4 Practical Tips for Self Care

Have you heard the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup!“

How full is your cup? Do you take time to pour into yourself so that you can be your best version of you for the others around you.

Are you doing little things each day that is keeping you mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy?

Well, if you are not taking steps to ensure that you are at your very best, how can you have the energy to show up for the day?

Let’s face it, we’ve all had a crazy year. There is so much going on that is out of our control….and it’s causing a lot of people anxiety and depression.

The one thing I CAN control, is how I care for my body, mind, and spirit! When you focus on making a difference in the areas that you can control, you will see a difference.

What areas do you hope to make a difference?

I want to make a difference in education. I want to make a difference in my family. But first, it starts with me! How can we possibly do it all, if we aren’t taking care of ourself!

In the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey teaches one of the 7 habits… Put First Things First!

Are you putting yourself first? My guess is probably not! There are two reasons to put yourself first:

1. Energize- You need to make sure that you have enough energy to be all things that others are counting on you to be. YOU CAN’T POUR INTO OTHERS IF YOUR CUP IS EMPTY!!! Well…is your cup mostly empty or is it pretty full?
2. Educate – Your kids are watching you! Your coworkers are watching. You have the opportunity to model living this idea out for others. They will pick up on the habits they see you display. If they see you working out, eating healthy, and taking care of yourself, they will realize that is what they too must do. We must be intentional about helping those around us, especially our kids.

4 Tips for Taking Care of Yourself

1.Food is Fuel

Complete this sentence:

Food is _____________.

Food is comfort.

Food is fun.

Food is family.

I’m working on training my brain that Food is FUEL! We eat to be energized. We are at our best when we are fed the fuel that we need to be energized. A car wouldn’t work if we gave it only oil. A flower wouldn’t grow if we gave it only soil. In the same sense our bodies need the proper fuel.

This morning I didn’t have time to eat breakfast. Around 9:30 I was starving and Reese Puff Cereal sounded delicious!!! That’s right, I’m a cereal junky! I’d eat cereal for every meal and snack! I love it!!!

But…I’m stop myself and ask the question, “Is this good fuel for my body?” Do I need a quick yummy bowl of cereal? Or should I make an egg?

Check out your diet! See what you eat daily. Take a day and write down what you eat. What food groups are lacking? What food groups do you eat too much of?

Practical Ways to Better Fuel your Body

Protein – When I’m feeling tired and sluggish, 9 times out of 10 it’s because I’ve eaten junk. Protein is so important for energy! My favorite ways to pack the protein are: eggs, chicken, tuna, quinoa (instead of rice), Shakeology (my favorite protein shake), and Ensure (not too sweet, great flavors, and there is a little caffeine!) Personal favorite flavor is Cafe Mocha…great for breakfast on the go!

Multi Vitamins – Taking a daily multivitamin is one way to fuel your body with the vitamins it may be lacking. I included a link so that you could scroll through and find the multi-vitamin that is best for you!

Green Leafy Veggies – Try adding greens to every meal. Rather than taking out the stuff you love, try adding the good stuff! Here is a recipe that I got from Reese Witherspoon on Instagram. She makes one everyday. You can click here to see her explain how. I’ve tried it…it’s a new go to for me when I need to sneak in the leafy greens!

Eat from the Earth – This means try to eat what comes from the earth. Boxed meals do not come from the earth…LOL! Eat the food that is natural! One way that I’ve done this is by making my own granola! I’m saving money and I’m eating natural ingredients. I’ve had so many people ask me for the recipe…well, I just found it on pinterest! Click here to see the the pin with the recipe.

2.Hydration Hype

There is only one good way to get the water in…CHUG! If you are anything like me you need to be intentional about drinking the dang water! I do not feel thirsty for water. I have to make a habit out of chugging water in order to get it down.

Some of tips for getting the water down:

• Choose something you do as a routine everyday and use that as a time to chug water. For example, I brush my teeth in the morning and before bed. After I brush, I grab my water and chug as much as I can. This is two times that I’m getting a good amount of water down.
• Hydrate in the car – keep a water bottle in your car. At every red light chug!
• Flavor it! My favorite way to flavor water is with cucumber and mint leaves. You can add any fruit really! It is amazing how much more fun water can be when it’s flavored!

3.Daily Dish of Gratitude

Every morning when you wake up spend time meditating or praying over the things you are grateful for! It really works in shaping your perspective in life. Each morning while my coffee is brewing, I sit down with my journal and write down 5-10 things that I’m grateful for. I think about the previous day and try to pick small things…we can always be grateful for our health, safety, family, etc. But noticing the little things is what will really change your mindset. You can grab a printable gratitude journal on my freebies page or just use a plain old notebook!

If you’re looking for a great way to teach your kids this practice you can and should check out this awesome product by Big Life Journal.

4.Recess and Rest

Recess = Take a Break! We all need to take a break from our normal routines and activities. There are so many ways to do this. You can take a night to just sit and watch your favorite shows, go on vacation, sit on your back porch with your favorite beverage, etc. We all need a break! We need to take time to play and have fun and to relax and be still. Be intentional about finding time for recess!

Rest. Do you get enough sleep? You know that the human body needs about 8 hours of rest! Now, I know, we all work on a different sleep schedule…but just like kids and babies that get fussy when they are lacking sleep…so do you!

If you want to be your best…you’ve got to get your rest!

Just as the flight attendants say, “Put your own Oxygen Mask on FIRST!” How you do you expect to help the others around you if you do not have enough oxygen?

You can’t pour from an empty cup…

FILL YOUR CUP SO THAT YOU CAN BE THEIR DIFFERENCE!

Enjoy Being Their Difference,