Self Care Tools For Success
So maybe I should have led with this before letting it get to day 4 before adding it. Well, better late than never I suppose.
When I started this journey I invited some very close friends to embark on it with me as well. Their biggest questions were, "what do I do?" and "What is self-care?" So I'm going to try to break it down with some quality apps, charts and goals along the way. First however the definition of Self Care. Here is the most simple one I found.
That encompasses a lot of different aspects in life. Below is one of the best charts that I could find to outline all the different aspects of self care from the physical to spiritual.
Depending on the aspects of self care you are working on, I have found the following Apps for my iphone that have helped. Links are below. I will add to this list as we go, but here are a few to get you started. Many recommended by therapists.
Exercise
Great for getting into running. It does what it says and gives a day to day ease into a running program that almost anyone can follow.
This app is like having your own personal Yoga studio right at your fingertips. Recommended by the Huffington Post, the Guardian, MSN and more this is just an amazing low cost app.
Meditation
The perfect app for sleep, focus, meditation and relaxation. It has guided meditations, meditation goals ( 7 and 21 days of calm) and in app purchases for calming anxiety, deep concentration, emergency calm, commuting, non-judgment, compassion, confidence, energy, creativity, focus, forgiveness, etc... I highly recommend this app for someone who is new, like me, to the practice of meditation.
Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.
Being mindful helps to increase self-awareness, authenticity and self-care. This app helps in timing meditation sessions, two guided meditations and mindfulness reminders throughout your day. I use mine to remind me to drink more water.
Again these are guided affirmation meditations from best selling author Louise Hay. There are other in app purchases, the on you get on her free app is, "Love Yourself," there are also ones on accepting love, wealth and enjoying exercise. It feels a bit odd at first, but lets be real, this whole self-care thing is not the easiest thing ever.
This app is there for when you're feeling stressed or having negative thoughts. Add media that reminds you of the positive things in your life. Some of those things could include cherished pictures, memorable videos, supportive messages, favorte songs and inspirational quotes. You can set them up into several categories including, "distract me," "inspire me," "relax me," & "coping tools. I love this app and trust that is is chock full of Simba pics. I mean... how can that idiot make you not just want to smile. He finds pure joy in staring at a tree.
Another mindfulness and self-care app that has in app purchases to help you toward your goals of sleep meditation, accelerating weight loss, abundance meditation and becoming emotionally strong to name a few.
Nutrition
I love this app because not only does it track your calories for you, but more importantly it tracks your nutrients and progress over a period of time. That is where Ms. Faux sometimes fails, especially as a vegetarian in the protein department.
No one drinks enough water, especially Ms. Faux and this app helps to set goals and motivators as well as easily track your water consumption throughout the day by taking pictures of your favorite containers for quick logging. It has been featured and recommended by Dr. Oz. It also works with FitBit!
So there you go. A few apps and tools to get you started. I will be adding more as I go along, but I thought I should do this immediately to help.
MY PROGRESS
1. Got up and ran two miles, and it wasn't bad. Well... getting out of bed was horrifying. I'm still a little sore from yesterday's yoga class. However I did feel much better having done it.
2. I have also ate much better. More greens, less bad carbs and you know what? My stomach is much happier. I even came in and immediately put the leftover halloween candy in the lobby for my residents. Sugar be gone.
3. Need to work on water consumption. Not down on myself for it, but rather putting it more as a goal. Should be easier with Waterlogged.
4. And now I'm headed out to some restorative yoga at Corepower Yoga! Last night could have been discouraging because due to the weight gain from the steroids I was on for my spine issue earlier this year. The class was incredibly hard, however... I WAS THERE. The teacher talked to me after and recommended how to get back into it and that she was so pleased that I never stopped trying to get into positions and that is the key. You never know what you can do if you give up trying. So I trudge forward.
So what progress have you made?
Do you have any tools you like to use in self-care?
Ms. Faux wants to know. Leave it in the comments.
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