7 posts tagged “self care”
Years ago, when our children were young, Monday was my ‘day off’. That didn’t mean that things didn’t get done around the house. It simply meant that I did them by choice and not out of obligation. If they didn’t get done, I moved them to another day. It was a day where the children were not to ask me to drive them anywhere or to have friends over. They understood that I needed a day off and they were respectful of it. If they wanted to do something on Monday, they would ask in advance so that my ‘day off’ could be switched to a different day that week. It is important to be flexible – life is not carved in stone. We are in relationships, we have unscheduled events happen that we need to deal with, and we have a choice of how we act and react in any situation. I know that my day off theory annoyed some people but, usually, those were people who refused to give themselves permission to take a day off. That was their issue: the inability to give permission. I’ll stop for now as this discussion could go on for many paragraphs. We’ll delve a little deeper another time.
Now that I’ve been writing about it, I’ve realized that I haven’t had an official (to myself only) day off in quite a while. I tend to consider Sunday as my day off, but I haven’t been adhering to it. I’m off to book four days in my upcoming calendar now (a month of days off). Let me know how you’re doing … if a day a week seems like too much, try one day (or even a half day) a month to start. Do it now. Go to your calendar and block off something right now. Time just for you.
To your success!
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
Life Empowerment Mentor, Health & Wellness Coach
Permission to reprint. This article (and all articles on this blog) is copyrighted by Susan Crutcher. You have permission to reprint this article in its entirety as long as you include the following credit with the article:
Susan Crutcher is the author of “Health & Wellness Made Simple” and is currently working on a series of self empowerment books which all incorporate her baby steps to success theory. She is a life empowerment mentor, health and wellness coach, baby steps to success expert and motivational speaker, is certified in personal training and over a dozen complementary care modalities with over 30 years of teaching experience. Susan is manager of Greystone Retreat (a luxury rental home on Georgian Bay), co-founder of Academy of Holistic Modalities Inc (holistic education), editor of the Reflexology Registration Council of Ontario (RRCO) newsletter ‘In Touch’ and founding member of the Grey-Bruce Spiritual Network (GBSN). Download and enjoy a free sample of her book at: www.SueCrutcher.com
When is your ‘day off’?
What do you mean you don’t have a day off?
This is a huge, important step in your self care.
A day off doesn’t necessarily mean doing nothing. It means you get to do what you want when you want.
Consider this: if you are not important enough to yourself to warrant time to do what you want when you want and to know where your boundaries are, how do you expect others to respect those areas of your life? You can’t. It’s that simple. You have not set an example to yourself or to them.
Now, I know that starting with an entire day off may appear selfish and beyond either your capability or imagination at this point.
So, start with a baby step to success.
If you think about it …could you manage to book just 5 minutes in your day timer – an actual appointment with yourself – where you shut the door, do not answer the phone, do not pick up messages, do not check emails, do not allow any interruptions whatsoever for any reason. Yes, actually write it in your day timer. It is a real appointment.
To make it easier, block this 5 minutes before you start work, at the very beginning or end of your lunch break, or at the end of your day. Try it for a week. The next week (or, depending on how long you need to adapt, the next month) make the appointment with yourself 10 minutes. Then, when you are ready, expand the appointment to 15 minutes and so on as you feel comfortable.
You may want to try getting up that much earlier in the morning so you have true quiet and reflective time. I realize that for many people, quiet in itself can be scary. Self reflection can be even scarier. It takes time to get used to.
So, for now, don’t think about the quiet or the self-reflective part of it. Instead, do something to occupy your time to yourself … something that benefits or relaxes you. Suggestions include: reading a chapter in a favourite book, going for a short walk, tilting your chair back and dreaming about some future goal that may seem unachievable but that you would enjoy … a vacation in your mind to an island paradise or touring around in your favourite vehicle without a care in the world as examples.
There is much more to consider along this thought line but we’ll stop here for today.
To your success!
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
Life Empowerment Mentor, Health & Wellness Coach
Permission to reprint. This article (and all articles on this blog) is copyrighted by Susan Crutcher. You have permission to reprint this article in its entirety as long as you include the following credit with the article:
Susan Crutcher is the author of “Health & Wellness Made Simple” and is currently working on a series of self empowerment books which all incorporate her baby steps to success theory. She is a life empowerment mentor, health and wellness coach, baby steps to success expert and motivational speaker, is certified in personal training and over a dozen complementary care modalities with over 30 years of teaching experience. Susan is manager of Greystone Retreat (a luxury rental home on Georgian Bay), co-founder of Academy of Holistic Modalities Inc (holistic education), editor of the Reflexology Registration Council of Ontario (RRCO) newsletter ‘In Touch’ and founding member of the Grey-Bruce Spiritual Network (GBSN). Download and enjoy a free sample of her book at: www.SueCrutcher.com
The next few blogs are going to be relative to self care. We’ve already started the topic the other day when I was whining about being sick. I haven’t had a cold in three years and it really wasn’t all that bad – an ear infection and sinus congestion.
So, here I am a little over a week later. No longer ill. And thankful for that!
We are in South Carolina today on vacation for a few weeks so my blogs will be a little sporadic as I do not have regular internet access. This is self-care for us – my husband, our puppy, Emily, and I out in our motor coach touring around the country side.
Sadly, we chose a rainy week all the way down here from Ontario (where the sun has been shining and the weather gorgeous since we left). However, it is still beautiful – especially through the mountains and seeing the green of spring rear its head as we go further south.
Time to get back to the laundry – I’m practicing driving standard in our Miata convertible going back and forth to switch loads – so I have to run. Then back to heat up homemade leek/mushroom soup for lunch ; make custard with bananas for dessert at supper; and whip up some oatmeal cookies. The coach is really just a VERY small version of home. In some ways it’s great. In others, it’s much the same (as in household tasks).
To self care!
CREATE a fabulous day!
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
Life Empowerment Mentor, Health & Wellness Coach
Today would not be a good day to operate heavy equipment! Luckily, it isn’t required of me either considering how I’m still feeling. I would be an absolute hazard.
Did you block off some time for self-care on this week’s calendar?
Pardon? You don’t have time for self-care?
Do you have time to be wiped out for a few days flat on your back? Often when we shirk on our self care, this is exactly what happens. We push ourselves until we drop – literally.
As I’ve apparently developed a sinus congestion/head cold, today’s schedule is: work 2 hours, sleep 1; repeat. It’s the same schedule I had yesterday and it’s allowing me to plod through my commitments.
Thursday I have booked a chiropractic adjustment and a one hour massage therapy session. Massage gets blocked in a minimum of once a month and usually every three weeks. It keeps me sane and mobile.
Take a moment, right now, and make an appointment with yourself this week (preferably today) for something you enjoy – it could be an extra-long lunch, a walk in the park, a manicure, time out to read a favourite book or magazine, whatever works for you. Then, and this is the biggie, keep the appointment. It’s part of learning to create boundaries and knowing where they are. More on that later…
To you!
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
One of the first precepts we teach in the complementary health care field is the importance of ‘self care’. Although the importance is recognized by almost everyone, over time, many forget as they get caught up in the ever-constant swirl of events in life. It doesn’t matter if you come from a health care background or not … the premise is true for everyone. If you don’t take care of yourself, how can you take care of others? This is true at all levels: spiritual, emotional, mental and physical. As many of you know by now, I believe in a holistic approach to life. For today, however, I want to focus on the physical level. It is the easiest to understand and the best way to actually see the ‘fruits’ of our efforts. When you have a cold or flu, what do you do for you? Do you fight it for all you’re worth, keep dragging your sorry self to work (spreading germs and sucking energy from others), berate yourself for being ill … or … do you take a ‘time out’ and recuperate? For reasons unknown, I came down with a flu or cold yesterday – it’s still at the point where I can’t tell which it actually is. I spent the day swaddled in blankets and extra sweaters in front of my computer in my office accomplishing minor tasks that required low brain power; had chicken noodle soup for lunch and finally, around 2pm, broke down and had a one hour nap. That helped immensely. I felt better for several hours. Today I am feeling even less energetic so I’m really going to coddle myself more: spent extra time lounging in bed (didn’t get up until 7am today); had a long hot tub; checked on and watered geranium seedlings; decided not to do the errands I had planned in town (I moved them to Tuesday on my calendar); paid my bills online and filed everything; and am planning on a nap very shortly. The rest of the day is in limbo – although napping is a high possibility. I have learned from past experience, that the best thing to do when feeling tired and run down is to take a break – give myself permission to have an hour, a few hours or even a full day of doing absolutely nothing with no plans whatsoever. To me nothing means no scheduling more than anything else. How are you feeling today? How long has it been since you gave yourself a ‘time out’? If you can’t remember, get your planner out right now and block off an hour sometime over the next week (today, of course, would be best!). Make an appointment with yourself to do nothing. Have no plans or ideas for that timeframe at all. You’ll be surprised how one hour to yourself can make a huge difference on your psyche. I'm off to take a nap … Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert PS -- check out this excerpt from my new book, entitled 'Health & Wellness Made Simple' which follows along the 'Baby Steps to Success' theory that is incorporated into this blog: http://www.suecrutcher.com/hwms.html
. Note: some of the links referring to my website do not as yet exist so don’t be alarmed when you don’t find them. Naturally, your comments are welcome and appreciated.
After drifting slightly off-topic the last couple of weeks – I just got so caught up in the ‘possibilities’ and intriguing math equations and formulas that I had to share them with all of you – here we go on the continuing variations on a theme: “Baby Steps to Success”.
Today, I simply have a question for you:
"If you don’t take the time to look after yourself (physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually), who will?"
We all run around looking after others, tending to their needs, overextending ourselves at various levels until we are, at some point, forced to stop. If we took care of ourselves on a regular basis (and this doesn’t have to take tons of time), we would be much healthier and more capable of helping others. It makes perfect sense, but it is rare that people follow through on it. This week we will discuss a few ways to begin this journey of ‘self-care’.
To your continued health…
Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success Expert
Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach
PS – my apologies for not getting to comment on everyone’s blogs over the past couple of days and updating my blog. My new system is running much better but not during fog and thunderstorms (which have been circling us almost constantly). Internet and television were unavailable yesterday. You are not forgotten.
Everyone appears to have enjoyed and incorporated the neck and shoulder stretches from last week. This week we will focus on a series of simple hand, wrist and finger stretches that will be very helpful due to all the time we spend on our computers.
These stretches may be done as often as you think of them – preferably at least once an hour while at the computer. More frequently is better. Doing them once a day is still better than not doing any at all so do not get frustrated if you don’t always remember. In time, with practice, they will simply become part of your typing routine.
Stretch one hand at a time or, to save time, stretch both simultaneously:
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Ball your hand into a fist
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Squeeze tightly
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Open wide, splaying fingers as far open and apart as you can
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Ball back into a fist
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Repeat 3 times
That’s it for today. It’s a tough one. Tomorrow we add another one and start on the routine that will be finished by Friday.
To your self-care….
Sue Crutcher, Personal Trainer
