In this module, you will learn that self-care is more than a cliché, and that there are ways to skyrocket your practice of it through your attitude towards it. You will see that it is much more than bubble-baths, and perhaps for you, more than sorting out your finances. In deconstructing your unique code, you’ll find greater clarity about what constitutes ‘self-care’.

I don’t like the fact that ‘self-care’ seems so cliché these days and that in the name of cultivating real self-care, bubble baths are getting a bad name. This module is going to help you embrace all types of self-care, especially in ways that actively contribute to your ever-growing self-esteem.

We all have a unique code, and this results in us having different perceptions and working versions of ‘balance’ and self-care.

Challenge One

The first challenge is to list the most nourishing self-care practices you can think of, including ones that seem excessive in some way and lock one in by setting a self-care hour, evening or day. Yes, I would like you to practice self-care every day and every moment, which is entirely possible, but for now we need to create a time and place and say, ‘YES! This is time I’ve carved out just for me!’.

Self-care really is anything that shows you that you care about yourself, especially in the ways of health, pleasure, restoration, growth.

Challenge Two

The next challenge is to block out time in your calendar for a day/week off work FOR NO REASON! Only you know how this time off will impact you, so make decisions accordingly. This is meant to be slightly uncomfortable and feel a bit naughty. You will give yourself a chance to have lengthy and dedicated time to joy and rest or any other type of self-care you listed in the previous challenge. But it is also meant to reinforce that the world does not, in the long-term, fall apart when you take care of you first! Take photos of how you spend your day, for your eyes or for the world’s.

Note: Again, only you understand the impact of your decision here. For myself, I’ve taken time off, working on music, and found that it never hindered my progress. I’ve also taken days off work with illness and also in the preventative way, and even knowing that my work is important, I can’t remember any of the fallout of me being absent!

To supplement this week, watch my video on Hinging Points and really solidify your list on how you work best. Then fool-proof all your routines so that you stick to these. Have your hinging points embedded and sequenced within your days.

Challenge Three

Self-betterment and measuring progress are other great ways to build self-esteem so that you don’t have to hold yourself back anymore from going for your dreams. It starts with your attitudes towards progress and your ongoing commitment to examining yourself and improving. Give yourself a rating out of 10 for health, fitness, mindfulness, sleep, flexibility, money. If there are other categories in your life that you wish to add like relationships or community, you can add those too. But it’s good to start with those because they are self-centric and to do with basic and bodily self-care. You’ll see some more around body positivity in coming modules. Now, write what it would take to get one more point in each area and find ways to lock in that practice.  Locking something in might be scheduling something or having some social accountability attached, like exercising with a friend. Big tick for locking it in and a bit tick for doing it. It’s incredibly powerful to see that when you put your mind to something you can achieve it, especially when it is your decision and your actions that help you get there.

An optional addition to this radical self-care work is considering disconnecting from social media for longer than is comfortable. If your work depends on it, place strict limitations on the content you post and consume, plus when that happens. The reason this is powerful is because it can help give you a dopamine reset, which means not relying on the little hits, the little highs that you would get from seeing notifications or likes or comments or messages. It’s very much about controlling where we get our happy hormones from, but also about relying less and less on external rewards and shallow interactions.

Instead commit to measuring, tallying, keeping data records on one of the following; health, fitness, mindfulness, sleep & flexibility. The most simple data record you can keep is the frequency with which you do any of these. So that would mean just noting how many times a week you exercise or stretch or meditate, etc. And then a more in-depth way of measuring these components might be tracking the amount of weight reps you can do or how close you are to touching your toes.

Challenge Four

And if you haven’t already solidified this, commit to three positive morning and evening practices that nurture you in some way. These will become non-negotiables for as long as they are doing you good. It might be a minute of breathing in a way that feels really nice or having a warm, healthy beverage in your backyard or during a stroll, or you could do 20 push-ups. I highly recommend making them easy enough to stick to even on your busiest day or when you might be feeling a little low, if you have that disposition, or cycles of up and down days- really make it simple, easy and nourishing.

Challenge Summary

♦ List the most nourishing self-care practices you can think of, including ones that seem excessive in some way and lock one in.

♦ Block out time in your calendar for a day/week off work FOR NO REASON! Only you know how this time off will impact you, so make decisions accordingly.

♦ Watch the video on hinging points and reread your list on how you work best and add to this. Can you fool-proof it so that you can adhere to these hinging points?

♦ Give yourself a rating out of 10 for health, fitness, mindfulness, sleep & flexibility. Write what it would take to get one more point and find ways to lock in that practice.

♦ Consider disconnecting from social media for longer than is comfortable. If your work depends on it, place strict limitations on the content you post and consume, plus when that happens.

♦ Commit to three positive morning and evening practices that nurture you in some way.

♦ Commit to measuring, tallying, keeping data records on one of the following; health, fitness, mindfulness, sleep & flexibility

Further Resources + Mini-Lessons

Download any Google Drive materials or make & save your own copy.