Show Notes – Simple Tips For Self-Care:

• Exciting news about my new children’s book.
• Have you ever had a time in life where you felt sick or struggled with an illness or injury that wouldn’t heal? When things like that happen, it’s important to take a step back and reflect.
  • Were you stressed at the time?
  • Were you getting enough sleep?
  • Was life out of balance?
• Once we reach our stress limit, we see negative consequences in our body.
• Example of an injury I suffered when I reached my stress limit.
• Important to take care of ourselves if we want to continue to function at a high level.

What is self-care and why does it matter?

• Self-care isn’t just about getting enough sleep. You want to consider your mind, body, and soul.
  • Consider the way you take care of yourself on a daily basis.
• Self-care consists of daily habits; the food you eat, activities you participate in, type of relationships you have etc.
  • Stress can become overwhelming if we’re not taking care of ourselves.

What are your priorities?

• Important to make self-care a top priority.
• We are often driven to achieve more, which is great, but our wellbeing is critically important. There’s only one of you.

How to build relaxation into your everyday life and reduce stress

• Implement “ME” time daily: Take 30 minutes of quiet time that’s just for you to relax and unwind.
  • Take a step back, close your eyes, take cleansing breaths, and focus on balance, joy, and happiness.
  • Quiet the craziness of the day. Put the worry and anxiety aside and focus on the good things in life.
  • Pick meaningful words to focus on: peace, tranquility, balance, happiness, gratitude etc.
  • Honor and recognize your feelings.
  • Release negative feelings by visualizing those feelings flowing through and out of your body.
  • Focus on positive feelings as you release the negatives.
• Use natural remedies to create a calm and relaxed feeling when stressed.
• Ways to regain balance and control (even when you travel!)

Natural Remedies to create a calm and relaxed state:

1. Lavender:
   • National Sleep Foundations says, “Lavender has been shown to decrease heart rate and blood pressure.” They recommend using lavender before bed to help you relax and sleep better.
   • Story about driving through the lavender fields in Provence.

2. Eucalyptus:
   • Comes in many forms from oil, candles, bath salts etc.
   • Helps to opens sinuses. Soothing feeling you get at a day spa.
   • Soothes sore muscles too. Great if you’ve had tension in your back and shoulders.
3. Breathing Techniques:
   • Breathe in through nose and out through mouth.
   • Helps you re-center and focus.
   • Visualize yourself being calm, peaceful, healthy, and confident for example.
4. Calm your mind and be present in the moment.
   • Change the narrative.
   • Enjoy the moment.
5. Use sound to create a calm and relaxed state.
   • Use sounds that are soothing for you. For example; a trickling fountain, the sounds of wood crackling like a campfire, the sound of rain etc.
6. Be active daily.
   • Activity helps to reduce stress and is good for our bodies.
   • Find activities to do that you enjoy.
   • Do things outdoors if you like to be in nature.
   • Is there a certain place that makes you feel great?

Regain balance and control even on the most stressful days:

• My story about travel stress and delays.
  • Can be stressful, but it’s important to take a step back and maintain our inner peace.
• Step#1: take a step back, take a breath, and remember that it will get better; it will work itself out in time.
  • Think back to a time in life when you faced challenges. Did it improve in time?
  • On the most stressful day, remember it’s going to get better.
• Step #2: Challenge what your inner voice is saying.
  • Sometimes negative thoughts pop in and we don’t even notice them.
  • Become aware of what you think.
  • Change the narrative from negatives to positives. For ideas, check out this previous episode about overcoming negative thinking.