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It’s time to talk about the need to find the tiniest of moments in our day to pause, to focus on our breath and to move.
Self-care is a term that is banded about right now. It’s popular, on trend even so it may not mean anything other than the hashtags of people going to the spa, wearing face masks, burning candles, having massages and so on.
However self-care doesn’t have to cost a thing.
Don’t get me wrong, the massages, spas and other indulgent treatments are a great compliment to a self-care routine as shared in my post How to make self-care a priority as a new parent but it’s not the start.
The start for me can be summed up in these three words: Pause. Breathe. Move.
Pause – when things are moving faster than we’d like, we can think it’s impossible to stop for 5 minutes let alone 15 minutes to be with our thoughts. No distraction. A time to really talk through with yourself and examine what’s on your mind. Pausing can allow you to reflect, and reflection can lead to better decisions, less stress and an overall sense of calm.
Activities that can support that kind of pause are going for a walk, journalling, taking a long soak in the bath, sitting outside in nature.
Breathe – I’ve been practising yoga for a fair bit of time and one of the focuses is on your breath. It’s incredible how simple breathing techniques can help to calm you. They can also invigorate you too. Taking a moment to do a few of these can improve your overall sense of self.
They can be used before a big presentation to calm the nerves, before bed to get a better night’s sleep, to help stop you from going off the handle at your children or in the morning to energise yourself for the day.
Move – I once came across a podcast that spoke about movement being the key to longevity. We often feel like we are falling short when we aren’t exerting as much as we would like through intensive exercise, but actually being more active in our lives is better than being active in bursts.
What does this mean? Activities such as stretching in the morning, going for regular walks, and dancing in the kitchen to your favourite song, can all contribute to feeling good.
When you’re a busy parent you may feel like not being able to get out to the gym or a class is holding you back, but the outdoors is your gym.
Walk, walk and walk some more with your buggy or baby carrier to still get that satisfaction. Be ambitious, find a place you’d like to visit and walk there. I did an hour’s walk the other day with my daughter and it was incredible. It definitely made me want to think about other places I could walk to, with the option to grab a bus or train back if I needed to.
What are you doing to help pause, breathe and move in your day?