4 Simple Ways to Practise Self-Care
This blog post was written by Angela, from TuWezeshe Akina Dada leading partner, FORWARD.
Yes, it is the buzzword of the year; highly overused. Frequently affiliated with scented candles/yoga and the minimalist approach of bodily awareness and self-understanding (we’re calling this ‘neo-self-care’). Whatever you practice, self-care is important and to add to your list, here’s our four cents to remind you to self-preserve:
i. reclaim your day
Our attention is in high demand. If we’re not careful we can give away too much of ourtime to the wrong people, expensive lunches and social media threads. Identify your most important tasks and strive to complete them. Reflect on one thing that could have gone better — implement it tomorrow. Keep notes to yourself on what you’re eating and drinking and don’t forget to be grateful for at least two things.
ii. eat that frog
If you haven’t heard the phrase before, it’s as unpleasant as it sounds; it’s about prioritising the most important things (alright this one isn’t exactly simple, but you can do it!). Procrastination is real, if you can beat this fiend, it means more productivity during the day, less stress in the evening, higher levels of melatonin at night which equals a more rewarding beauty sleep (this in itself is self-care so consider eating a frog a 2 for 1 deal).
iii. shade outside the lines
About early 2014, adult colouring books became a mainstream trend. They’re not that cray-[ola]! Colouring allows the brain to shift its focus from physical surroundings to a state of mindfulness and self-awareness whilst exploring new concepts, reconciling emotional conflicts and reducing anxiety. P.S: You can use any empty colouring book, or, colour in your doodles (the ones you do during meetings).
iv. protect your peace
Information Overload 2017…can I get an amen?! We are the recipients of unrelenting social spam. Whilst it’s great that we can be at the forefront of breaking news and a few keyboard entries from our loved ones, not all news or streams of communication are digestible and they shouldn’t be. It can be hard to filter and monitor the effects of the information we’re consuming so it’s necessary to step back sometimes. If you don’t like the tone of a series of tweets, mute the words. If there’s a topic of discussion you don’t wish to engage in, mute that group chat. Peace of mind = clarity = a solid game plan.
