Let’s close out Women’s History Month with a commitment to keep investing in ourselves .
(of course this message applies to men too)
By now, most of you are drinking more water, taking more walks, and eating more green things-Great!. The kind of self-investment that really changes our lives is the kind that takes us deeper into our emotional, relational, and spiritual healing.
Here are a few deeper self-investment thoughts to consider:
- Start each day with reflective silence. Use this time for a self-awareness exercise. A few simple self-awareness questions are: What did I do yesterday that I am proud of? Could I have practiced more self-awareness, self-regulation, or emotional management? What did I learn about myself yesterday? Where can I be a better partner/friend/parent/boss/co-worker?
- Close your day with reflective silence. At the end of the day, sit in silence, take a long shower or hot bath, read something inspiring before bed, meditate, pray, make your list of priorities for the next day.
- Consciously inhale and exhale throughout the day. Conscious breathing allows a reset of the nervous system, emotional regulation, and a reboot to the present moment so you can be more engaged and productive.
- Track your triggers. Usually, our reactions and triggers are touching on something old that lives with us. Instead of blaming or lashing out at others, take It is worth some time to explore what OLD-THING are you reacting to? If you are quick to feel anger, judgment, fear, anxiety, rejection, etc.– Go deep and explore that these live in you. Even though the outside world may provoke you/trigger you–those are yours. This is a hard one because it takes the biggest, deepest self-awareness and accountability.
- Use all of your experiences as a mirror–especially when things don’t go so well I ask yourself, “What is this experience/event showing me about myself? What is it teaching me? What new skills do I need to manage this better”
- Feel it-write it out-release it. Let those emotions out in a healthy way, write them out so you can track your progress over time, and release them. Feeling-Writing-Releasing is a tool to help you not stuff things down and store pain in your body.
- Learn to set better, healthier boundaries. Boundaries are direct, clear asks for what you need and expect.
- Use your inner circle and other resources to support you. We cannot do this deeply emotional, relational and spiritual work alone.
- Use your vacation and PTO time. You deserve it and it is a BENEFIT you are given by your employers.
There are so many more things to share, but I will stop here.
What does a deeper self-investment mean to you today?