Entries For: November 2009

Is your list of “shoulds” so long you never have time to consider the “coulds” like rest and renewal?

Who but YOU can give you the permission you need to take care of yourself?

So many women give, give, give ... and they give some more! They give it all away to other people...then there's nothing left for themselves at the end of the day.

Is that you?

Why do you do this? What's the benefit?

Seriously.

Burn out? Exhaustion? Feeling temporarily satisfied for helping others but ultimately sacrificing yourself in the process?

Stop the madness!

Stop right now and make yourself a permission slip.

I Give Myself Permission to  ________________________

(be instead of do, take the day off, slow down, quit my job, pursue my dreams, start my new business, leave my unsupportive relationship, let go of limiting beliefs, take myself on a retreat).

How does that feel?

Post your permission slip somewhere where you can see it regularly.

And actually follow through and HONOR your permission slip to yourself - it's a commitment to your health and well-being and happiness.

Experience the freedom, power and control that comes with choosing something that makes you feel good, something that nurtures you.

Don’t wait. Choose to feel good now. Choose to take care of yourself now. There will never be a better time.

The human mind and body are capable of incredible feats but they are not capable of constant effort without opportunities to rest and renew. It often takes a life transition like birth, death, relocation, job change, or illness to remind us we need to slow down and take some time for ourselves.

You don't have to wait for something bad to happen to start practicing self care!

You are probably adept at multitasking, going, doing, and taking care of things. In light of this, you may be asking
- What does "self care" really mean?
- How can I practice it?
- Why do I resist it?
- How can I incorporate self care practices into my life?
 
I’ll be answering those questions at my next Solitude retreat and I hope you’ll join me.
The New Year Solitude Retreat is January 29-31, 2010 at an organic farm in southern Georgia. It's gorgeous and the perfect place to get away and reflect on self care.

I don’t want to leave you hanging, though. Here are 5 questions to get you moving toward practicing better self care TODAY.

1. Define what self care means for you. List 5-10 actions you could take to practice self care.

2. How do you feel when you give yourself the gift of self care? And how do you feel when you haven't practiced self care in a while?

3. Why do you resist self-care? What are you avoiding in your life?

4. What's one thing you could do today to get yourself back on the self-care path?

 5. Are you ready and willing to return to self care? If so, grab your calendar and write in a self-care date with yourself. Then sigh with relief as you imagine how you'll feel once you give yourself this nurturing and loving gift!

I hope these questions inspire you to take action, to get serious about self care. We’ll be talking about this more on retreat but until then, here are some ways to incorporate self care into your busy life
1. Stop doing things that aren't necessary, vital, or uplifting.

2. Turn off the phone, the TV, the radio e-mail, and the computer for one full day each week.

3. Clear physical clutter from your life.

4. Clear mental clutter from your life, too. Create lists, delegate, or even ignore.

5. Take yourself on retreat for a few hours, a day, a weekend.

6. Just say "no". No is a complete sentence.

7. Create space to allow you to see what you need to give yourself permission to do (or not do, as the case may be!)

Not sure you're motivated to do it on your own? Consider joining us for a group experience to learn how to practice self care- the power of women in community is transformational.
I hope you’ll join me January 29-31, 2010 for the New Year Solitude Retreat.