lifestyle clique
lifestyle clique
THE WARNING SIGNS The moment you realise you ’ re headed for a one way trip to burn out , you need to take a good look at how you ’ re ‘ DOing ’ life – are you a human DOing , or are you BEing a human being ? In my case if I was BEing I would have noticed that I was :
• Tired
• Exhausted
• Irritated
• Frustrated
• Anxious
• And struggling with nutritional deficiencies .
Nutrient deficiencies shocked me the most . Even though I always ate incredibly well , my body just wasn ’ t absorbing the nutrients . I knew at that moment something had to give – our gut health is incredibly sensitive to stress and is a barometer that life is not ok . I was under a lot of stress , much of it self imposed .
WHAT ARE YOUR BELIEFS ? When I was forced to explore what my beliefs around what I thought self care actually was all I could come up with was :
“ I ’ m terrible at it . It doesn ’ t come naturally . It ’ s just another thing to do .”
These thoughts showed me that self care can be a vicious cycle . You realise you need self care when your well is ‘ empty ’, but that ’ s also when we think “ I ’ m too busy ” have zero motivation or energy to do it . We essentially turn into three year olds resisting doing the things we know are good for us !
WHERE TO START WHEN YOU DON ’ T KNOW WHERE ? How could looking after myself NOT feel like self indulgence ? I came up with a working definition of self care : things I can do today that fill up my “ well ” in good times and times of drought . Could something as simple as flossing my teeth every single day be considered self care ? Yes in my world self care can be THAT simple !
In wellbeing circles we talk about wellbeing in terms of - physical , emotional , mental , financial , and social – spiritual wellbeing . I found using a model to create structure to self care strategies was helpful for an analytical thinker like me .
THE RETURN ON SELF CARE INVESTMENT . Exploring self care through the lens of “ domains of wellbeing ," I could design a range of unconventional self care strategies that filled my “ well ” differently at different times : 1 ) Build into my routine / schedule vs 2 ) Implement when things go nuts
PHYSICAL WELLBEING What can I schedule in on a regular basis – go for a walk , floss your teeth , eat salad for lunch , vs when things go nuts ?
EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL Getting out in nature or just looking at images of nature scenes has been proven to have a calming effect . Just taking a take a break - removing myself from working on a document , a conversation OR when things go nuts – was as simple as colouring in , taking myself out for coffee and a cake , going for a massage , or reading a book for one hour made a big difference .
FINANCIAL : TIME AND MONEY Getting resources of time and money organised is the highest form of self care ! Research shows we all stress about lack of time and money , so getting organised healthy eating by prepping lunches and snacks for the week ahead is what got me through . It saved time and money in the long term .
SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL Being around others can remind us we aren ’ t alone , that others struggle too and that we are all human . For me it was recognising I need to release my need for control and trust in something bigger .
It sounds cliché but putting your own oxygen mask – in your own style – is essential before helping others .
AUTHOR Louise D ’ Allura CONTACT 0408 723 559 WEBSITE louisedallura . com
Women ’ s Network Magazine 35