Taste Life Blog

Feeling overwhelmed? Are you working more than ever before and you are still worried about not doing “enough?” You are exhausted at the end of the day and YOU are too tired to cook the enviable “my plate” dinner. TODAY is the perfect day for a new beginning. What would it be like if you actually had time for your life?

It all starts with self-care. Those two little words sound easy but are so hard to make important. Self care is your personal foundation for a high quality life. And a high quality life begins with you. Self-care is one of the first things I look for as a coach. Lack of self care is responsible for those frustrating and most challenging times in your life…when you have low energy, poor health, a weight higher than your driver’s license, an unhealthy relationship, or a job or business you don’t like anymore.

Making self care your priority is definitely not the norm in our society and can be really challenging. Society does not honor self-care. We seem to wear “busy” as a badge of honor. “I’m busy.” “Well I am busier.” Notice your conversations with others. If you notice you are resenting lots of activities you are doing or feel tired all the time and overwhelmed it may be you just need some good old fashioned self care. Self-care really begins with learning to be more selfish. (Rest in peace Grandma Lily) I know, I know we were taught to not be selfish. Being selfish conjures up a negative self- centered “all about me” person. There is a positive side to being selfish. SELFish = self- care.

Relationships oxygenate life and your relationship with yourself if the most important one of your life. Ask yourself: Do I schedule my priorities or prioritize my schedule? When was the last time I did something for me? Am I living a life of joy? If not, why not? What do I need to change?

The foundation of an energized who life is energy. Habits – good or helpful, bad or hurtful, are all an investment in our self-care. Negative habits deplete and contaminate stored energy. People who accomplish a lot and are very productive have specific self-care habits that optimize their energy.

Chere’s Top Five Favorite SELF-care habits that will energize your spirit and business.

1. Schedule 15 minutes of “ME” Time. Me stands for my energizers. Give yourself permission to spend 15 minutes each day filling your energy bucket. You may say, “Chere I take more than 15 minutes of me time every day. But do you? Keep a written journal of me time so you can look back and reflect on your abundance. These are client examples of “me” time: Reading on my porch, taking a nap, talking to my mom on the phone, reading a non -food/ dietetic magazine, coffee with friends, or taking a walk.

2. Say Yes to NO once day. You have been taught to say “yes” so you can serve and please others. There is nothing wrong with saying “yes” but saying “yes” all the time is NOT an energy optimizer. If you had unlimited amounts of time you and I would be “yessing” all the time. But we don’t. You only have 168 hours in a week and you only get to spend it once. Spend it wisely. Use the broken record technique by Manuel J. Smith in his classic book, ‘When I Say No, I Feel Guilty.” No matter how the person responds you just keep repeating “no” in a neutral low key tone. You become a broken record as you need to say no three times before they can hear you. My personal favorite is, “I can’t help you right now but I can help you next week.” Everyone wants help yesterday, so this “no” really works like a charm.

3. Move your body. The number one energy business booster is exercise. Ten minutes of exercise will give you an energy boost for the next hour or two. My best ideas have come while on the elliptical or swimming. The latest research supports breaking increased activity into 10 minute blocks, which you can do without even thinking about it. Easy as walking 5 minutes and turning around and coming back to your desk energized and ready to make a difference in people’s lives. It seems the more I move my body the more effortless I attract business success.

4. Get to bed. The average adult sleeps six hours or less. We take sleep for granted and think it is a waste of time. The big myth is that although you can teach yourself to sleep less, you cannot teach yourself to need less sleep. Your sleep needs are biologically determined. Life is easy and we make it harder when we don’t get enough shuteye. Everything is harder without 7 hours of sleep

5. Become a solution based optimist. Your success is determined by persistent action not just results. Create an early evening ritual. Recall and record three blessings of your day. Write down three actions you will accomplish tomorrow. 1 is a business growth or money making focus; 2 is self-care action and 3 is a connection (call, email or letter) to a friend, or future strategic alliance.

Self-care is more than making sure you exercise or eat breakfast. It is taking the time to recognize where in your life you are feeling stuck. It starts with you giving yourself PERMISSION to be number ONE on your list. A strong personal foundation based on self care may give you more energy to volunteer or learn a new hobby. You may find that the old challenge of work versus life don’t stress you out anymore. In fact, you may find they disappear and you will be savoring your whole life!