5 ways to upgrade your life and practice Self-Care

We are usually put down from being called “high maintenance.” This concept is generally associated with being demanding, superficial, generally annoying, imposing your preferences on others, and refusing to compromise. How dreadful!

That’s why people, especially women, don’t want to be high maintenance. But why not? What if we change this idea to something that can be good for us, something that can even improve our relationships.

Taking care of our selves isn’t selfish or self-centered; doing so actually allows us to make our greatest contribution to the world. Practicing self-care will make you take choices that reflect your true nature of your soul. When you are living and working in a soul nurturing environment, you naturally start to care more for others too and make choices from a place of love instead of obligation or guilt.

So take a little time to consider what steps you can take to practice self-care and achieve the happiness and wellness you deserve. Here is a brief list of five ways to get you started:

1.   Take time for your Health

When is the last time you had a complete physical check in the last year? Is a trip to the dentist in order? Handling your basic body areas goes a long way in supporting your emotional and physical self-care. But remember also that ultimately you have full responsibility for your health, so don’t just give the power away to health professionals. You must get educated about your body and learn to listen to its important signals. You need adequate rest, nutritional food, and the right amount of exercise. Pushing ourselves too hard, skipping meals, or spending too many hours sitting in front of the computer won’t cut it anymore. You can do some research, for example on www.womentowomen.com, it’s a great website devoted to women’s health to support mind, body and spirit.

2.   Take time for your Relationships

We can’t take our precious loved ones for granted. Those people in our life that love us just as we are, are treasures indeed. Fill yourself with tender, honest feelings. Look deeply into their eyes. Cultivate appreciation and presence, maybe share a meal a day with one of these people you care about. Speak from your heart and share why you are blessed to have them in your life. We need to feel connection, intimacy and love, and it’s time to give it more time and space. If you feel like your life is too busy and you don’t know how to take time out, ask for help or take something off your plate. You can’t live a life of self-care without assistance from others! Remember, they will benefit from it too.

3.   Don’t forget your self TLC

If you feel good about yourself, it will show in the      way you interact with others. So treat yourself with loving care and give yourself those things that make you feel great. Get a massage or a facial, take a walk in a beautiful location, go to a museum, go dancing or simply walk barefoot in the sand or grass… Create for yourself some soothing rituals like daily yoga, meditation or breathwork. Consider how much time you take for you and maybe give yourself a bit more. Enjoy doing things which make you feel clear and open! If you don’t do it for yourself, who will?

4.   Create a Soul loving Space

Are you in love with where you live? When you create a soul loving space you will feel more peace and calm. If you are like most people, chances are your home or office is less soul nourishing that you’d like. The reason is that we tend to have too much stuff in our lives; a powerful way to create more space is de-cluttering and taking out what’s not necessary. When you’re brave enough to let go of what you don’t absolutely need, you will find space for stillness, peace and calm. A wonderful book on the subject is “Sacred Space” by Denise Lynn, a beautiful spiritual approach to space enhancement, well worth checking out if you want to change your environment.

5.   Your work

Your talents, life experience, and what’s enjoyable for you are signals to what you’re meant to contribute to the world. The greatest spiritual or financial profits come from where our passions are met. Remember the power of decision making; if you truly decide to, you can do almost anything! As Tony Robbins says, “ It’s your decision what to focus on, what things mean to you and what you’re going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny”.

Amazing things happen when you’re aligned with your passion! Whether or not it’s paid employment, make sure you give space and time for your passions. Listen to your inner voice; your happiness depends on it.