SELF CARE FOR CREATIVES (or Anyone)

It happens to all of us, we're living our best life and doing just fine (so we think) when all of a sudden, we realize we've been adding too many “tasks” to our daily routine and suddenly we feel overwhelmed.  We realize we haven't been doing so well in the self-care arena, yikes!  In this post I will cover four simple and highly effective things you can do to get yourself back on track.
 
IDENTIFY YOUR “ANCHOR”:  We all have different things that anchor us and keep us centered when we're under extra stress.  For some it might be a daily workout, for others it might be getting out in nature every day, eating specific foods, proper hydration etc.

For me it's my morning ritual (meditation, yoga, journal, breath work, conversation with the Divine and setting my intentions for the day). The point here is to know what your “Anchor” is and even in the busiest, most stressful times, do not let yourself stray from this.
 
IDENTIFY YOUR ENERGY DRAINS:  Know who and what depletes you (foods, too much social media, too much computer time, certain people, focusing on what's wrong rather than what's going well in your life, lamenting over the past or worrying ahead to the future, and the list goes on) I think you get my drift.  Take a few minutes right now to write down those people and things that drain your energy and then commit to setting boundaries around these.  Find a friend or colleague to hold you accountable and who will offer moral support until this becomes second nature to you.
 
Two of the biggest energy drains of all (in my humble opinion):

1. The pace we keep as we race through our day.
2. Accumulating things we think we need and then trying to keep track of and/or

care for them.
 
SCHEDULE TIME TO HAVE NOTHING SCHEDULED: I cannot stress this enough. Call it quiet time, meditation, or contemplation.  All of the great masters made a point to sit quietly for a period of time each day where they were not working, socializing, walking, or thinking. Just sitting in quiet stillness and reflection.
 
MAKE TIME TO PLAY:  Simply put, we need to schedule one day off every week. On this day have nothing scheduled, just let things flow.  No work.  No errands.  Stay away from electronics and all things that keep us “hyped” up or stimulated.  This is your time to regenerate, to play, to explore, to be in nature, to just “be.”
 
Remember, we are already enough, we already have enough.  We've got everything we need, right in front of us, if we just slow down and observe and “listen” to the quiet stillness that speaks to us ever so softly.  I encourage you to do it right now. 

Just STOP.

LISTEN. 

Our answers are inside each one of us, but we won't hear that all knowing ever present voice inside if we don't become still and “listen.”