True Self Care

Welcome to This Daring Adventure podcast, where we work on bridging the gap between where we are and where we want to be in order to live a bigger and bolder life. In this podcast, we will provide inspiration, tips, and skills you need to make your life the adventure you want it to be. Here's your host mindset mentor, and life coach Trista Guertin.

Hey, everybody. Welcome back to This Daring Adventure.

Thank you for joining me today.

I wanted to do a little bit of a deeper dive into self care. I think it is a term and a concept that is. It's thrown around and mentioned quite often, and I think it has traditionally come, or at least, has I think it has taken on this idea of a nice bath and lighting some candles and going to get a facial or getting your nails done. But in reality, self care means so much more and while I, listen, I am all for taking a bath. I'm all for lighting candles, having nice oil, getting a manicure, getting a facial. I will do all of those things. And I do think they're important. And I think they are really nice treats. I think the concept of self care can go a lot deeper and have an even greater impact on our lives.

So I wanted to go over the concept of self care beyond just the traditional pampering activities and what deeper self care includes and why it's important for your overall for our overall well being. And the idea of deeper self care means we differentiate between surface level self care, as I mentioned at the beginning, like baths and facials and deeper self care practices.

And this deeper self care can be really important and instrumental in ensuring our mental, emotional and physical health. Often when people think of self care, we do think about getting a bath or having a bath, getting a massage, having a treat. while these activities are important and these activities are important, don't get me wrong. They offer immediate relaxation and pleasure.

They often provide a quick escape from daily stressors, but deeper self care goes beyond those temporary feel good activities and it involves practices that nurture and support your mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual wellbeing on a much deeper level.

And this deeper self care focuses on sustaining your longterm health and joy and happiness by addressing some of the root causes of stress and imbalance in your life. So there are five different types of self care, mental self care, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual, and I'm just going to go into a little bit about each one and explain what they are. What types of activities they include and why they are important and starting with mental self care This means that we are engaging in activities that challenge and stimulate our mind. This can include reading learning new skills, solving puzzles But it can also include practices like mindfulness and meditation Which helps to maintain mental clarity and resilience and they do give your brain a nice break. They are relaxing. They do give it that opportunity to just unwind a bit and calm down, especially when they are done on a daily basis.

I find that Practices like a 15 minute meditation each day really help me to keep myself calm and they do make a difference and I notice it when I don't do it. I notice that I become a little bit more stressed. I become a little bit more edgy quicker. I do notice the difference for sure. so these activities are ones that stimulate and challenge your mind, so beyond just reading, learning puzzles, mindfulness, meditation practices, you can also do some cognitive restructuring techniques to combat negative thinking patterns. This could include journaling, doing a thought download, looking at your thoughts, and Understanding how they are impacting your mindset and then choosing ones that are more helpful.

Not all of your thoughts are important.

Not all of your thoughts need to be believed and not all of your thoughts are going to be helpful. So taking a look at whether they're helpful or not, and then choosing ones that are, can be really important. Also, seeking professional help, if needed, such as counseling, therapy, or coaching, can also help to maintain some of your mental health and self care.

Mental self care will help you to keep your mind sharp, it will reduce stress, and it improves cognitive functions. It also helps to combat negative thought patterns, fostering a more positive and resilient mindset. This takes daily work. You have to think of doing some of this whatever you feel that is most helpful on a daily basis It's just like brushing your teeth or weeding a garden or going to the gym. Practice these on a regular basis and that's how you will reap the greatest benefits And this actually goes not just for the mental self care, but all of these that I'm talking about today.

Next is emotional self care. This includes recognizing, understanding, and processing your emotions.

Emotions are key. Emotions are key and they impact you as on such a deep level and they will impact how you are showing up in the world and what actions you are taking and therefore what results you are creating for yourself ultimately.

There are different ways in which we respond and we handle our emotions. learning about those and how to healthfully process our emotions is not only just productive, but helps us to, as I said, show up in a way that we want to and create the results that we want to in our lives. This can include also journaling. Therapy, coaching, counseling, and also learning how to have self compassion for yourself, treating yourself the same way you would a friend or a relative, someone that you love and learning how to express your emotions healthfully. it can also include techniques for emotional regulation.

I am a big fan of tapping. I find it extremely effective. There is the app, the tapping solution, which you might want to check out, but you can also search it on YouTube and there are a number of videos that you can watch for free that will take you through a tapping segment You can also learn how to set healthy boundaries.

Boundaries are something you set for yourself. You have to make sure that they are clear for you and that you're ready to act on them, but they can also serve as a great source of emotional self care. Emotional self care helps you to process and release pent up emotions. It helps to reduce stress and to prevent emotional burnout.

Overall, it will enhance your ability to handle life's challenges with greater grace and resilience. Next is social self care. This includes focusing on building and maintaining meaningful and intimate relationships in your life. It will include It includes spending time with loved ones and friends, joining community groups, and ensuring that you have a supportive social network, not just when you need it, but also for fun and just regular activities. And that's when you will get the greatest benefit from it. Strong social connections will provide you with that emotional support. You will reduce feelings of loneliness and improve overall happiness.

Positive relationships will contribute significantly to your mental and emotional wellbeing as well. The fourth type of self care is physical self care, and this encompasses activities that promote physical health and wellbeing, such as regular exercise. Healthy eating and getting adequate sleep. It also means listening to your body's needs and respecting its limits I think oftentimes we get confused about when are we being lazy and when do we actually need rest? Or when do we listen to our intuition and what our gut is saying? And when is the fear real and when is it not? And really tapping in and dropping into your body and how you're feeling. and cultivating that awareness can be so helpful. I find it very centering for myself. the more I do it, the better I become at understanding what my body is trying to tell me and what's important and what's real. when you do that on a regular basis, you start to feel better and better because you're not ignoring what your body is telling you. so therefore physical health is always the foundation of overall wellbeing, If you don't have your health, you don't have anything.

And good physical self care will boost your energy levels. It will improve your mood and it will prevent various health issues.

The fifth and final type of self care is spiritual self care, and this involves practices that nurture your spirit and your soul and provide a sense of purpose. This can include anything. It's not just formal religion. It can include meditation, prayer, spending time in nature or engaging in activities that align with all of your values and beliefs.

Spiritual self care brings inner peace and provides a sense of purpose and helps you to stay grounded. It will foster a deeper connection with yourself and the world around you. I think it does foster greater appreciation for ourselves and where we are living, who is in our lives, and just life in general.

And taking that time and whatever way is aligned with you and how you feel and what you believe can be deeply rewarding and important for taking care of yourself. Overall self care contributes to your wellbeing. obviously the better you feel, the better you will show up in your life.

The better relationships you will have with yourself and with others, and you will have more energy and more resources to pursue your growth and your expansion and create the life that you truly want and become the person that you want to become.

Deeper self care ensures a holistic approach to health and addresses some of the interconnected aspects of mental, emotional, physical, social, and spiritual wellbeing. And while traditional self care will offer temporary relief, this type of deeper self care creates sustainable practices that lead to longer term health and happiness.

I find that The more I do these practices, and the longer that I'm doing them, the better and better I feel. The better and better I become at them, and the rewards just tend to compound day after day.

Also, by engaging in deeper self care, We can build resilience and it helps us to cope with stress. It helps us to recover from failures, from setbacks, and just to navigate life's challenges more effectively. Things are always going to happen. There are always going to be challenges in our lives, but by practicing this deeper self care There are fewer ups and downs, and it doesn't seem as dramatic overall. And when things do happen, when some of these bigger challenges do occur, we feel more prepared to handle them.

Next, I think some of this deeper self care work contributes to improved relationships. As I said before, when we take care of our mental and emotional health, we improve our relationships with others and with ourselves, and we are fostering stronger and more meaningful connections at all levels with everyone that we come in contact with. This is professionally and personally and with ourselves. then finally, deeper self care contributes to greater life satisfaction. It enhances our quality of life, leading to greater satisfaction, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose and balance. When we embrace all of these practices, and it doesn't have to be every single one, but I do encourage you to cherry pick from each of those categories, and therefore you will be able to achieve a more comprehensive and lasting sense of well being, allowing you to thrive and to flourish and to grow and thrive. Each and every area of your life.

So while some of the superficial self care, which is important, don't get me wrong, has become a bit of cliche, the deeper self care that we do in terms of our mental and emotional health, our physical, social, and spiritual being contribute to A deeper and more meaningful relationship with ourselves. And that is truly the foundation on which we create the life that we want to create and become the person that we want to become.

We have that resilience. We have that strength and we have those reservoirs of energy and resources that we need in order to devote ourselves to. Our growth and evolving and creating. So I invite you to go back, think about each of those different areas. see which activities resonate with you the most and which are aligned with your lifestyle and with your interests and your needs and invest the time and energy into prioritizing them on a daily basis.

Don't get caught up in thinking that you need to spend hours on these. Your brain will make you feel that because you don't have a significant chunk of time to do these, then it's not worth doing and it's not enough. And that is not the case.

You do not have to believe that. And it is not true. Sometimes just spending five minutes meditating, journaling, 15 minutes going for a walk, a five minute tapping session, making sure that you go to bed 15 minutes earlier, all can have an impact, especially when you do them consistently.

The results, The benefits compound over time. I also want to encourage you that if you do stop, if you miss a day or a week or a month, it doesn't matter.

Don't beat yourself up for it. Don't make yourself feel badly for it. Don't judge yourself. Just start again, begin where you are and start again. J

ust continuing to show up for yourself is one of the greatest gifts of self care that you can give yourself.

If you're interested in learning more about these types of self care and building a better relationship with yourself, I am introducing a new program. It is the six week jumpstart program designed to help you build a better relationship with yourself.

I am really excited about this program. It is the foundation on which you create the life you want and become the person that you want to become.

Your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you will ever have. And I want you to take a few minutes and think about whether you like yourself.

Do you like yourself?

Do you love yourself?

Many of us have not spent time pondering that question and understanding whether it's true or not for us or not.

And if it's not, I want to invite you to check out this program.

When you like yourself, when you develop that love for yourself, that's when everything starts to change. That's how, when you start to show up differently in your life. And that's how you start to show up differently in all of your relationships, every other area that's important to you.

It's how you start to build the life that you want. You pursue your dreams. You take bigger risks. You face the challenges. You stop feeling stuck. You stop hiding yourself and holding back. You go after your dreams. I will put the link to my calendar in the show notes. If you want to get on a 60 minute consultation with me, I will tell you more about this program and we'll see if we're a good fit to work together.

I promise you that this is some of the most exciting work you will do, and it is completely worth your investment of time and money. Thank you so much for joining me today. I will talk to you next week.

Take care, everybody. Bye bye.

Thank you for listening to This Daring Adventure podcast with your host Trista Guertin. We hope you enjoyed the tips and conversations on how to get excited about life again.

As always, you can head to tristaguertin.com for additional resources and to book a one on one coaching session.

You can also follow Trista on Instagram at tristavguertin.

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Thanks again for tuning in and we'll see you next time.