Three Ways to Take Care of Your Whole Self
Can you believe that we are nearly halfway through the year?! Well, there’s something about the beginning of a new cycle that evokes optimism towards new beginnings and renewed goals. Perhaps it’s another opportunity to pursue dreams, or to live more purposefully. And wherever we may find ourselves, start by taking a moment to reflect on the indisputable importance of a healthy lifestyle.
Healthy living is not just about adding a cup of green tea to your routine or hiring a personal trainer. Healthy living is an umbrella concept for overall wellness and care for your mind, body and soul! Read on for the three ways to take care of your Whole Self.
Care for your mind by focusing on the positive:
Life and its many obstacles can be daunting more often than we’d like, especially when it comes to our task lists and deadlines. In stressful times, it will do you good to remember to focus on pleasant experiences. Acknowledge the negative thoughts coming to mind but follow up positive messages, and let that positivism engulf your state of mind.
Care for your spiritual side by getting in touch with nature:
We often forget the greatest gift of life ~ the natural world! If you are feeling deprived or unsatisfied spiritually, step out of your home every single day for a little bit, to feel the powerful effects of harmonising with nature. Yes, let nature show you its beauty and carefree grace. So whether it’s the ocean, or a close-by florist, or even your neighbourhood park ~ go and admire nature at its finest. Believe me, the satisfaction will be unparalleled.
Care for your body by learning how to breathe… better:
To heal our bodies to their optimal, we should strive to take more belly breaths rather than just upper body breaths. You will notice that once you breathe deeper, your body will feel taller and stronger. Breathing deeper allows oxygen to reach every cell in your body, calming your nerves and improving sleep cycles, whilst recharging your immune system.
To conclude: I hope you take away the holistic understanding of health and well-being and grant your mind, body, and soul the treatment they deserve. Physical health is most definitely important, but mental and spiritual well-being are equally essential. I really encourage each and every one of you to attain a perfect balance among these, using the above three ways to take care of your whole self.
Do let me know if you enjoyed this post. And, of course, I am always open to suggestions and queries.
I love this!! Sounds so much like my mother’s or grandmother’s voice. 🙂 Disassociate the negative self talk from your “true soul voice.”
That’s how it works sometimes. Keep going.
Powerful! I believe that we all carry those voices from our childhood. Identifying them is life changing!
Love this sentiment so much… Being human is hard.
This just happened with me. I was being hard on myself during my workout and had to stop the negative talk and replace it with encouragement…
The good news is that this downward cycle can be broken, by replacing the self-criticism with self-compassion.
Ooohh yes! All of our negative opinions of ourselves are learned from someone else, very rarely (if ever at all) developed on our own.
Be kind to yourself. Speak to yourself as you would to your closest friend.
Yes! I’ve really been working on this! I’ve come to realize that it’s a learnt program that is keeping me doubting myself and living through my ego…
Begin reclaiming your time and energy and put it towards things that matter.
Wow. This hit home. Mind over matter! Such a great reminder! Thank you for this, Tanya!
I’m glad this resonates.
This is so good. We all learn our programming from someone else and it’s our responsibility to identify and change it!
It’s so important to un-learn!
Never sell yourself short, never dumb and shrink yourself to fit in! If you had to do this to fit in, it was never meant for you. You deserve and are worthy of ~ love, respect, and care as completely as you are!
Yes! I am tired of not living my life!
Preach!! I love this!! And these are also the moments you can “use” to actually tune into yourself, and give yourself some extra loving attention…
It’s such a practice to be happy with what we have now rather than just striving for the next thing all the time.
Wise words, Tanya. Love your posts so much ~ #wordsoftheday
Your body hears everything your mind tells it, so tell it the good things! 🙂
Thank you for these tools to aid me in the process ~ now that I’ve made the decision to begin my journey to self-discovery. Big hugs!
Right back, Monisha!
Focusing on work is a great excuse for not taking care of yourself. I have set specific time slots where I won’t work and will instead spend time on my family and me. These slots are first thing in the morning (before 8 a.m.) and dinnertime (7 to 9 p.m.). 🙂
Setting this up will be life-changing, Dharmik!
Wonderful post, Tanya! I start every morning with a short 5–10-minute meditation which helps me visualize the things I’m most grateful for and allows me to minimize negativity and distractions. xx
Well done, Kaaviya. I too find that early morning meditation increases my self-awareness and helps me put into perspective what really matters.
There is an old Zen saying: “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you’re too busy, then you should sit for an hour.”
I understand. Often, when are really busy, we forget to take care of ourselves. Meditation can actually be useful for you and even help you to be more productive.
Beautifully expressed, Tanya. It doesn’t have to take a big effort to do good, but it does have a great impact on you!
Absolutely. Doing a good deed increases our own happiness as well.
Love this! Self-care is more than just a millennial fad – it’s a lifestyle must-have for everybody. And, its well-known benefits for mental health are unparalleled!
Its physical benefits are just as impressive, too. 🙂
You are an inspiration, Tanya! And yes, with the right mindset and sufficient motivation, self-care is easy enough to incorporate into our daily routine.
Thank you, Sowmya.
Self-care is synonymous with “me” time in more ways than one.
This is the year I take better care of myself – taking time to put into practice mental, emotional and physical tools!
…it is so important to remember the importance of caring for ourselves in all regards.
Such a beautiful share… Thanks for reminding me that i already have that pot of gold that i am seeking ~ will keep it in an ultimate balance. 🙂
The important thing is that now you are listening, Radhika. Awareness is the first step!
This is so, so beautiful! Those who accomplish the most with their lives seek to implement wise and healthy habits in all aspects of their being. xx
Because all aspects of our being mingle together to form who we are on any given day…
Love your style ❤️ And thank you for your beautiful reminder, it’s just what I need to hear!
Thank you, Akanksha. These are very manageable steps ~ the key being “steps” ~ towards unlocking within yourself.
Breathe – breath deep. Beautiful post with wonderful self-care suggestions and great insights. Thank you so much for putting this together, Tanya! ❤️
My pleasure, Shikhar.
Oh, the number of times I’ve said to myself, “Hang on, I need a minute to breathe and figure out what to do next.” I’ve learned, however, to be positive in every situation and repeat to myself, “This too shall pass.”
Always having a smile and a positive attitude helps, Chirashree.
This week, I’m carving out time for refuge/rest by giving myself liberty to turn off my alarm clock, take naps, spend forever in a hot bath, and neglect my phone. ⠀
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Re-calibrating my energy is another form of resistance. ⠀
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Rest, recover and then forge on!
Excellent approach, Udith. Take out some time for yourself. I guarantee all your stress would be like “ℎ !”
Great post! ❤️ I’ve begun to stretch this concept of self-care choices and celebrate myself a little more. I don’t just mean my twice-monthly massage, girl’s weekends or nail appointments… Those things are wayyyy out of my #selfcare regime. Ha!
I wholeheartedly agree! So glad you like this share.
Much needed, thank you! ❤️
It took illness and a forced sabbatical from teaching in my 40’s to recognise that l needed to take better care of myself; otherwise l would not be able to care for others. I am now kindly selfish with my self-care time – for me, this means long walks, salty swims and lots of simple healthy food.
Take good care of yourself, you matter.
Thank you for adding to my post so wonderfully.
Beautiful one! ❤️❤️❤️ Really trying to be more aware of this and to fit in more self-care between studio sessions.
To add to your post: I challenge your readers to say NO to one thing this coming week, without any excuse & wait for the feeling of relief to come! Mental and physical health here we come!
How lovely of you to think so, Anand. Thank you!
Love everything about this post… such a great reminder to take care!
Fill yourself with love and experiences that remind you why being alive is a blessing. Hold on to the good memories and know that even better memories are coming. And remember: your worth is not within another human; your worth is within you and you alone.
What a beautiful sensitive soul you are… I’m humbled by your love.
This really resonates with me. Especially since the normalising of working from home, I’ve slipped into some bad habits myself. Our bodies know otherwise and speak the truth. The mind-body connection is one that truly fascinates me. 🙂
Thanks so much sweet soul!
Love this!! ✨ A healthy mind plus a healthy body equals a healthy life. Let’s focus on supporting not only our physical bodies but also our mental health and crucially our immune system.
Oh, thank you so much!
My daily mantra: I feel grateful and content with most of the things in my life.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious, we’re only human and this will happen at different times in our lives – it’s knowing to up your self-care, having the people you need, exercise, food, whatever works for you around you when you need them. Put together your circle of self-care, write out what you need to support you throughout stressful times, and don’t forget to be gentle with yourself.
Thank you for the advice, Malini.
I know the times have been difficult and everyone’s dealing with it in their own way. This is such a wonderful reminder to look after yourself in this overwhelming process. Hoping everyone is keeping safe and taking all precautions.
Have a beautiful Monday, lots of love and blessings, Tanya!
Thank you so much, Sukhmani. Means a lot!
Beautiful and true words.
“There is no satisfaction that can compare with looking back across the years and finding you’ve grown in self-control, judgment, generosity, and unselfishness.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Delighted Mandeep! Thank you so much.
“You are whole and complete all by yourself.”
This post was soul-soothing. Words I needed today (and last week, and last month, and tomorrow….). You are lovely, Tanya, and I’m grateful to have you in my sphere. ❤️❤️❤️
That’s high praise, Kritika. Thank you!
Love this so much! ✨✨✨
Life is a journey that should be enjoyed to the fullest every day. It may not be joyful every day, but we choose happiness as a response to life’s challenges.
That makes me happy to hear!
Wow… this is really beautiful! I love your heart so very much – you are beautiful inside and out, Tanya! Thinking of you often and sending you love. ❤️❤️❤️
Aww ~ that’s very kind of you, Shobhit. Thank you!
Beautifully expressed, sweet Tanya. ❤️
To add to your post, I would say no matter what you are feeling at this very moment, know that you will be alright! Your body just needs to process these emotions and let them go.
I’m so glad you resonate with this. Thank you very much indeed!
Beautifully said, my wise frien. ❤️
My two cents: Have you ever really thought about what happiness means? Happiness refers to the positive emotions we have in relation to enjoyable activities we undertake in our daily lives. Pleasure, comfort, gratitude, hope, and inspiration are examples of positive emotions that increase our happiness and help us flourish.
How are you consciously creating happy moments today?
Very true, Vasuki. Thank you for this perspective.
BEAUTIFUL! Thank you for sharing your heart and your journey!
On that note, give yourself a break, and take things day by day. Listen to your intuition, your gut, that voice inside of you, helping you along the way. ❤️
Thank you very much for your sweet words!
You are the author of your own life; make your story one worth reading…
Pause to reflect on how you have arrived at this point in your life and in what direction you want to move in the future.
Ask yourself deep questions such as what inspires you the most? Allow yourself to receive the answers with no attachment to the specific outcome. When you’re in a state of openness, it gives you a much broader perspective.
Really enlightened.
Sound wisdom. With an emphasis on, “little by little.” ✨
I’m really proud of you and your courage to speak up, Tanya. ❤️ This was really inspirational!
Thank you for your warm appreciation, Gouri.
I love your positive vibes beauty! ❤️ If someone ever asks me what blog opened my eyes, it has to be ‘Urban Diaries’. You are amazing and thank you for sharing your journey with us. Keep shining. ❤️
Always full of joy and wonderful things to say you are, Rashika. Thank you so much!