What happens when you don’t follow your own advice?
I don’t know what kind of business you’re in but if you’re talking to other people and giving advice, what happens when they don’t follow your wise words? Hopefully, they don’t die but I suppose that could happen if you’re in the right field. But maybe it’s less extreme, maybe they miss their bus or they don’t have money to go out one night?
Sometimes I forget how important and vital I am (& my team) to others.
Our clients tell us and they rave about us online (which we appreciate) but to really actually experience how crucial relaxation has become for me, it took me being forced to stay home to embrace the full picture of relaxation.
The fact is, we often don’t realize how stressed out we are.
This was me. I was going. And going. And going. There’s a lot of pressure to own and business and have a staff. I have to ensure they are getting everything they need. In the last 2 years, my mom died, navigated life with 2 small kids, expanded my business, became an instructor, divorced my husband, and dealt with some gnarly auto-immune issues (definitely stress related).
I was trying to address my auto-immune issues and while I heard everyone telling me to decrease my stress, when you’re in motion, it’s hard to get off the ride. Well, our bodies are so amazing they are designed to override our brains that continue to tell us to keep going.
This is how massage therapy helps.
When you slow down enough to listen, your body is telling you what it wants to hear and what it needs. I know this. I’ve seen it in my clients. I’ve experienced it myself. There’s more about this here.
I was doing all of the self-care stuff.
But was I really? I was doing yoga. I was getting massage. I was even setting aside time to meditate. But was I actually? No. My mind was in a different place. I would notice it and tell myself to do better next time. I was always worried about what was happening or what I was forgetting. I often disassociate into optimism. “Everything is great!” It was. So many amazing things were happening. It was easy to superficially focus on the good stuff and slide all of the other stuff in the back drawer of my mind. But they would surface during all of those self-care moments. That actually made my self-care seem stressful.
Here’s what you can do.
1. Start recognizing in yourself when you begin to feel stressed.
2. Start saying no. Even to the good stuff. Say no to extra projects or extra social outings if you need to recuperate.
3. Start putting your well-being first. We all know that saying, “You can’t serve from an empty cup.” But seriously. It’s not selfish to be well. Everyone around you will be better off for it.
The new emerging me.
Guess what? I was already a self-care warrior before this episode in my life. Now, I’m going to be even more diligent about my own self-care so I can be an example for you & the Sole Shine Staff. 2 weeks stuck at home will do that to you. I really started to re-evaluate the choices I was making. I foresee a lot of things clearing up both physically & mentally. I’ve already put in “white space” in my calendar and I’ve created a lunch break and I’m really looking into the future for time management.
You can already check out how our Facebook page is changing here. Check out our live videos!
