How To Cultivate Self-Care In Your Busy Life, Right Now!

Aloha!

Do you know people who are not busy? Hmm...I can barely think of anyone! It seems that in this modern day, technology-overload world we are always busy with something - emails, work, kids, family, home upkeep, etc. But busy is not a bad thing! Busy can be great - your life is full and you are in demand and needed by others!

However, when your to-do list is exceedingly long, your self-care practices can easily go down the drain, because they lose priority in your list of seemingly more important things. By self-care, I’m referring to taking care of your physical body in a loving way, and honoring your creative spirit!

Everyone has their own unique expression of self-care.

For example, for me, this means DAILY movement and exercise (whether it’s a dance class, yoga, or an hour at the gym), Sunshine and Nature-time, and DAILY lots of greens (in a juice, smoothie, salad, etc)

Think about what YOU need to feel awesome and nourished. What are your self-care favorites? If the list is long, write them down!

Now that you’ve identified your personal self-care expressions, it’s time to prioritize, because what you are going to create next are: NON-NEGOTIABLES!

This is exciting, trust me!

NON-NEGOTIABLES (Yes, it needs to be in all caps :0) are the things that you CREATE time for every single day, that you commit to. I recommend having 1-3 at a time, and no more, because these practices are going to fit into your day, every day!

Going back to my list above, although I LOVE LOVE LOVE sunbathing and going out in Nature, it’s not on my non-negotiable list because it’s not practical that I can make that happen daily as my days are full with all kinds of other necessary things - Most days, yes, but not every day. What’s on my non-negotiable list are the other 2: Daily movement/exercise and daily consuming lots of Greens!

In order to cultivate self-care in your busy life, you need to establish a set of NON-NEGOTIABLES and commit to sticking to them. Otherwise, slowly everything else in your life will creep back in and you will wonder what happened to your wonderful self-care plan. Once you have your list of 1-3 practices, write them down on a piece of paper and place it where you will see it daily, such as the bathroom mirror or your refrigerator. Do whatever it takes to make your NON-NEGOTIABLES happen – waking up a half-hour earlier, spending less time on social media, or sharing with a friend and asking them to support you!

Here are some ideas for your list (But please do make up your own!):

-going to bed at a certain time

-waking up at a certain time

-meditating daily for a certain length of time

-yoga, daily

-stretching, daily

-sunbathing, daily

-walking in Nature, daily

-gardening, daily

-drinking a green juice, daily

As you commit and stick to your NON-NEGOTIABLES, you will inspire others to invest in their own self-care. You will create a ripple effect, and who knows what amazing things could happen...all from you taking care of YOU!

I hope you are inspired...I know I am! Haha. Get a piece of paper, write your list...and let me know how it goes!

Leave a comment below and share your NON-NEGOTIABLES, creating a virtual wave of support for yourself!

Create a powerful, transformational day!

Courtney