Thursday, September 18, 2008

30-Day Self-Care Challenge

Taking a tip from Cheryl Miller, I'm going to start a 30-day self-care challenge today. Please follow along, and I hope that this inspires you to take care of yourself a little better, too. The truth is, we're self-employed and our bosses can be slave drivers. So we've got to take the initiative to:

1. Step away from the computer.
2. Remember the things that recharge our batteries.
3. Make them a priority.

Why am I starting today? It's actually an important point:

You can start any time. An acquaintance said to me recently that he wanted to wait till the beginning of the month to take care of his finances because it's "magical" to him. Well, I've got news for you: The only magical time is right now because it's the only time you can affect.

So: Day 1

A trip to the chiropractor

If you're like me, you sit at your desk every day and don't necessarily do it in the most ergonomic way. Ever since the injury I got in May, I've been sleeping poorly and in strange positions to protect my back. Ergo, some really messed up neck and shoulder muscles--not to mention the usual lower-back pain I have from a stuck s-bone.

Today is my first day back to the chiropractor in almost four months and I'm so excited about it. Taking care of my body will help me sleep better and make me more refreshed and ready to go when I start my day at work.

What's your self-care priority today?

4 comments:

Lisa Bakewell said...

My self-care strategy is to get my daily exercise. When I don't, my day doesn't go well at all. I can't seem to think straight, and I don't have any energy. Just yesterday I decided to "skip a day" because I didn't have time. Guess what? NOTHING worthwhile got done all day, I felt down in the dumps, and I couldn't pull myself out of my funk. So, I've decided that there's ALWAYS going to be time for exercise--no matter what deadline I'm under.

Thanks for the great post, Heather. BTW, I didn't realize that this was your blog till today--and I've been reading it for quite some time. It was fun doing the query challenge with you.

Anonymous said...

I'm flattered that my 30-day self care series in spired you to write your own. And what a great first post! Keep up the good work. Many folks are desperate for self-care! Cheryl Miller

grantatee said...

im so happy to be following along! i went swimming today.

Annalee said...

Hi there. I'm Anna, and I just found your site through google alerts (I typed in self-care and you were something like the second link on the page - just in case you wanted to know that tidbit).

Self-care is my passion. Not just for me, but overall as a way of life for all women (okay, and men - kudos to those who admit they practice it!). I actively practice self-care in my life and often - annoyingly often - find ways to slip it into conversation with those friends of mine who continually spout that whole "I don't have time for it" excuse. But on to your blog post.

I love what you said about starting any time. I think in our current society that whole (New Years) resolution idea has gripped the psyche of the average person who have come to believe that one should pick a specific start date for goals. I'm certainly not knocking goal setting - without it many of us would remain in utter chaos. But I am saying that if people really want to get moving on their goals, they should follow Nike's advice and "Just Do It".

That said, my daily self-care priority for this past week was to make sure I get school lunches done for the next day right while I'm making supper so that my evening 'after the kids go to bed' time is open for me to relax and journal and maybe read a bit if the mood strikes. I love Fridays because there is no school lunches to prepare for the next day. Aside from that, I have decided to start staying in bed for a bit in the morning to write before my shower. I seem to be more distractable after my shower, so now I just keep some tools by the bed, bask in the my wonderful micro-fibre fleece sheets (you've GOT to try those, by the way) and let my imagination soar.

Sorry for taking up so much space - lol! Thanks for the wonderful post on the self-care challenge idea. I think I just may follow along! : )