• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Leap Forward Coaching

Leap Forward Coaching

Life, Executive and Career Coaching

  • Home
  • About
  • Services
    • Executive Coaching
    • Life Coaching
    • Career Coaching
    • Our Process
  • Clients
  • Newsletters
  • Blog
  • Press
  • Contact

Simplifying Self Care

February 6, 2018 by leapforward 1 Comment

If you’ve ever felt self care is a daunting or unattainable luxury, this month’s newsletter is for you! Let’s talk about simplifying self care … small ways to nurture yourself that don’t require a lot of time, money, or effort.

Warmly,

Melanie Ott

Inspirational Thoughts

“Self care is never a selfish act — it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others.” ~ Parker J. Palmer

“I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.” ~ Andre Lorde

A Roadmap for Simple Self Care

I work with many smart, conscientious, and hard-working people who know self care is often the difference between a healthy, happy life and a harried one. But ironically, for them and maybe for you, too, self care often feels like a chore — one more “to do” on an already full list.

Perhaps you’d take better care of yourself if you weren’t so busy taking care of others; maybe your long work hours leave time for little else. Or maybe it just never occurred to you to put a focus on your own needs and support.

Winter — sandwiched between the hectic holiday season and the summertime hustle — is the perfect time to create and implement a simple self-care routine. Consider the many types of self care: sensory, pleasure, mental, spiritual, emotional, physical, and social. Start by identifying where you most need care right now and choose one helpful habit to start practicing. Make it small and easy to implement. Here are some ideas:

Start your day with a healthy cup of green tea or five minutes of mindful meditation, or end it with a relaxing bubble bath or noting three things for which you are grateful. Work on puzzles, play, sing, or listen to music, read motivational quotes, or take a fitness or art class. Get a monthly massage, talk weekly to a trusted friend, or commit to getting outside for fresh air once a day.

Last but not least, just do it, without excuses. Create an “appointment” for your new habit in your planner or set an alarm on you phone. Scheduling moments of self-care serves as a reminder and give it additional weight. If you miss a day or week, don’t beat up yourself. Take note of the roadblock and plan how to overcome this obstacle in the future. Once one self-care habit becomes routine, build another — with the ultimate goal of creating a life of balance.

Tips to Simplify Self Care

Here are some ways to practice simple self care amidst life’s craziness:

  • Take self care to work. Since most of us spend a third of our life at work, look for ways to incorporate self care into your work life. For example: Keep your desk feng-shui clutter-free, surround yourself with inspirational pictures, or actually take a lunch break and dedicate one a week to self care.
  • Practice breathing. Never underestimate the healing power of your breath. When life gets chaotic, instead of kicking it into overdrive, pause and focus on slowing your breath. This helps calm your mind and slow your racing heart.
  • Establish healthy boundaries. Sometimes, self care means saying “No.” Setting limits or boundaries in work and life help create balance. Know when you’ve taken on too much and ask for help to handle it. Instead of gritting your teeth and worrying about disappointing others, make a choice to put your own mental and physical well-being first.
  • Surround yourself with good people. Loving, supportive friends and family are an ideal line of defense against stress and anxiety. Practice self care in relationships by weeding out the toxic and surrounding yourself with those who bring joy, positivity, and light to your life.

At Leap Forward Coaching our process will help you care for yourself to cultivate deeper calm and greater self love to live your most joyful and fulfilled life.

Filed Under: Archive Newsletter, Balance, Joy, Prescription for Health, Self Care, Thrive, Zen Habits

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Beat Burnout - Leap Forward Coaching says:
    March 16, 2021 at 9:02 am

    […] self-care means saying “No.” Setting limits or boundaries in work and life help create balance. Know when […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

RSS
Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Visit Us
Post on X
LinkedIn
LinkedIn
Share
Newsletter Signup | Leap Forward Coaching, LLC

Newsletter Archive
Complimentary Coaching Meeting

Archives

  • November 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • February 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • April 2018
  • February 2018
  • October 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • August 2016
  • June 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • January 2014
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • June 2013
  • April 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • April 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • September 2011
  • June 2011
  • March 2011
  • January 2011
  • October 2010
  • June 2010
  • April 2010
  • January 2010
  • November 2009
  • October 2009

Categories

  • Archive Newsletter
  • Balance
  • Celebrate Gratitude
  • Confidence
  • Cultivate Creativity
  • Decision Making
  • Declutter
  • Discover Your Strengths
  • Dreams For Success
  • Focus on the Future
  • Focus-Building Tips
  • Forgiveness
  • Going Green
  • Happiness
  • Joy
  • Kindness
  • Life Purpose
  • Lifelong Learning
  • Living Courageously
  • Mindfulness
  • Multitasking
  • Patience
  • Planning For Success
  • Prescription for Health
  • Relationships
  • Resilience
  • Self Care
  • Thanksgiving
  • Thrive
  • Transition
  • Using Technology
  • Worry
  • Worry & Anxiety
  • Zen Habits

Footer

  • Home
  • About
  • Clients
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Client Login
  • Sitemap
  • Executive Coaching
  • Life Coaching
  • Career Coaching
  • Our Process

Copyright © 2011-Present Leap Forward Coaching, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Handcrafted with by Studiodog