Self Care Friday

I have posted about Self Care Friday before, and with good reason. Self care is a passion of mine, something I believe lies at the foundation of so many of our stresses. I know from whence I speak let me tell you. I've gotten myself into less than stellar moods and when I took the time to look at my situation, there was always an element of forgetting to take care of me. I have tried to keep Fridays sacred for self care time for quite some time. This doesn't mean I don't work, I still do my coaching but I try to keep some flexibility in my day to allow for the guidance of my inner self.

This past Friday, I had a truly outstanding call with a client followed by an inspiring call with a coach buddy of mine. I then spent some time writing some material and then headed out for some errands. The fun thing about this and the pampering aspect, was I didn't feel compelled to finish and hurry back to work. At one point my objective was to buy some nice bread for dinner. Bread for me is not necessarily the staff of life. I can take or leave a slice of regular bread. But really nice, aromatic freshly baked bread, oh my goodness, that makes for a nice meal. I went to the Nugget, a more upscale grocery store here, and had the best time just browsing. I got a lovely garlicky bread, then wandered, admiring the ice cream flavors, reviewing the magazine section, smelling and trying on the lotions in the natural foods section. It was a sensual experience and it made me feel I was being good to me -- reward for a week of working hard. The bread was a perfect accompaniment to the roasted vegetables I made, sweet potatoes, onion, red potatoes, broccoli and turnips, along with tender tilapia. Later in the evening I enjoyed a cup of fragrant tea.

These little gestures are really all it takes: an ability to listen to your inner voice and what it is seeking, and a space of allowing yourself that time, GUILT FREE.

Please let me know what your favorite self-care rituals might be. If you find it a struggle to take that time, let me know that too. I'd love to support you in your journey to becoming your best and happiest self.

Be Your Own Best Valentine

"You lie upon my heart as on a nest, folded in peace" —Amy Lowell

I've been thinking about being good to myself, loving myself, being my own best valentine. What would that look like? I know the times when I have been the most uncomfortable, felt unhappy, discontent, I was not truly being good to me. Do you notice that? I get myself in a "bad" mood, and believe me I recognize it is my choice, and then it snowballs. I don't feel like fixing myself good food, but rather making poor food choices or overeating. I hang out alone feeling sorry for myself and pathetic. Is this sounding familiar at all?

Next day I wake up ready to start anew and I think - today will be different, I will be good to me. It really is about that, being good to me. In that moment when I am feeling less than, feeling blah, that is when I need to let my nurturing side take over and take care of me. That is when I can take a little extra effort to do something nice for me which doesn't mean having chips and bean dip for dinner, but being gentle and kind, asking myself what would make me feel just a little bit better right now.

This month with Valentine's day coming up, I'm focusing on being good to me. I'd like to invite you to be good to you as well. Do what feels good. Do what you love. Is there something you have been putting off that you'd like to get handled so you can live a happy life? I'd like to invite you to experience the power of coaching. I'm looking for a few good coachees right now -- folks really ready to take the plunge and be coached, ready to take control of their lives and have more joy, more happiness, more of all that they love. I'd love to support you in that journey. By supporting you I support being good to me. Start by loving you and watch the love and happiness flow.

Self Care Friday

One of the great things about being a coach, is that I am constantly learning and growing as I coach myself. I noticed yesterday that I was losing my "juice", not feeling very inspired, even though I had spent the day doing something I enjoyed - planning out my hiking retreat for November 1 and planning the next hike. I love doing this and it was a good day. At the end of the day however I did not feel motivated. My honey was not feeling inspiring to me, as he is in a funk about the market, and I felt kind of numb by the time I went to bed. I recognized it was up to me to pull myself out and re-focus my perspective.

This morning what I realized is that I have not been practicing what I preach about adequate self care and life balance and I was feeling the effects. I have been so focused on my business - my coaching and retreats, I have not focused much attention on myself and my needs or my relationship. This doesn't feel good - duh!

So I am proclaiming today Self Care Friday and invite you to do the same if you are so inclinned. I am going to take a bath (first time in a very long time) instead of a shower as soon as I'm done with a client call. After that, I'm scheduling a long overdue hair cut and maybe even see if I can get a massage today. Fortunately my sweet daughter gave me a coupon for these services, so I'm feeling the extra joy and gratitude of using a gift. Wow, I can't wait to see how I will feel at the end of today! I'm excited and pumped up already!

Don't get too focused on your goals and forget the number one goal - taking care of YOU.

Blessings and happy weekend.