I found a youtube video today that gave the first 10 steps for extreme self-care. I would say it's a very good list. You can watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFoUvxEatpc&feature=related
Or just read the list below:
The First 10 Steps for Extreme Self-Care
1. Nourishing Getup Ritual
2. Drink 8 glasses of Water
3. Eat Well
4. Laugh a Lot!
5. Exercise Your Body
6. Exercise Your Brain
7. Write in a Journal
8. Positive Mental Attitude
9. Smile Every Day
10.Relaxing Bedtime Ritual
How many of these do you incorporate into your daily life? Which ones do you need to focus on a bit more? Perhaps choose one or two to make sure you add over the next few days or week. Remember small steps can make a big difference!
Namaste'
Leslie
Showing posts with label self-care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self-care. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
self-care spring break
This time tomorrow night I will be getting a much needed 90 minute swedish massage. This is the kick-off to my spring break & I. can. not. wait! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE getting massages. After a massage, my body feels a lot like it does after practicing yoga, but I don't have to do as much work. :)
I won't be traveling over spring break, as my husband isn't off work on the same days. I actually find staying home for the week is incredibily rejuvenating and relaxing. Other items on my agenda? Mani, pedi, hair appointment, dinner at friend's house, and a day trip with a girlfriend to St. Louis! The weather is supposed to be fabulous, too!
Even if you don't have a spring break coming up, how can you practice a little self-care? You deserve it!
Namaste'
Leslie
I won't be traveling over spring break, as my husband isn't off work on the same days. I actually find staying home for the week is incredibily rejuvenating and relaxing. Other items on my agenda? Mani, pedi, hair appointment, dinner at friend's house, and a day trip with a girlfriend to St. Louis! The weather is supposed to be fabulous, too!
Even if you don't have a spring break coming up, how can you practice a little self-care? You deserve it!
Namaste'
Leslie
Thursday, October 8, 2009
self-care
Tonight after work I'm off to get my hair colored and cut. I've found a very good hairdresser, who is definitely reasonably priced, so I'm able to do this every 5-6 weeks. It's amazing how a little cut and color can make you feel refreshed and new!
Here's your yogathought for the day on one of my favorite subjects: self-care:
"Being smart about our energy means overthrowing the crazy fallacy that we deserve anything less than luxurious self-care...Preventing burnout does more for positive energy than trying to backpedal after you get sick. You have an inalienable right to self-care, and outgrowth of compassion. You don't have to be shy about loving yourself...
Soak in Hot Water in Bathtubs, Jacuzzies, or Natural springs
Get Regular Body Work or Beauty Services
Allow Yourself to Veg Out or Pursue Non-Mind-Stressing Activities
Splurge on Treats
Take a retreat" (at home or away)
--Judith Orloff
Namaste'
Leslie
Here's your yogathought for the day on one of my favorite subjects: self-care:
"Being smart about our energy means overthrowing the crazy fallacy that we deserve anything less than luxurious self-care...Preventing burnout does more for positive energy than trying to backpedal after you get sick. You have an inalienable right to self-care, and outgrowth of compassion. You don't have to be shy about loving yourself...
Soak in Hot Water in Bathtubs, Jacuzzies, or Natural springs
Get Regular Body Work or Beauty Services
Allow Yourself to Veg Out or Pursue Non-Mind-Stressing Activities
Splurge on Treats
Take a retreat" (at home or away)
--Judith Orloff
Namaste'
Leslie
Thursday, September 17, 2009
a bit on rest
Here is your yogathought for the day from Jennifer Louden's book, The Life Organizer:
"The more we truly live from our hearts, the more rest and self-nurturing and relaxation become a way of life--a satisfying texture of action and calm, expansion and contraction, giving and replenishing. Genuine rest becomes a part of our lives not because we have to make time for it but because we are willing to be needy and ask for what we need from Spirit, becaue we are offering our gifts to the world with verve and integrity. Life, in other words, is no longer clutched in our tight fists. And that is truly restful."
Namaste'
Leslie
"The more we truly live from our hearts, the more rest and self-nurturing and relaxation become a way of life--a satisfying texture of action and calm, expansion and contraction, giving and replenishing. Genuine rest becomes a part of our lives not because we have to make time for it but because we are willing to be needy and ask for what we need from Spirit, becaue we are offering our gifts to the world with verve and integrity. Life, in other words, is no longer clutched in our tight fists. And that is truly restful."
Namaste'
Leslie
Friday, August 14, 2009
self-care
Knowing that when I returned to work the first week of Aug. it would be incredibly busy, I made self-care appointments toward the end of each of the past two weeks to help ensure I wouldn't feel completely depleted and unbalanced from work.
This week, I got a 45 minute "pick-me-up facial." This was my second facial ever. The first one was at a cosmetology school a few years ago, and while it was nice, I definitely knew that I'd much rather spend my self-care time and money getting a massage. I decided to try out getting a facial again because I had a coupon that made it practically free. And, it was heavenly and oh so relaxing! Now, I'm thinking facials might just rate right up there with massages!
Here are some more self-care ideas:
*mani's and pedi's
*getting your hair done (cut, color, etc.)
*browsing a bookstore
*chilling at a coffee shop reading and/or writing
*turning the cell phone off for an entire evening
*doing yoga
*saying no to requests you would usually say yes to out of feelings of guilt or obligation
*going to dinner at your favorite restaurant with yourself (sushi would be my choice)
When's the last time you scheduled a self-care date? What are your favorite self-care activities?
Namaste'
Leslie
This week, I got a 45 minute "pick-me-up facial." This was my second facial ever. The first one was at a cosmetology school a few years ago, and while it was nice, I definitely knew that I'd much rather spend my self-care time and money getting a massage. I decided to try out getting a facial again because I had a coupon that made it practically free. And, it was heavenly and oh so relaxing! Now, I'm thinking facials might just rate right up there with massages!
Here are some more self-care ideas:
*mani's and pedi's
*getting your hair done (cut, color, etc.)
*browsing a bookstore
*chilling at a coffee shop reading and/or writing
*turning the cell phone off for an entire evening
*doing yoga
*saying no to requests you would usually say yes to out of feelings of guilt or obligation
*going to dinner at your favorite restaurant with yourself (sushi would be my choice)
When's the last time you scheduled a self-care date? What are your favorite self-care activities?
Namaste'
Leslie
Thursday, May 21, 2009
a lil' self-care
I am very excited to be going with two friends tonight to get pedicures and a bite to eat. Some self-care is definitely needed. I hope you have some time to get in a little self-care soon!
Here is your yogathought for the day:
"We're like the spokes on a wheel, all radiating out from the same center. If you define us according to our position on the rim, we seem separate and distinct from one another. But if you define us according to our starting point, our source--the center of the wheel--we're a shared identity. If you dig deep enough into your mind, and deep enough into mine, the picture is the same: at the bottom of it all, what we are is love." --Marianne Williamson
Namaste'
Yogadiva
p.s. For all you yogis and yoginis out there, if you haven't already: Make sure to check out the Summer Sun Salutation and Meditation challenge for the month of June! (It's on the right of this post.)
Here is your yogathought for the day:
"We're like the spokes on a wheel, all radiating out from the same center. If you define us according to our position on the rim, we seem separate and distinct from one another. But if you define us according to our starting point, our source--the center of the wheel--we're a shared identity. If you dig deep enough into your mind, and deep enough into mine, the picture is the same: at the bottom of it all, what we are is love." --Marianne Williamson
Namaste'
Yogadiva
p.s. For all you yogis and yoginis out there, if you haven't already: Make sure to check out the Summer Sun Salutation and Meditation challenge for the month of June! (It's on the right of this post.)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
self-care
The topic of self-care is one of my favorites. I fully believe that without filling ourselves up regularly, we end up with very little to give. This morning, I was reading The Life Organizer by Jennifer Louden, and she suggests creating a list of minimum requirements for self-care:
"Between surviving and leading a fully humming creative life lies the middle ground of determining your minimum requirements for self-care, a duded-up way of saying what you absolutely must have to stay in touch with your center. Basic needs, or minimum requirements, are different for each woman, although getting enough sleep, moving our bodies, eating fresh food, being touched, and connecting to something larger than ourselves show up pretty consistently on women's lists--but again, not on everybody's. It can be easy to discount the importance of these basics, because getting enough alone time or napping when you are tired just doesn't sound as sexy as realizing some fabulous dream. Yet without these basics, the dreams don't come true, or you can't sustain them when they do, or most tragically, it turns out that you are following not your dreams but rather a script about what you should do. But when you reach a certain stage of commitment to your self, you find that you are willing to give the amout of attention and energy needed to these basics, because without them, it isn't your life. You discover that you have less leeway to stray from what is essential."
To get you thinking about your minimum self-care requirements, Louden suggests filling in the blanks on the following statements:
"Without __________, I lose myself."
"When I feel most connected to my center, I am _________."
"When I feel most connected to something larger than myself and my agenda, I am __________."
"My body helps be me connected when it has __________."
"I could live without __________ but not for long."
So today, I will be using these ideas to create my own minimum self-care list including daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly categories. Spring will be arriving shortly and I think it's the perfect time to reflect and focus on renewing ourselves in order to blossom fully!
Namaste'
Yogadiva
"Between surviving and leading a fully humming creative life lies the middle ground of determining your minimum requirements for self-care, a duded-up way of saying what you absolutely must have to stay in touch with your center. Basic needs, or minimum requirements, are different for each woman, although getting enough sleep, moving our bodies, eating fresh food, being touched, and connecting to something larger than ourselves show up pretty consistently on women's lists--but again, not on everybody's. It can be easy to discount the importance of these basics, because getting enough alone time or napping when you are tired just doesn't sound as sexy as realizing some fabulous dream. Yet without these basics, the dreams don't come true, or you can't sustain them when they do, or most tragically, it turns out that you are following not your dreams but rather a script about what you should do. But when you reach a certain stage of commitment to your self, you find that you are willing to give the amout of attention and energy needed to these basics, because without them, it isn't your life. You discover that you have less leeway to stray from what is essential."
To get you thinking about your minimum self-care requirements, Louden suggests filling in the blanks on the following statements:
"Without __________, I lose myself."
"When I feel most connected to my center, I am _________."
"When I feel most connected to something larger than myself and my agenda, I am __________."
"My body helps be me connected when it has __________."
"I could live without __________ but not for long."
So today, I will be using these ideas to create my own minimum self-care list including daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly categories. Spring will be arriving shortly and I think it's the perfect time to reflect and focus on renewing ourselves in order to blossom fully!
Namaste'
Yogadiva
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