by Lisa Cybaniak
Just 10 years ago, self-care was thought of as indulgent, and even selfish. It was commonplace to think that to be the best mum, dad, employee, or person, you had to put everyone else, and their needs, ahead of your own. That was especially true when it came to your kids.
Today we’re talking about how far we’ve come with self-care. Now we understand that when we take proper care of ourselves, we have more to give to others. We have more energy, patience, and even creativity. And there’s no greater time to invest in yourself, then under times of stress, such as in the holiday season.
Chrissy Atley is an award-winning Business Mindset Coach, who helps entrepreneur’s make their lifestyle and business dreams come true. She’s also a best-selling author and TEDX speaker, and the last time she spoke with us, in episode 5, we talked all about manifesting your dream life.
Meet Chris Atley, again!
Many people may miss the link between self-care and manifestation, but Chris is going to change your mind on this, I guarantee it!
If you missed episode 5, let me quickly catch you up. Chris manifested her dream life while living in Canada. She had a dream of moving to California with her husband and two children. Despite several setbacks, Chris was able to remain strong and steadfast. Within a few years, they landed in California, set to live their dream.
In that episode, Chris spoke openly about the steps she took to manifest her dream life. But the one thing we didn’t have time to talk about in depth, was self-care. So, Chris Atley is back to reveal how she wouldn’t have been able to manifest her dreams if it hadn’t been for a dramatic shift in her self-care regime, mainly, in creating one!
Let’s talk about Chris’ top tips to either starting or maintaining a self-care routine over the holidays. Whatever the time of year, self-care is the key to manifesting your dreams. Instead of ditching self-care in favour of “more time” during the stresses of the holidays, let’s learn how to stand our ground.
So, let’s dive right in!
Say “No”
One of the greatest causes of stress at any time of the year, occur when we overextend ourselves. Chris suggests you know your limits and honour them. It’s okay to say no – people find it refreshing. You’d be surprised at how much respect people have for those who know their limits.
Chris also suggests you tune into what it is you want to do. Just because you’re invited to a different party every evening next week, doesn’t mean you have to attend. Only say yes to those that truly get you excited and say no to everything else.
Schedule your self-care
How many times have you planned to do something, with every best intention, and then remembered a few days afterwards, realising you missed it… again?
Or, how about those times you think about doing some self-care only to have life get in the way? It makes it so easy to just put it off, right? But would you do the same to something else in your actual calendar? I’m willing to bet you’d do your best to meet your obligation, or reschedule it, at the very least.
Chris suggests you take the time to figure out how to fit in your self-care, just like you would anything else. Be realistic about it by strategizing how much time you need, and then put it into your calendar.
This may not be something you need to do in the long-term, but in the short-term it’s a great way to create your new habit of self-care.
“The Power of Now”
Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now, is an amazing book that Chris highly recommends you read. In particular, he has a chapter that speaks of how you can be triggered by past patterns with family members – something you’re bound to be facing during the holiday season.
Overall, the book is intended to be a guide for dealing with the stresses that daily life throws at us, and how living in the present moment is key. That means, getting out of your head with thoughts of the past and the future so you can be fully present. Who doesn’t need help with that, right?
Self-care during travel
Whether we’re talking about travelling during the holidays, having guests in your home, or travel in general, your self-care shouldn’t suffer.
Admittedly, in either situation, you may not fit in your regular self-care regime, but you can still take the time to plan to carve out some time for yourself during these times of upheaval.
That might mean you plan it out a day or so before people arrive, or you get on that plane or in the car. Or, it may mean you take some time each day to think about what you’re going to do tomorrow. Either way, it’s all about strategy.
For example, if you meditate early in the morning, before leaving for work, then when you’re off work, you may choose to simply move your meditation time to the evening, just before bed. It’s an easy shift, but if you don’t think about it and plan to do it, you can see how you’d just skip your morning meditation rather than move it to a later time.
More from this episode
How often do you truly honour yourself and say no to the things that just don’t fire you up? We often feel so obligated to comply that we quickly find ourselves overwhelmed, which just adds to the stresses of the holidays. And it’s true, isn’t it? The first thing to go when we get busy and flustered is the very thing that will actually help: self-care.
When you’re coming up to a difficult time, whether it’s the holidays or otherwise, take a few moments to strategize how you will fit in your self-care. Put it in your calendar. Make it a non-negotiable.
Why is this so important? Because when we take time for ourselves, we’re telling our unconscious mind, and giving off the energy of being worthy, deserving, happy, joyful and of being relaxed. When we put out the energy of stress and overwhelm, we attract more of the same.
So, which is it you want to attract? And which is going to help you manifest… well, anything resembling success?
Press play on this episode above – you don’t want to miss this!
Follow Chris on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, check out her website to learn more about her new course for coaches, and listen to her TEDX talk.
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Voice over credit: Shari Vandermolen. Shari is offering a free download of one of her songs to the fans of the Life Like You Mean It podcast! Just visit www.GiftFromShari.com and tell her where to send it. Shari’s debut album is available for streaming on all the major platforms including Spotify and iTunes.
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