A New Perspective on Self-Care: How Healthy Habits Affect Your Whole Life
Use this self-care checklist to reach your goals with less stress.
Are you looking to lead your life with more confidence, trust in yourself, and inner peace?
Self-care practices establish this foundation of true health and well-being. From this foundation, you can reach your goals faster – while feeling more fulfilled and less stressed.
Unlike the way it’s sometimes portrayed, self-care is not about indulging or retreating from your life. If you're looking for practical, science-based ways to practice healthy habits, you're in the right place.
Why Is Self-Care Important?
We tend to view self-care practices – like meditation or movement – as added tasks on our to-do list. And with so much on our list, these practices sometimes fall to the bottom.
But self-care shouldn't be something you only try to do once everything else is finished.
Self-care is the foundation that sets you up for health and happiness in all aspects of life. When you make these practices a top priority, they become daily habits and you start to lead your life from a place of inner confidence and grounded stability.
Culturally, we've become accustomed to believing that self-care is indulgent. We beat ourselves up when we don't focus only on the "productive" tasks. But when you care for your foundation, you can actually be more productive and less stressed.
For example, let’s say it’s a Sunday afternoon, and the voice in your head is telling you that you need to be “productive.” Instead of using your time to practice your yoga, you decide to catch up on a work project.
You think that working more will make you less stressed the next day. But the truth is: the benefits of getting in your daily yoga far outweigh the result of completing the work task.
When you decide to practice yoga, you reduce stress, sleep better – and enhance your brain function. You wake up the next day feeling rested and recharged, so you're able to get your work project done in half the time.
Can you see how your self-care practice actually propels you forward in work?
This is only one example of how your foundation affects every area of your life. With these practices, you gradually start to live your life with more confidence and less stress.
Are you ready to show up as your best self at work, in your relationships, and for yourself? Let’s walk through how you can create a self-care routine that you practice daily.
3-Step Self-Care Checklist
First off, let's define what self-care is.
There's a misconception that self-care is about treating yourself or indulging. Of course, there's nothing wrong with binging a TV show and having a nice glass of rosé sometimes. As hard-working creatives, we need those nights too!
But remember not to mistake these moments for genuine self-care. They act as more of an escape from your life – versus helping you create shifts towards the life you want.
Self-care is about the practices that move you towards a healthier, more fulfilled, and present version of yourself. In this way, self-care is a form of personal development practice.
Here are three foundational self-care practices I recommend:
1. Movement. I can’t emphasize enough how impactful movement can be on your brain and body. Physical activity improves your cognitive health, affecting how you balance your emotions, think with more clarity, and solve problems with more ease.1Plus, keeping yourself healthy is how you can keep showing up for your family and the people around you. You reduce your risk of developing health conditions like cancer and heart disease.Base your movement goals and practices on how you feel – not the way you look. View movement as the engine that propels you towards the healthiest version of yourself. It’s far more motivating to work towards a feeling than a weight goal.
I recommend taking a 15-20 minute walk every day. Allow yourself to focus on your breathing, the sounds around you, and your environment.
2. Meditation. Meditation and mindfulness have taken on a bit of a stigma in the last few years. Culturally, we tend to view them as practices you take on a retreat or on a beach – which feels unrealistic.
The truth is, that meditation has actual scientific benefits of reducing stress and increasing self-awareness and creativity. And you can practice meditation in as little as 5-10 minutes to cultivate calm throughout your day. Over time, meditation actually changes the neuropathways in your brain. Gradually you become less reactive and more grounded in yourself. If you’re craving a feeling of more stability in yourself as you meet your life’s responsibilities, meditation can truly help.
3. Gratitude. Practicing gratitude is another self-care practice that leaves an impactful effect on the brain. When you practice gratitude, it releases serotonin and dopamine, the pleasure chemicals in your brain.3
Too often we base our happiness on external markers of success. The problem is, once we reach those goals, we immediately start to think about the next thing we want to have, or the next goal we want to achieve.
Gratitude stops this cycle and allows you to feel fulfilled and content with what you already have in the present moment.
In three simple steps practiced over time, you can radically change your brain. Cultivating these self-care practices allows you to actually gain more mental clarity, self-awareness, inner peace, and so much more.
When you cultivate this foundation, you start to find more fulfillment and harmony in all areas of your life. And you begin to realize that the path of your life and mindset is in your control.
Your life slows down around you, and you start to come off of the “treadmill” of life. Instead of rushing through your days and tasks, you create room in your headspace and connect to your body. You feel more at peace in the moments where you are present, allowing you to enjoy your life to the fullest.
And this sense of grounded confidence allows you to show up more fully in your workplace, relationships, and for yourself. In this sense, self-care is not indulgent. It’s a true act of intention that allows you to show up for everyone around you and reach your life goals.
Get Guidance Implementing Your Self-Care Practice
Are you ready to reach your goals while experiencing more confidence and less stress? I can help.
As a whole-life coach, I guide people like you to connect with themselves, establish healthy habits, and make intentional shifts towards a life with more peace and purpose.
Get started by taking my free, 10-minute guided meditation. I guide you through the exact practice I use to start my day from a place of inner peace, clarity, and confidence. You can also use it to cultivate a moment of calm throughout your busy day.
I am committed to helping creatives like you establish a genuine foundation of whole-life health and happiness. ❤️
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