Hello Everyone,
 
We always hear how important it is that we take care of ourselves, yet most of us don’t know what that means. Some of us have no idea how to take care of ourselves or what good self-care is….
I thought that today we could map it out together and begin to get some idea of what self care means.  For starters it is simply to take care of yourself. We will look at four areas: diet, emotions, social interaction and sleep. We can look at our own self-care in much the same way as we look at caring for a small child. We make sure that children eat their fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. We need to be sure that we get our servings of fresh fruits and vegetables along with our daily recommended intake of water.
Next comes the one that most of us really struggle with and have little to no idea of what it rally means, this is emotionally healthy. Most of us can point to the emotionally unhealthy but don’t have the skills to look at our own unhealthy way with emotions let alone do something about it. It’s okay, because today we are going to look into the idea of emotional intelligence and how to get more emotionally healthy so that we are sure we are doing good self care.
Human beings are very relational beings. We have the need to relate and to be around others that are healthy, happy and good for us. Those of us that are or have raised kids, know the importance of making sure that your kids are getting out and being social. We schedule play dates for toddlers and enroll our kids into pre-school so that they will not be lonely. It’s just as important that we adults get out and do social things that are fun and encouraging for us. If we run into a social situation that is unhealthy for us, we need to remove ourselves just like we would if it was unhealthy for a child.
Finally we will look at sleep. We adults on average need 7-9 hours of sleep to function at our optimal level. So I will leave you with 4 simple places to focus on so you can begin to feel good, better or your best.
Here is your challenge for the next 7 days:

1. Increase your intake of water and increase your intake of fruits and vegetable
2. Google Emotional Intelligence and do at least 2 worksheets this week
   
3. Plan at lease 1 fun thing with a group or someone you are close with.. see a movie, meet for coffee, go for a hike etc.
4. Start a nightly ritual for sleep, use the restroom, take shower read a book, some sort of routine before bed each night so your brain starts to wind down and be sure you plan your night so you are able to get your 7-9 hours of sleep

If you have not been taking care of yourself this a great day to start! Have an awesome week!
 
*Before starting any new diet and exercise program please check with your doctor and clear any exercise and/or diet changes with them before making the change.

Hello Everyone,
As I sit here, I am wondering how we all keep going on when we don't want to. How do we get the strength to be brave and keep trying when we have fallen so many times? What is within us that allows us to go to bed and get up another morning and try again when things are not going the way we wish they would? It is really amazing actually. I am not in awe at those that keep going when it is easy. I am blown away and encouraged by those that just keep going when I know how hard it is for them. Those that panic and yet still put one foot in front of the other, day after day. It's not easy to deny your nerve or to "just do it anyway" but it is beautiful and it is something pretty great.....

Hello Everyone,

Have you ever had to let go? Have you had to let go of an idea, a moment, a desire or a hope? Do you remember how it felt to really just let go? It's interesting how scary the thought of letting go can seem. Yet, in my own life, I cannot recall a time when I finally let go that I regretted it. Erickson viewed muscle development as nothing more than learning how to hold on and to let go. It's more than that though. It's learning how to hold on just enough and how to completely let go. That's when the freedom sets in. Sometimes when we hold on to tightly, it's a trap that takes us prisoner. We all need to learn to let go, but more importantly we all need to learn that we will be okay when we finally do. Letting go is not easy but it is worth it. So, if this blog is for you, take a breath, trust, and just-let-go.

Hello Everyone,

Life is full of decisions, and sometimes we make them without thinking. This can be a dangerous habit. Do you ever make a decision without thinking only to deeply regret the decision even minutes later? How often have you been frozen when presented with the need to decide? Do you find yourself making decisions without even thinking about them or avoiding decisions? Either way, this is a topic that we all can improve in. Watching our thoughts and paying attention to what we are doing, saying and deciding can have a powerful impact on our lives.  Knowing what we value and knowing how to live within our value system makes the decision making process less stressful with less regret.  This week I encourage us all to pay attention to our thoughts and to the decisions that we need to make and have made. Take a moment to ask yourself "why did I decide that" or "how did I reach this decision". Weigh out the cost and benefit of your choices. Every decision costs us something and also gets us something. We all deserve and are worth the time it takes to think before we make a decision.