So often we set goals to improve different areas of our lives.
We want to lose weight, improve our fitness, find the right relationship or heal the one we are in, meditate daily, declutter, get more organised, have more fun, get our career on track, get more clients…… the list goes on and on.
But here’s the thing…..
Overhauling your life, even in a small way takes time and energy.
If you are already time poor and feel low on energy (like many of us do after Christmas and New Year, not to mention the trauma and challenges of 2020), then you are going to find it a huge struggle to bring about positive change.
My Advice?
Start with Self Care.
I know that this will feel massively counter productive to you if you want to just “get stuff done” but try this idea on for size at least.
Some easy self-care wins for a week or so could shore up the energy you need to start making more of an impact in your world AND protect you from feeling overwhelmed and burned out.
My approach to self-care is two fold.
Plugging up the holes in your energy bucket and then looking for ways to fill yourself up.
In other words, what can you stop giving your time and energy away to that you need to keep hold of? And what can you do to replace depleted energy?
If you do both of these things for a week, you’ll see a big difference, you’ll be fully recovered from the Festive Season and you’ll be ready to take on the world.
Energy Drains
– Watching the News more than once a day
Once you know what the headlines are, you are simply going to be getting different versions of this throughout the day so there is little point in hearing it many times.
– Engaging in Drama
Don’t respond to vague booking on social media and do what you can to disengage from drama fuelled people in your life.
– Too Much Screen Time
Scrolling endlessly through social media robs you of time and energy and is especially detrimental just before bed. Block time to “check” your phone if you need to and then after the time has finished, put it down. Reading a book before bed is so much better for us.
– Food and Drink
What can you do to improve your nutrition?
Your physical body doesn’t like processed food so reduce this as much as you can.
Too much alcohol and caffeine drain our energy, although I LOVE a couple of cups of coffee in the morning I rarely have any after lunchtime.
Try switching to herbal teas through the day and perhaps a chamomile tea for bed?
Even if you replaced a couple of cups a day this would help.
– Not Enough Sleep / Poor Quality Sleep
We need 7 – 8 hours of good quality sleep to help us to heal and recharge.
If you don’t get this then you are not going to function as well as you could.
Make sure your bedroom is as clutter free as possible, reduce screen time and don’t eat too late.
Having a bath about an hour before I go to sleep helps me to wind down, I add essential oil of lavender and often some salt to clear my energy field. I ask that anything that I need to release from the day is dissolved in the water. A night time meditation or even just some quiet, soothing background music can be calming and peaceful before bed.
I ask that all cords that do not serve me are disconnected, and I read for about 15 minutes.
– Poor Boundaries
Giving your energy away to people and situations that you actually need for yourself.
Try “The Breathing Space” Technique.
Instead of saying yes to everything, create a pocket of space for yourself by saying something like “I’ll have to check what I’m doing that day, I’m not sure without being in front of the calendar.”
Or something similar just to let you off the hook in the moment.
Once you are at home you can weigh up the cost of the request and politely decline via a text if it feels like something that would drain you.
– Delegate or Sod Things Off
Do you need to iron the bedding?
Do you have to cook every day from scratch or could you batch cook and freeze?
Could someone else do some housework?
Could you do your food shopping online or get a food box provider?
Do you need a cleaner or help in the garden, help with your admin or someone to walk your dog?
– Poor Morning Routine
When you win the morning you win the day.
Getting up a bit earlier and having some time to orientate yourself and set your vibration is one of the most beneficial things I do for myself.
Initially I found it a struggle as I got invested in an old story that I was “missing out” if I went to bed a bit earlier (I still needed my 7 – 8 hours of sleep). When I really looked a this I realised that all I was missing out on was shite television – anything I wanted to see I could record, and scrolling on social media. Hardly missing out!
Going to bed an hour earlier and getting up an hour earlier made a huge difference in my life, this is time that I use to meditate, do some stretches / yoga to wake my body up, get grounded and plan my day ahead. I usually read or listen to something inspiring – hit up You Tube for a TED talk while you are getting dressed and fill your mind with a positive message straight off.
– Not Enough Water
If you don’t like water on its own try herbal teas or warm water with a slice of lemon.
Fill up a bottle or jug of water every morning and drink throughout the day to hit your target.
There are different opinions on how much we need per day, but 6 – 8 glasses is a good guideline I feel for health and wellbeing.
– Too Much Time Indoors
A sedentary lifestyle can rob you of your energy fast.
Time in nature is one of the easiest ways to raise your vibration and help to keep you physically active. Even just 15 minutes per day can start to make a huge difference – when could you schedule this in and where are you going to go?
If you find that you are making excuses because you don’t have enough time, then review how much time you are spending on television and social media.
You are worth a 15 minute per day investment and so are the people around you, you show up so much better when you have time and space outdoors.
This is especially important right now when we have all had so much time inside.
– Clutter
Everything has an energy vibration and being in an environment that is cluttered can feel very energetically “noisy” to us, especially if you are an empath.
Taking a few minutes a day to reduce clutter can be an initial cost to your energy, but will ultimately begin to give you more energy as you reduce the clutter around you and your space feels clearer.
Filling Yourself Up
– Better Morning & Evening Routines
Starting and finishing the day in ways that are going to help you.
– What Makes You Happy?
This is different for us all, but whatever it is for you find a way to do more of it, experience more of it and schedule it in where you can. There may have to be a different version of this because of the current situation, but ask yourself what you can do in order to bring in the happy for yourself.
I have started to meet friends more regularly for a socially distant walk in the countryside.
Even just an hour a couple of times a month is something to look forwards to and it fills me up.
I also want to plan in couples days and dates in 2021, living in lockdown followed by tight restrictions and no hospitality being open means that we can’t go out for lunch or to see a movie – but it doesn’t mean that I can’t create experiences that still lead to feeling love, connection and happiness.
Schedule in your happy so that it happens!
– Blocks of Time
It helps me hugely to have blocks of time where I do tasks and I stay focussed.
For instance I don’t check emails or social media until after the school run and breakfast.
Then I block off an hour or so to do this, have a break then move onto another task.
When I am writing, doing housework or being with my daughter I try to be fully present in that task.
Because I get up early and plan the day, I can anticipate what the blocks are that I need to fit in.
I am flexible when need be of course, but the structure of the day helps me to be productive and not get my time stolen.
– Time in Nature
As I’ve already said – this is the ultimate reset.
Don’t underestimate how much 15 minutes can help you (or your children), if you can increase this that’s even better. Plan in that lunchtime walk, that weekend drive to the beach or that hour in the park. Rate how you feel from 0 – 10 before you go and then again afterwards to see how much it’s helped. Schedule it and make it happen!
– Meditation
It sounds so overdone that meditation helps us – but its absolutely true.
There are so many benefits, the main ones that I have experienced are feeling less overwhelmed and anxious, feeling more relaxed and confident in my life and self, and more happiness and joy as I focus on what I am grateful for. There are lots of guided meditations on you tube, or just simply listen to some soft music and allow your conscious mind to begin to switch off.
Even just 5 minutes in the morning can make a massive difference in your life – seriously.
And you don’t know if you never try.
<< Free Meditations From Me >>
– Permission to Rest
So many of us just keep going when we are worn out, me included.
Giving yourself permission to take a power nap, do a 10 x minute guided meditation or simply switch off for a moment is a real act of self-care. It’s like putting a battery back into a charger, and not only do you get the benefit of reduced stress, more energy and better concentration – the people around you get a nicer version of you too.
I hope this helps you to implement some ideas into your own life.
Using Self Care as your foundation for change gives you a much better chance at creating what you want, you are precious and worth looking after!
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