Ways To Prioritise Self-Care and Self Growth
For the last few months, I have gone deep on self-care and prioritising time for myself and, trust me when I say this, it has been life-changing. I made simple changes that have completely switched up my mindset, bought me clarity and allowed me to love myself on a deeper level.
The last few years I have naturally put myself on the backburner as I stepped into motherhood, second pregnancy, launched and managed businesses and allowed the mundane everyday tasks of life take priority. After riding the emotional waves of feeling lost, unmotivated and not knowing what I was truly passionate about, I knew I needed to change my own routine to prioritise my self-care and self-love better (it just took me far too long to actually commit to it).
I feel like we often read the quotes, ‘you can’t be there for others if you’re not there for yourself’ and ‘nothing changes if nothing changes’, but how often do we actually intentionally practice this?
I’m sharing a few tips and mindset hacks that have helped me navigate my own self-growth this year.
I can not stress this enough. This has been a GAME CHANGER for me and every other person that radiates motivation and as though they have their sh*t together. This year I changed my morning routine so I was waking an hour before the kids to focus on myself. Whether that be journaling, meditation, writing, listening to an audiobook, planning my days out, doing a self-development course - whatever it is, I make sure it is something for me and makes me feel productive, fills up my cup and starts my day on a higher vibe.
When I think about self care and self love, it’s all about tapping into the feeling of what it is you’re looking to achieve. Sometimes it means slowing down rather than trying to achieve everything at once. Think about how you want to feel - is it feeling motivated? Write down the things that make you motivated and start doing them more often. Is it feeling happy? Write down the things that make you feel happiness and pick one to do each day. For me, it could be watching the sunrise, morning breakfast with the family, spending 1:1 time with a girlfriend, sunset walk on the beach.
Moving your body is so important for your overall health but it doesn’t mean you have to do hard workouts everyday and over exhaust yourself. If you’re someone who hasn’t been exercising regularly, start slow and focus on what is achievable. Go in with the mindset of wanting to make moving your body a consistent part of your routine, not something you dread or makes you feel more tired and run down. For me, I do a 5km beach walk everyday as it fits into my lifestyle and it’s a time for me to disconnect (or listen to a podcast, audiobook). Not only has this had a dramatic impact on my physical health and body, but it has made a more significant change to my mental health. I then find peppering in hot pilates, a group training session or a home workout is a way for me to strengthen and build muscle. Other days, when I am feeling exhausted, I will just do a 30 minute stretch or yoga class at home. So long as I am moving my body, I don’t feel guilty if it’s a lighter workout. Most of the time, that’s exactly what my body needs.
Consistency in your self-love and care routine is better than trying to go all out and do everything. Ease into it, this will set you up for better success in the long run. You want to make it feel easy and not overwhelming, Perhaps commit to one new thing a week and grow from there. Alternatively, create certain days where you can schedule in something for you - it may be journaling religiously on a Sunday evening before bed or committing one lunch break a week to getting out and doing something for you that's non-negotiable.
This can be as little as listening to an audiobook in an area you want to grow in or doing a course where you’re learning new skills. Investing in something that you are learning from and are growing from will automatically make you feel inspired and motivated to take action in your personal life. If there is something new you have wanted to try and think you’ll love, book it in. It may even spark a completely new path for you. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and do something different for yourself.
By slowing down the mind, you can change your whole mood and outlook, this is why mediation is so popular amongst people who prioritise self-care. The benefits of slowing down the mind aren’t just in the present moment, but it can have a flow on effect for your whole day and week. Some ways of slowing down the mind include mediation, journaling, having a sauna (Alexis Fernandez touches on this as part of our FOR YOU. course), yoga, slow pilates, exercising, having a bath or going for a long walk. Remove yourself from technology and know that it’s ok to slow down - it will make you more productive.
When we think of personal challenges, we often think of physical challenges first to improve our lifestyle. However, I have been doing personal challenges, or commitments I should say, as a way to learn something new and grow in a particular area. Recently, I did 30 days without makeup to give my skin a break, prioritising skin health and building self-confidence - the result of doing that personal challenge was amazing. I also committed to waking up at 4am every morning for a month to really try and establish a solid morning routine and reset my body clock.
I know this is something we’ve heard time and time again but we often ignore it in fear we’ll upset others. When you’re on the journey of self-growth and self-care, it is important that you choose doing what feels right for you rather than what you think others expect from you. When we prioritise ourselves first, we start to intuitively know what feels our cup up or what doesn’t. We become more aware of our self wants and needs in order to be there for others when they need it. You’ll see your self-worth change, your energy shift and you’ll start attracting people that respect and appreciate who you are. When you put yourself first, you’re then able to be there for others in a deeper and connected way because you’re intentionally being there because you want to be, not because you think you have to be.
This is, and always will be, my favourite piece of advice. Hydration is so important. I don’t know how I’d function without drinking 3L of water a day. Your body will love you for it, your skin will love you for it and you just feel so much better. An emotional support water bottle is a necessity for self-care.
When it comes to self-care and self-growth, trust your instincts. We’re all intuitive people, however, some lean into more than others. We have all had that feeling of just ~ knowing ~ we should be doing something but often will go around in circles, asking for advice to solidify our answer, when we deep down already know the answer. Try to be mindful of this and start acting intuitively based on your gut feelings. Don’t let your mind overthink it, just go with it.