A fierce commitment to self-care is the 3rd courageous action we want leaders to pursue in 2021. Today, we share personal examples of self-care not as THE model of how to practice self-care but in hopes of inspiring you to think about small shifts you can make to create more peace and presence in your own life.
Let us know what you hope to implement — or what self-care practices you’ve already implemented. We’d love to hear your ideas!
Lisa
For the past few months, I’ve been experimenting with ways to start my days on a positive and peaceful note. I’m still iterating, but my current morning routine involves:
Getting up before my kids at 5:30am
Having a quick, healthy breakfast and my first 32 ounces of water for the day
Using the Calm app as my guide — meditating by candlelight for 20 minutes, and
Journaling (I call it a “mind dump”) for 10 minutes
This morning routine has had a huge and beneficial impact on my mood and my ability to regulate my emotions throughout the day. I’m still trying to figure out how to sprinkle some stress-reducing self-care throughout the rest of the day, but I’m calmer in general because of the way I’m starting my days.
Julie
For me, self-care comes in the form of a delightful and creative escape from the stresses of everyday life…making fairy gardens. I mean, who doesn’t love tiny things, right? I am always looking for—or making—all kinds of cute items to put in my fairy gardens. I love “found” objects (the perfect twig, acorn, or moss), re-purposed objects (turning the wire tops from champagne bottles into fairy chairs), or even dollhouse items that I find at the craft or gardening shop. Creating a fairy tablescape with a scrap of fabric for a table cloth, a tiny bottle of wine, and a mini cheese board is my idea of a good time! My friends and family know that when they are on a walk or a hike with me, we will be making frequent stops to pick up moss or bark to stuff in my pockets for some future project. The possibilities for the whimsical worlds I can create are endless and enchanting. Even if I am not making a true fairy-scape, I love to sneak miniature things into flower arrangements or plants…if you look closely at my houseplants you will probably find a tiny bird’s nest with miniature robin’s eggs hidden somewhere in the leaves.
Making these little fairy wonderlands relaxes me and…if I’m being completely honest…takes me to a child-like place of wonder and possibility. I love making these tiny gardens for my friends or for anyone (including me) who is in need of a smile, a touch of magic, or a brief reprieve from the hard news of the world.
