Self-Care Pick Me-Ups (Part 2)

We talked last time about a couple of ways that, by using mindfulness techniques, we can improve our perception and assist in easing the stressors of our world. 

The mindfulness strategies mentioned are all items you can add to your self-care toolkit. The key to success is practicing them often. That way, the brain creates new pathways toward calm, clarity, and positivity. The more we practice mindfulness strategies, the quicker and easier it becomes to tap into our inner peace and navigate the challenges that come up in life. When we take the time to care for our minds, the rest of life can start to feel more manageable.

Here are two more to keep in your back pocket.

**Tune into your feelings to improve self-awareness**

Life challenges can become so all-consuming that you feel you are losing touch with yourself. You can get hyper-focused on the end goal of something and lose sight of who you are in the process. Mindfulness gives us a way to reconnect with who we are larger than just our definition in the Rare World. Every time we tune into ourselves in the present moment, we rekindle our inner light and power and also gain an understanding of what we need to do to care for ourselves.

Action Step: Take a moment out of your day to sit in silence and tune into how you are feeling that day—physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and energetically. Witness how your body feels. Are you holding on to any tension or stress? What are your thoughts in that moment? Allow them to gently float in and out without judgment. Then, decide what you need to do to care for yourself based on how you feel in the moment.

**Breathing exercises to help you embrace life**

Living in the Rare World requires a lot of work, from tests to medical procedures to loads of paperwork. It is an exhausting process that makes you feel like you are just going through the motions, always thinking about the next steps. To care for yourself during this trying process it is recommended that, as best as we can, we get sufficient physical activity, sleep, and social connectedness, and active stress management via support groups, therapy, meditation and/or mindfulness in order to embrace a healthier lifestyle.

Action Step: A quick way to incorporate mindfulness into your day is to utilize a breathing technique to help slow down the swirl of chaos that may surround you. Try out this 4-5-6 breathing exercise:

Breathe in slowly for four seconds.Hold your breath for five seconds.Exhale slowly for six seconds.

Repeat this pattern as many times as you need to in order to feel more relaxed. The act of tuning into the present moment breaks the cycle of backward or forward-thinking. Instead, you tap into what’s happening in the now.

Feel free to reach out if you need support.

Always with you,

Pamela