It seems crazy to me that I have struggled with this part of the Self-care series. I mean, it’s about sharing the things that I do for Self-care. And there are so many things that I have learned over the past 15+ years when I first became interested in the concept of Self-care, that it really should have been easy to list them all for you!
So why have I found it so hard?
I guess it’s because I got overwhelmed by the thought of sharing my Self-care strategy.
Because the truth is: Sometimes, I don’t feel like I have the time to take care of my Self – and I don’t.
How could I, a naturopathic doctor who “should know better” possibly share what I do for Self-care, when sometimes, I feel so busy that I just can’t find the time for my Self?
Well – I thought about it – and realized: that’s exactly why I need to share what I do.
Because I’m just like you. I’m not perfect with my own Self-care. And sharing that with you means that you don’t have to be either! Yes – we have different stories, jobs, families & responsibilities. But at our core, we value many of the same things. And we all struggle with feeling like there’s just not enough time in the day. So I know what you’re going through when you say you don’t have time to exercise, or eat healthy, never mind learn how to meditate!
But I also know what happens to your body and mind when you don’t make time. You get irritated, you feel stressed when anyone asks you to do one more thing, you get short-tempered and may even take it out on those you love the most. Then the guilt comes. Believe me – I’ve been there. And yes, as a naturopath, “I should know better”. But the beautiful thing about that truth is that it means you don’t have to beat your Self up anymore. Because I’ve beaten my Self up enough for us all (lol), and guess what I’ve found: it’s pointless. Instead, I realize that what I need to do, is to save that energy I put into feeling guilty and instead use it to make time for my Self again. And I encourage you to do the same!
Over the past few months, I’ve changed the way I think about my own Self-care. Instead of beating my Self up over all of the things I know I “should” be doing, I pick the easiest thing I can do for my Self every week. Once I got better at doing something for my Self weekly, I started to see what “little things” I could do for my Self on a daily basis, with the smallest effort.
Here are the top 5 things I do as part of my imperfect Self-care strategy. I am happy to confirm that by keeping these in the mix, I am able to feel like my Self again.
Abdominal Breathing
Breathing – we do this all this time. Abdominal breathing engages the full length of our lungs, allowing us to get more air in. And it’s been shown to help turn off the stress response and turn on our relaxation response. Who doesn’t need that? I do this all the time – seriously! All. Day. Long. I sneak in abdominal breathing at stoplights when I’m in my car, before every patient to ground and focus my energy, before a meal, when I’m stressed, and before bed. Literally – all the time. I’ve been doing it probably for over 10 years now. Here are the basic steps:
- In a comfortable position (sitting or lying down), place one hand on your chest & one hand on your abdomen over your navel (belly button).
- When you breathe in, try to gently push out your abdomen so that you see and feel the hand on your abdomen rising.
- When you exhale, let the abdomen naturally sink, and notice the hand on your abdomen falling.
- The hand on your chest should stay relatively level.
Repeat for 10 breaths and see how you feel after. There is no need to try to breathe as deeply as you can. Once you get the hang of it, your breath will naturally deepen on its own. It’s not as easy as it sounds and can be tricky at first because most of us are so used to breathing through our chests. But the more you practice it, the easier and more natural it will become.
Yoga
I love yoga (and my yoga mat pictured below). I have been practicing it on and off for over 15 years now.
I say on and off because, as you now know, sometimes I get super-busy and forget that yoga makes me feel amazing, strong, connected and the most like my Self. But when I get into super-busy mode, the idea of committing to a weekly yoga class, and getting to that yoga class every week is, you guessed it – overwhelming! But fortunately, about 6 years ago, I discovered the online world of yoga and somehow stumbled upon a fantastic yoga instructor named Dr. Melissa West that offered free yoga classes on YouTube. They were just what I needed at the time. I have done so many of her classes and found they deepened my practice, as she taught a lot of yoga philosophy during her classes.
I’ve shared that channel with several patients, and in turn learned about Yoga With Adriene, from a long-time patient of mine. This past year, after experiencing a difficult time in my life, I turned to this channel. I have found it incredibly helpful in reconnecting with my strength and my Self again at a time when I felt lost. Besides her laid-back teaching style and a great sense of humour, Adriene offers a great variety of short to long classes so you can really find one that works for your schedule.
Both of these amazing women have shared their gift of teaching yoga with others for free – and in many ways they have inspired me to pay it forward with this blog. They probably will never read this blog, but I want to say a huge heartfelt Thank You to both Melissa and Adriene for sharing their time, energy and Self with the world.
*Health & Safety Note: If you have never done yoga before or have not done any physical activity for a while, I recommend checking in with your healthcare provider first to ensure you are healthy enough to begin yoga.
Being in nature
There’s something about the sun, fresh air – and the water if I can get to it. But living in the ‘burbs and working late can make it a challenge to get there regularly. So when I don’t get a chance to make it to my favourite place on the lake, I have to get creative with it. I find that driving with my windows down and sunroof open to let the air and sun in, helps me let nature in! If you want to fit more sun & fresh air into your day and you have the option to, try:
- Ditching the air conditioning in your car and home and opening the windows
- Having breakfast or a cup of tea on your patio
- Eating lunch outside
- Going for a 10-minute walk during your work or lunch break
You’ll likely return to your day feeling rejuvenated and be more productive. On the weekends you can walk around your neighbourhood, visit a nearby park, the beach, or attend one of the many free outdoor festivals and activities around your community.
Prayer
I would be nowhere without my faith. Praying keeps me grounded and reminds me there’s so much greater than my Self in this world. And – it helps me get out of my own way. Studies have shown it doesn’t matter what religion you believe in, or even if you believe in religion at all – if you believe in a higher power, some greater universal energy other than your Self, that faith can play an important role in health & happiness. I know it does for me. It doesn’t have to be an official prayer that you need to learn either. You can start as simple as waking up in the morning and giving thanks for being alive, and ending your evening expressing gratitude for another day.
Journaling
The act of putting your thoughts, emotions, and worries down into words in a journal can be very therapeutic. It has always been for me. I’m pretty sure I’ve kept a journal for almost 20 years now! I must have gone through at least 10 journals! I don’t journal every day. But I write in it when I need to get something out: some emotion whether it’s sadness, joy, anger, gratitude or worry – something that perhaps I can’t fully express or find the spoken words for. In written form, it seems to come out so much easier. And when you let things out, even just written for your Self – it creates an awareness about your thoughts and emotions, and allows you a safe space to express them without judgment. You can end up understanding your Self and feeling more connected to your Self.
I like a written journal as opposed to an electronic (typed) one because for me, the act of physically writing with pen and paper helps me connect a little bit more with my emotions. And – I love buying new journals. It’s such a fun process for me – I like to find one that “speaks” to me. If you find a journal that’s “You”, you’ll be more inclined to write in it. A picture of my current journal is on the right.
So that’s it, my top 5 Self-care go-to’s. I invite you to explore & create your own Self-care strategy. Everyone’s different, so you may find some things in my strategy are just not your thing and that’s completely okay. Find what works for your Self!
But wait! There’s more…
There are so many more things I do now for Self-care but this post is definitely too long already. If you want to gather more Self-care resources for your Self, make sure you check this blog often over the next few months when I will be sharing everything from my favourite:
- Self-care books – including what I call, “the book that started it all”!
- Therapies for your physical, mental-emotional and spiritual Self
- Music for your Self! There is literally a song for every emotion, occasion, event, situation and I firmly believe that the “right” song can be very therapeutic and healing
- Self-care and healthcare websites
- YouTube videos & TV Shows to inspire your Self-care (yes, really!)
- Best Self-care apps
- Quotes for Self-care
I can’t wait to share more resources to help you take better care of your Self, starting next week.
Take good care of your Self until then!
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