How do I start a Self-care plan?✅️
To begin, let's get a gentle reminder on why we should practice self-care. Please read The Importance of Self-care blog post first, then come back here to start a Plan.🤎
Leggooo...
Reasons You Need a Self-care Plan:
A Self-care Plan is an intervention tool that keeps you from being completely sucked into the vortex, saving you when you find yourself sitting on the edge of the bed gazing into the dark abyss. It’s fail-safe, created by you, and filled with your favorite self-care activities, important reminders, and ways to activate your Self-care and balance stress.
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How will a Self-care Plan help me?
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Your Self-care Plan is a roadmap that you can carry in your back pocket. It’s there to help you walk your talk, as well as help you find your way back to wellness and balance. It provides a clearly defined route back home if you find yourself getting off-track.
Creating and following a plan helps you balance your mental, physical, and emotional needs while reminding you to center yourself and the self-care goals you wish to accomplish.
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How do you begin creating a Self-care Plan?:
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1) First, create an goal list organized around different parts of your life: I’ve found that the easiest way to start is by breaking up these tasks into several categories, for example:
For each area above, write down the goals, activities or strategies that you can call on, that are authentic to you and contribute to your wellbeing.
Some examples include spending time with friends, eating more healthy, being active, doing your skincare routine every day, going to church every Sunday, mindfulness meditation, and finding the confidence to create healthy boundaries.
Have fun, be creative, and most importantly, be real with yourself about what works for you and what doesn’t.
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2) Second, create action steps to achieve these goals and note any barriers that may be in your way and how to shift them. As you write down each activity, ask yourself what barriers might get in the way of you being able to accomplish it. Then, try to strategize ways that you might be able to shift these barriers (FYI, this works even better when you do so with a friend, partner or community!).
If you find that you can’t shift the barriers, feel free to adjust the activities. Your Self-care Plan is NOT written in stone! It’s meant to be a living, breathing guide that adapts as your life circumstances and demands change.
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An example of a worksheet to help you plan each Self-care goal:
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3) Third, share your plan with family and closest friends. Don’t forget to rely on your network of Self-care buddies, your community of care. Share a copy of your Self-care Plan with them and ask them to hold you accountable. Encourage them to create their own Plan and share it with you so you can do the same for them.
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To close out this blog, if you made it to the end, I commend you. This means you are ready to improve your quality of life by creating a Self-care plan. You took the first steps and it's only on the up and up from here. Use these tools to be a better you...
Be well.🤎
Grace
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Partially Sourced from: https://www.mindful.org/why-you-need-a-self-care-plan/