s no excuse not to do right by your body. Three to five minutes of movement several times a day is really good for you.
4. Pick a thought you like and play it on repeat.
After reading the book, Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It, I learned to love the cumulative power of a thought loop. You’re thinking all the time anyway. Why not think a thought that’s not garbage.
The thought, “I love myself.” is what I would call a native or organic thought. It feels like a relief when you think it. It’s easy to remember. A thought like that on loop in the background of your brain all day can permanently up-level your dominant vibration and prevent you from getting stuck in a swirling loop of anxiety.
Again, looping an empowering thought is free and takes no time. It simply takes some practice and discipline. It’s worth it the effort and moves the dial in your life.
Lisa Hayes, The Love Whisperer, is an LOA Relationship Coach. She helps clients leverage Law of Attraction to get the relationships they dream about and build the lives they want. Lisa is the author of the newly released hit book, Score Your Soulmate and How to Escape from Relationship Hell and The Passion Plan.
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