Ever find yourself believing that self care must be a myth or a privilege that only the fortunate few can afford?
Well then I have good news for you… IT IS NOT!
Self care doesn’t have to mean a week long vacation to the tropics, or even a day without kids. You can practice self care wherever and whenever you want with these simple tips:
1. Breathe: Focus on exhaling longer than you inhale if you are feeling heightened energy and inhaling longer than you exhale if you are feeling low energy.
2. Get Outside: Next time you take your kids to the park or go for a walk, take a few moments to take off your shoes and feel your feet on the grass.
3. Express Gratitude: Tell someone what you appreciate about them: Pick one special person in your life to express gratitude towards via phone, text, in person, social media.
4. Stretch: When you wake up, take a lunch break, or get ready for bed, take a few minutes to notice where you feel tension in your body and stretch out that area.
5. Make a Routine: Practice creating rituals when you wake up and before you go to bed that are consistent. This helps your body to regulate your sleep wake cycle by cuing your body to signals in your environment that say “it’s time to wake up” or “time to sleep.” One great routine to practice before bedtime is legs up the wall pose. Yes…this is as easy as it sounds. Simply rest on your bed or on the floor with your legs literally resting up the wall. This simple inversion cues your body to produce melatonin, which signals your body that it is time to sleep.
