Self-Care That Simplified My Life (and can simplify your life too) Slow Living.

You know, when you hear the word self-care, I think many of us think along the lines of, ooh, a spa day or a weekend retreat with my girlfriend. But let's just be realistic. I think for most of us, that doesn't really work with our lifestyles right now. The self-care practices that have actually changed my life are not expensive. They are simple, quick, and doable. I'm going to be sharing with you some of my self-care things that I do that have not only simplified my life, but they've improved my life. And maybe they will simplify your life too. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. Do things that make you smile may seem even too simple. But by actually doing the things that bring joy into your life and bring happiness, improves your life, improves your well-being. It improves how you show up in the world. It improves how you feel about yourself because you are sending a message that says, I am worth happiness. I am worth more than just to-do lists and schedules and work. It can be something as simple as gardening or cutting some fresh flowers and arranging them in your home. It can be knitting, crafting, coloring, anything that just brings a smile to your face. Keep it really simple, easy, and accessible. You don't need to go to a big class. You can pick up any new hobby. It could be just doodling on a notebook or journaling or humming a song in your car on your way to work. Anything that just makes you feel a little bit lighter today. If you are in a time of your life when you're very busy, then put it on a schedule. And maybe it's not something you can do every day. Perhaps it's just Saturday mornings you spend 30 minutes outside gardening, or that's the day you're going to work on painting something special. You don't even have to be good at it. Just choose something that brings joy into your life. One thing that I adopted that has made the biggest impact on my life is starting each day with five or 10 minutes of just quiet before phones, before emails, before tackling that to-do list, or the never-ending schedules and obligations coming at you. Take a few minutes every day to just be. To wake up and experience the day before life kind of comes at you. It could be sipping your tea. It could be meditating or praying, journaling, reading, or just sitting quietly and looking out the window. In the stillness, think of an intention that you have for the day. You don't even need to write it down. Just ask yourself, how do I want to feel today? Or how do I want to show up today? Just setting that intention will actually propel you through your day and create the kind of day that you intended for, the kind of day that you want. Simplify your schedule is one thing that will protect your peace and sometimes your sanity. We all get bombarded with obligations coming at us from all directions. But before you put anything on your schedule, just ask yourself some simple questions. Is this something I really need to do? Is it something that aligns with my value system? Is it something that supports my energy or drains my energy? And most importantly, before you accept it, why am I accepting this obligation? And then whatever you choose to commit yourself to, be present. Be in it 100% whatever it is. Make sure that you're always scheduling some open spots in your schedule to replenish, to rest, to pause in between this activity and that activity, instead of just racing through your entire day. And then it just turns into a blur. Being healthy is the biggest self-care that you can give yourself that pays off in the long run. Health is a huge priority for me and it really starts with what I choose to fuel my body with. Keep healthy eating simple and stress-free. Eating healthy does not need to be rigid, expensive, or complicated. Just choose healthy whole foods and keep your menus as simple as possible. Eating as many fruits and vegetables as you can, maybe a protein and some whole grains. Keep it simple and delicious. Prepping your meals best you can when you have time. Maybe Sunday evening do all the chopping and dicing and prepping then to help your meals throughout the week be easier and more manageable. Walking has completely improved my life far more than I ever thought possible. Such a simple thing as walking. I'm not talking about running or speed walking or challenging myself or beating the time. I'm just talking about walking. 15 minutes, an hour, every day just getting outside into nature it really helps clear my mind and kind of grounds me. It is physically good for me but also really reduces my stress levels. And when I'm outside in nature I really feel like I'm reconnecting and grounding into my higher wisdom, my higher self. Things just seem more simple. If I have a big problem or something that I'm trying to work out of my mind, if I can just walk for a while the answer usually shows up. Self-care does not need to be really time consuming, does not need to cost anything. You can start today with a simple thing like spending five minutes in the morning just being still or taking a walk in the park this evening. Self-care should be whatever it is that really feeds and nourishes your overall well-being. You deserve to have self-care and to practice self-love. Thank you so much for being with me today. Have a beautiful day my friends.