Don’t Poison Yourself! 3 Steps to Staying Healthy & Happy

I’ve been poisoning myself for the past few months.

Stomachaches. Fatigue. Irritability.

Not sleeping well. An even foggier brain than normal.

These aren’t uncommon symptoms for a busy mom, particularly one with emotional challenges.

It’s so easy to blame it on something – I shouldn’t have eaten that 3^rd bowl of ice cream. I’m irritable because I got no sleep. It’s just the time of year.

I’m always tired so what’s new?!

However, if I had checked in with myself, I would have noticed the vast canyon between what I thought I was doing to take care of myself, and what was actually happening.
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What’s most remarkable (and alarming) is that I wasn’t in denial about the poor care I was giving myself.

I wasn’t even aware of it.

I thought I was taking great care of myself and I was perplexed as to why I felt so tired and sick!

What about you? Do you take care of everyone but yourself?

Do you feel awful, but not have the time or energy to figure out what’s going on let alone do anything about it?

If you can relate, read on for 3 steps to staying healthy and happy.

 

3 Steps to Staying Healthy & Happy

Just as you need to constantly check-in and make adjustments if you want to maintain an organized, peaceful home, you also need regular check-ins for your health and happiness in the form of a Self-Care Plan.

We create a detailed Self-Care Plan in my coaching programs, but I want to share with you the 3 steps so you can get started with creating one yourself.

Step 1. Determine how you want to feel
What do you want your life to be like? Go deep and be specific. Do you need extra energy to coach your son’s soccer team on Friday evenings? Do you want to feel alert and in-the-moment during the hours you spend with your baby each morning before you drop her at daycare? Do you want to feel rested, relaxed and peaceful in the evenings before bedtime? How do you want to feel?

Step 2. Find out what you need on a regular basis to feel that way
What do you need so you can feel how you want to feel? What do you need to do to take care of yourself? How much sleep do you need? How many days a week do you need to exercise? How much social support do you need? What does your body require in terms of nutrition, vitamins, and medication? What types of activities do you need for restoration such as alone time, meditation, journaling or massage?

Step 3. Make time for regular check-ins and adjustments
I recommend checking in at least weekly, preferably daily. Get super quiet and relaxed, breathe deeply, and do a body scan. Where do you feel tension? What is your body trying to tell you? Make a list of the things that are currently nagging you. Which of them can you address right now? Can you delegate others? What responsibilities can you drop? Have you been ignoring parts of your self-care? What do you need to change in your routines to return to taking excellent care of yourself?

Yes, it is possible to get healthy and stay that way!

Once I revisited my Self-Care Plan, I quickly recognized some quick and concrete changes I could make to start feeling better, right away.

Take Action!

Start your own Self-Care Plan today by writing your thoughts for Step 1 in your journal. Don’t get overwhelmed. Just work on one step at a time.

It’s important to write, not just think. Thinking easily turns into worry and cycles of negative thought. Writing pushes you toward more structural yet more creative thought patterns, prompting new ideas and solutions you may not have thought of.

** Green smoothies are excellent for you. Eat them! They will not harm you unless you inject them like a junkie *every single day* for months on end, without switching up the greens. (Like I did)

I Want to Hear From You!

Tell me in the comments below:
1. Did you ever have a moment when you realized you were taking poor care of yourself and feeling crappy and something needed to change? What did you do to get back to excellent self-care?

2. Share an example from your Step 1. How do you want to feel?