The Self Nurtured TeacherTM
The Self Nurtured TeacherTM
This may seem like an oxymoron statement, but self care is leaning on each other. SELF in self care simply means taking ownership of the actions you take to create a healthy existence. It doesn’t mean to do it all on your own. Women thinking we have to do it all on our own is part of the reason we don’t know how to take care of ourselves and can become burned out.
There are many ways you can go about finding support from others. The number 1 thing to remember is align yourself with people that either want something similar to you or lift you up with your goals even if they themselves do not have a same. The mistake many people make is only seeking support from their current sphere of friends and family. Sometimes those closest to us want to keep us safe or are triggered themselves by your wanting to make changes that might not include them. Be selective with who you allow to support you if you want to have the success you are aiming for.
Here are some places to find support outside of your current circle:
Can you say accountabiity? Self accountability is an important part of taking care of yourself AND if sometimes isn’t enough. Most people benefit from being part of an accountability group or having an accountability partner. The premise of this is knowing someone else is watching you — and vice versa — which raises the bar and makes it more difficult to slack off on the goals you’ve set for yourself.
Check out some more benefits:
Just as everyone’s self care needs are different, so is the support each person needs. One person may want someone to go to a workout with them, while others might want a simple check-in. Someone might prefer email or text, where another person may enjoy a voicemail or phone call.
There are some universal displays of support regardless of how you receive the support.
We often think of support by way of humans. You can also find support in your schedule. I realize there are certain aspects of your schedule that are set and you can support yourself in the small moments you have throughout your day.
2 STARTING IDEAS:
The first is book-ending your day. Think of a book shelf that has bookends. The books are held together, organized, and easy to find. In opposition, a shelf without bookends tends to be chaotic, hard to focus and find, and possibly getting damaged.
Now apply that idea to your schedule. When you lack morning and evening routines (aka: bookends), the rest of the day can be disorganized, anxiety filled, unfocused, and like you’re always behind. In contrast, people that have morning and evening routines tend to be focused, organized, feel calmer, and can be more productive. These bookend routines don’t need to be time intensive. Creating 3-4 habits that you do in a specific order to start your day and end your day will get you started off right or at least end the day on your terms, even if the rest of the day didnt quite go as planned.
A second way is to look at your energy patterns throughout the day. You have times during the day where you are more productive than other times, as well as times where you might need some extra emotional support or down time (even if for 1-2 minutes). Everyone is different, so you’ll want to look at how you manage YOUR energy by doing a short tracking exercise followed by some strategic planning. This approach can be used whether you have full control over your schedule or have set times by outside factors. Learn how to simply do this by grabbing my FREE Manage Your Energy Guide. I’ll help you through the steps!
IN CLOSING
There are many benefits to having self accountability as well as knowing that others are holding you accountable. It isn’t as easy to take consistent action on all parts of your goals by yourself, so knowing what you can do on your own and where you need support is key! I believe it starts with accountability for how we take care of ourselves. When you are well, the other areas of your life work together in harmony more of the time than when you put yourself and your well-being at the end of the list.
You can kick start your plan for self care before the Fall arrives. Join other busy women looking to make change and be part of a supportive community. Register for my FREE Self Care Challenge beginning soon!
