Nurishing yourself - Mind, Body & Soul

Do you ever forget to care for yourself? We all do it at some stage in our lives - we are busy, we care too much for our kids to have time for ourselves, work gets in the way, we are just down right exhausted...

When I talk about nourishing yourself I am talking about holistic self care - nourishment for you - in life, in health and in growth.

You probably think you can't possibly find more time but as Zig Ziglar said "Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem, we all have 24 hour days".

So, how do you get more nourishment into your life? - by adding small changes everyday to you your life. I'm not advocating starting an expensive gym membership or booking a retreat in Bali (you can if makes you feel good and you can afford it of course!). Making small changes or adding new behaviours to your everyday life will help improve your wellness through nourishment.

In line with this holistic approach to encourange greater wellness we should look at nourishing our body, our mind and our spirit. Everyone has a different level of nourishment they require in three areas of their life. Try adding some changes to your life -

First free up some time - stop watching TV for an hour, make a batch of meals to cover one or two nights intead of cooking every night, do an online food shop instead of going to the supermarket, ask a friend to pick up your kids and repay the favour so they can have some extra time for themselves...

Nourish your body - - Eat well balanced, fresh, unprocessed food; - Exercise - even incidental - taking the stairs at work, parking further in the shopping centre car park, playing with your kids; - Listen to your body - If you feel bad take action; - Make that doctor or dentist appointment you have been neglecting; - Drink more water - being hydrated is essential for body and soul; - Stretch - Yoga and Pilates are so good for your body and mind.

Nourish your mind - - Watch a sunset or sunrise; - Move - dance, yoga, gym, rock-climbing - whatever you want to do or go outside your comfort zone; - Slow down and instead of multitasking try monotasking; - Meditate - Headspace.com have some great guided meditations; - Journal - I'm a huge believer in journalling - getting thoughts out of your mind and onto paper; - Read - Go to bed an hour earlier and read something new or mind stretching; - Learn a new language - Take an online course or a community college course to extend your skill set; - Switch off all electronic devices at bedtime - leave you phone and ipad in the lounge and use a good old fashioned alarm clock!

Nourish your spirit - - Confide in a friend or ask for some help - both parties feel good as asking lets you lower your guard and feel vunerable for once and the person you ask feels respected - win win; - Laugh - Get your giggle on, laugh with friends, watch a comedy, go to a comedy show; - Start colouring - there are heaps of books on offer and many people swear by them; - Play some music - when was the last time you listened to one of your favourite albums? What about looking for some new music or an artist you are interested in?; - Stay home alone or go away for a couple of days - do nothing just nuture yourself - baths, read, nap, swim, walk, meditate...; - Stop watching crap TV - turn it off at night and see where you find a couple of hours to do something for YOU; - Try aromatherapy - infuse your surroundings with a scent to lift your mood; - Set boundaries with yourself - limit time with some friends, limit your screen time, live by your values; - Life your life by your values - check out my archive Blog for helpful hints and tips,

You can create more space in your life for you. Self care isn't a selfish act - it's a necessity to keep you at your best.

If you do one favour this week do it for you - you're worth it!

Happy mid week friends, next week let's look at letting go!

Dawn