Self-Care

SelfCare (6)

Many people misunderstand self-care. They think they don’t deserve or need it. Some think they have to earn it. Others think it is optional, requires a lot of time and money, and will cause them to be labeled selfish because they have chosen to care for themselves instead of caring for others.

Self-care is the act of nurturing your spirit, heart, mind, body, breath, and life in ways that uplift you. Self-care is your birthright. Self-care allows you to tap into your inner mother for nurturing. Self-care makes you strong not weak. It manifests as self-love, self-worth, and self-preservation.

Self-care helps you outsmart stress when you experience pressure or a situation that exceeds your ability to cope. Self-care also lays the foundation for resilience, a human quality and a choice that allows us to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of any adversity, crisis, difficulty, disappointment, failure, problem, reinvention, or transition in our lives, careers, and businesses. When you practice mindful self-care, you can tap into the quality of resilience that lives within you. It takes making a commitment and then doing the work needed to navigate the rough spots, tough times, and transitions that I like to call your greatest growth opportunities.

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Guess what? Self-care is absolutely free and accessible to you 24 hours a day because it begins with your breath.

Stop right now where you are and breathe deeply. Make your breath your BFF with one to seven deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Notice how your breath and body feel. Guess what? You just experienced a moment of self-care that did not cost you any money and took very little time.

Breathing

Self-care looks different in each person’s life, career, and business. Check out the self-care examples below. Try one or several. Leave a comment about how the practice felt and impacted your life.

Self-care is breathing deeply 1-3 times before you start and end your day.
Self-care is closing your eyes and being still right where you are for a few minutes.
Self-care is listening to your spirit, heart, mind, and body.
Self-care is resting.
Self-care is taking a short or long nap.
Self-care is choosing to sleep in when the body needs it.
Self-care is unplugging from digital devices.
Self-care is having a chill out day, week, weekend, month, or year to slow down and go with the flow.
Self-care is being quiet.
Self-care is listening to soothing music.
Self-care is reading anything that inspires, comforts, encourages, motivates, informs, and makes you feel good or laugh.
Self-care is laughing.
Self-care is being honest with yourself about what you can and cannot be and do given your current state of spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, creative, and financial well-being.
Self-care is telling yourself it is okay not to know what to say or do next.
Self-care is tapping into, trusting, and following your intuition.
Self-care is acknowledging how you really feel no matter what emotion it is.
Self-care is screaming into a pillow or yelling in your room to release whatever you need to release.
Self-care is calling someone you trust and venting, cussing, and expressing your raw emotions.
Self-care is giving yourself permission and space to not have it all together every day.
Self-care is asking for and receiving HELP.
Self-care is seeking support from a therapist, a mental health professional, a life coach or an accountability partner.
Self-care is setting an intention on how you want to show up in your life, career, business, and community each day.
Self-care is creating boundaries around how you use your time each day.
Self-care is saying NO to things and experiences you really don’t have the energy to do.
Self-care is releasing thoughts, beliefs, habits, behaviors, and relationships that no longer serve your highest good.
Self-care is welcoming new thoughts, beliefs, practices, and relationships that uplift and support your growth.
Self-care is giving yourself loving kindness and compassion.
Self-care is releasing the need to criticize and judge yourself.
Self-care is being patient with yourself.
Self-care is forgiving yourself.
Self-care is recognizing you are doing the best you can where you are.
Self-care is spending time in prayer.
Self-care is meditating.
Self-care is saying affirmations.
Self-care is practicing yoga, reiki, tapping, tai chi, mindful walking, and other mindfulness practices.
Self-care is moving your body mindfully with exercise.
Self-care is chanting mantras.
Self-care is singing.
Self-care is journaling.
Self-care is making art.
Self-care is coloring.
Self-care is wearing your favorite colors.
Self-care is sipping your favorite tea, coffee, or healthy beverage.
Self-care is eating healthy.
Self-care is spending time with family, friends, and neighbors who uplift and love you.
Self-care is having meaningful conversations with people you like and love.
Self-care is being grateful for all you are and have.
Self-care is celebrating your personal and professional growth by acknowledging your small, medium, and big wins each day, week, month, and year.
Self-care is taking one small step each day to nurture your spirit, heart, mind, body, breath, and life.

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Self-care is also one of your superpowers for serving and supporting others in your life, career, and business. When you take care of yourself first, you strengthen your capacity to show up in your life as a whole, healthy, and resilient person who is in a better position to serve and support loved ones, colleagues, clients, and members of your community.

The Thriving Mindfully Academy (TMA) helps people just like you and mission-driven companies, organizations, and communities understand, accept, and claim self-care as a birthright.

SELF-CARE ASSESSMENT

We start with having folks take a five-minute Mindful Self-Care Assessment to determine their level of self-care. Go here to take it. Then come back and check out the self-care resources below.

SELF-CARE RESOURCES

At TMA, we use the 4Bs of Self-Care as the foundation for virtual and in-person trainings, coaching, and resources. The 4Bs of Self-Care include:

Self-care is a BIRTHRIGHT.
Self-care is a BELIEF that you are worthy of it.
Self-care is a way of BEING that takes practice, patience, and time because it is a process you can with small steps to make it come alive in your life.
Self-care begins with the BREATH (which is FREE and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year).

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We encourage our clients to take mindful self-care vitamins called the “Big 5” each day to support themselves, especially in moments when they are stressed out, anxious, and overwhelmed. The “Big 5” vitamins include loving kindness, compassion, nonjudgment, patience, and forgiveness. They help support you in your daily practice, especially in moments when your inner critic shows up and criticizes, judges or shames you for not being able to live up to your own expectations or achieve your goals.

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We developed a recipe of weekly themes to help you bring more mindful self-care moments into your life, career, and business. Go here to learn more about each day’s themes.

We use the C.A.R.E. tool as a reminder during stressful times. C.A.R.E. is an acronym for:

CHOOSE your birthright to self-care.
ACT: Act in ways that
RESTORE
ENERGY: Your spiritual, emotional, mental, physical, and creative ENERGY

Watch the videos below to learn more about the 4Bs of Self-Care, “Big 5” Mindful Self-Care Vitamins, Recipe of Weekly Self-Care Themes, and C.A.R.E. tool.