This post was updated on 24/03/18
Did you see my post recently about taking some time out for myself? Self-care is important every single day, in one way or another. People who spend their time only taking care of others and neglecting themselves are in danger of deeper levels of unhappiness, low self-esteem, and feelings of resentment. Taking time to care for yourself regularly can make you a better caretaker for others. Not only that but, taking a break from the outside world ensures you relax and allows you to get back to life feeling refreshed. You are then more able to handle life’s stress when we are feeling at our best, physically, mentally and emotionally.
So to add to my daily and weekly routine, I like to take a day each month to concentrate on my mental health and wellbeing for the month ahead. I focus on what healthy activities I plan to put in place and prepare for the month ahead. Read on to see the areas it includes.
Food and Fitness Goals
I reflect on my food and fitness goals, review how I have been doing and I might need to amend them for the month ahead.
The last two to three weeks I have been living with fatigue including dizziness in relation to my ongoing medical condition-highly frustrating! This means that I hadn’t been exercising, apart from dog walks most days. It also means that meal options have sometimes been quick rather than balanced and healthy and completely on plan. Last week I felt my energy was coming back, which I’m so pleased about. Although I did have to be careful that I didn’t over-do it and feel fatigued again! Pacing and balance being the key as always. However I did go to a circuits class on Monday and was more active for the rest of the week, so that’s all positive. We’re going away for a week in August which will make planning on plan meals and exercise/training a little bit more difficult. I have planned some of the meals, but until we get there we don’t know which evenings we’ll be eating out etc. I will be giving myself some flexibility by staying on plan 80% of the time. This is more realistic for me and it means I am not going to be feeling if something is outside of guidelines. We’re going to the beach and the plan is to go on lots of long walks so my step count will be my main fitness goal.
Books I will be reading
I love reading but never seem to read as much as I would like. One of the ways I resolve this is to choose two books in my Wellbeing review, that I wish to read in the month ahead. As I am passionate about self-development I choose one of these. My self-development choice is Happy by Fearne Cotton. Who doesn’t want to be happy? I also like selecting a fiction book. This type of reading I find relaxing; it is escapism and brings me pure joy. As we’re going to Cornwall this month I really liked the idea of reading a book based there. I found The Holiday Home by Fern Britton. It is sheer coincidence that both authors have a similar name! I am really looking forward to both reads and I can let you know what I think of them.
Socialising and seeing friends
I think seeing friends is so important for wellbeing. In fact, recent Harvard study found that having solid friendships in our life helps promote brain health, helps us deal with stress, make better lifestyle choices that keep us strong, and allow us to rebound from health issues and disease more quickly.
So that’s why I’ve decided to make sure I see friends every month, where possible. We have lovely evening planned with friends and neighbours when we’ll be doing a BBQ-let’s hope the weather will be kind. Of course we also have our week away in Cornwall, which will involve meeting friends, as well as reading and relaxing.
Hopefully this gave you some ideas on how to set yourself up for the month to ensure self-care is a priority. I would love to hear your comments below.