I am taking care of myself list!

One of the most common complaint I hear from people is they feel tired, overwhelmed or their life is somewhat chaotic. One of the easiest ways to really take care of yourself is to become very careful and discriminative on how you choose to spend your time and energy. People’s diaries are often full of things they feel they ‘should’ do rather than being filled of caring and self loving appointments

When we fail to spend time on taking care of ourselves and our own wellbeing, we can become exhausted, resentful and the result is that we fail to pay attention to the things which really deserve our attention.

For example, when I first started my coaching business, I used to make myself available for my clients late in the evenings or at weekends. However, I soon realised that this was taking its toll on me and draining my energy. On several occasions, I also felt resentful of my clients for eating into my personal time. Now, I turn off my phone when I need to relax and let my clients know I don’t work weekends. In doing this, I protected my own emotional health.

YOUR ACTION STEPS.

Take time to think about the things you would like to stop doing in order to protect your precious energy. Maybe you are fed up of cooking and washing up every day and would like another family member to help you. Maybe you would like to enjoy a day to yourself rather than visiting friends. Perhaps you don’t want to keep offering your friends advice when it is your downtime.

The next step is to complete your I am taking care of myself list. This will serve as a reminder of what actions you no longer take as they drain you of your energy or time. Here is my list:

• I no longer compromise my needs in order to keep someone else happy
• I no longer say Yes, when I really mean no
• I no longer fill my diary that I find it exhausting and I don’t have adequate time for breaks / food
• I no longer keep quiet if someone oversteps my bounderies
• I do not take phone calls if I am taking time out
• I don’t go to work when I am sick
• I don’t invest time in relationships that are not aligned with who I am
• I don’t keep checking my emails all evening
• I don’t get caught up in other peoples dramas.

Now take time to write your own list!