When was the last time you paid attention to what your body needed & truly listened to it? Mindset & self-care could be seen as synonymous but on a basic level, self-care means that you focus deliberately on the things that benefit your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. It is typical that most people skip self-care or have not defined the reason WHY they want to make a change before embarking on their wellness journey. If you are not conscious of the why, it may feel more difficult to stay on track and likely not result in true, long-term change. Your choice for change needs to be rooted in the fact that you are taking care of yourself. 

Self-care can be as simple as not looking at your phone before bed because it disturbs your sleep, booking a massage, taking a vacation, or allowing yourself to have a proper break at lunch. Many of us forget that having time to reconnect with who we are and what we want in life will allow us to have a healthier relationship with ourselves and feel more energetic in all aspects of our life. Self-care is not a selfish act, it is the ability to look at how you move within our world and how that may affect yourself & others. If we are not at our best, how can we possibly be able to help others and even ourselves to our fullest abilities? By giving yourself space to have a break, you are rediscovering and reintegrating the parts of yourself that you want to share with those around you. The renewed energy that you have will benefit those around you even more. 

Mindfulness practices allow us to: wake up, pay attention, and become present so we can get the most out of each day. It teaches us how to respond to situations more calmly and recognize our unhealthy habits. It can also help us become more tolerant, less judgmental, and kinder to others and ourselves. When many are faced with staying at home for days on end, mindfulness tools help us feel anchored in what can feel like a swirling sea of chaos and help us find the calm that is so needed so right now.

Mindfulness, when practiced and cultivated, puts YOU back in control of your life. It has us seeing solutions or road signs that place us on the path of joy and being happy when we might otherwise feel like we’re losing our minds.

Bréne Brown

It is common for people to take on too much. Think about your current situation or others around you and the situations they may be in – work, family, social obligations, kids, going to the gym, excessive exercise, etc. Generally, most people have a long work week, then pile other expectations on top of that. It is no wonder people want to “escape” on the weekends or in the evenings using less than healthy methods such as excessive alcohol consumption, saying yes to something when you really want to say no, or not allowing rest when it is very much needed. The key to reducing stress is to be mindful of how you are currently treating yourself, hence the foundational component in the four pillars. Are you pushing yourself to the limits? Are you spending the weekends engaging in less than healthy behaviors? Are you going to the gym to release stress instead of resting? Believe it or not, if this sounds like you, you may be contributing to increased stress. 

The biggest obstacle to healthy eating is a lack of time. A hectic lifestyle leaves little time for grocery shopping, food preparation, or cooking. The end result is that healthy eating takes a back seat to convenience food. Picking dinner up on the way home is easier than cooking a meal after a long workday, but this habit can take a toll on your overall health. A lot of us don’t realize how much time we actually save if we prep healthy meals ahead of time and can rely on the balanced nutrition and energy they will provide when we do this.

There is an abundance of vegetables to choose from, and each one has its virtues. If you don’t like most vegetables, list those you do like and eat them often. Enjoy vegetables raw, cooked, steamed, sautéed, baked, or fermented. Raw vegetables retain the most nutrients (frozen is your second-best choice, and canned (with a BPA free lining) as a last resort).

Slowing down can mean speeding up your metabolism. Heading to the kitchen pantry or our for a quick & fast meal, hoping for a little relief, ends up sitting as an extra pound or two around our hips. But it doesn’t have to if we practice mindful eating. When we eat mindfully, we not only gain more pleasure, energy, and nourishment from our food. We also fire up our metabolism in a way that encourages weight loss if that’s something your body needs. 

Often because we are so fatigued we spend a lot of time in our beds, watching Netflix, scrolling the internet, looking for other people who are going through what we are. However, our rooms should be somewhere of comfort. We should be using our bedroom for two things: sleep and romantic endeavors. We need to ensure that we find our rooms comfortable – this means letting go of old habits that may be making it hard to get comfortable in our bedroom.

Watching TV or hanging out on your phone has multiple effects on the body. Engaging in programs keeps the mind active and busy. But these screens also emit blue light which affects the body’s ability to produce melatonin (sleep hormone) effectively. Light is associated with wakefulness. When there is light, your body doesn’t know to fall asleep. 

This goes for all devices – cellphones, tablets, laptops, e-readers as well as your alarm clock. Now if you use your cell phone as your alarm, like many of us, make sure to plug it in out of reach. Switch your phone to airplane mode about 1.5 hours before bed and put it across the room. Most people are too tired at that point to get back up again to check it or be distracted by it. Find a positive habit to replace with your electronics such as reading, meditation, breathwork, or something else that brings positivity and stillness to your life!

When it comes to movement, set an easy goal, make a plan to achieve it, and then add in an extra movement when possible because “every step counts”!