Self Care Training

Self Care -Why is it Important?

This subject is vitally important to me at this time in my life. After years of not addressing my needs because of every excuse in the world is a sure straight path to burn out. What are some of those excuses.? Family, personal career work, lack of time , finances, travel and the list goes on. It's enjoyable to me to take the time to attend this training with much self reflection again at this time in my life.

At its core, taking care of you is simply the practice of looking after your own physical and mental health in ways that support a good quality of life and prevent illness or endangerment. Everyone’s self care needs are different and should be based on her or his life only such as hereditary health and your environment, occupation, habits, interests, stress levels, and more. The most effective forms of self care are based on a careful analysis of the factors in your life that, if not monitored or controlled, can lead to poor physical or mental health. The mental health crisis, issues and concerns has exploded I would say over the last six years. It has always been there but during and after the pandemic Covid in 2020 I believe people felt more comfortable speaking up and out about the effect it had on their lives from a very close intimate perspective. For real we had no choice because people all over the world was dying and unfortunately many of us had a family member who passed away or knew of someone who also died. For the first time in a long time in history we were forced to speak our truths about our mental, physical and spiritual health. Some of my health practices tips I have made a promise to myself to keep are :

• Get regular exercise. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can boost your mood and improve your health. This I naturally do because of my work requires me to travel a bit in a good fun way. than 30 minutes. In fact it is more than 30 minutes.
• Eat healthy, regular meals and stay hydrated. Being educated of what food choices I make is a chore task. Good whole foods, organic and especially eating halal takes up more of my time than I would like to admit.
• Make sleep a priority. No problems here. I try to be in bed by 10 pm. I am not faithful to this time but it is ideal for me.
• Set goals and priorities. I still keep a writing journal. Baby boomer I am!
• Practice gratitude. My spiritual practices are a must. Performing my prayer rituals, meditations, affirmations , visiting Madinah, Makkah, and different relatable countries and social interactions with people of different faiths is a privilege blessing to support my journey. Gratitude is bliss.
• Focus on positivity. Staying grateful is healthy. We all have our moments. Good days and challenging days test our Iman (faith)and patience.
• Stay connected. Staying connected to healthy people is a Multi vitamin to me. Beloved Mama and wholesome spiritual nurturers of wisdom are wonderful. Keeping my circle small and having healthy boundaries practices ideals work for me.

Burn-Out

Honestly Burn out is just the opposite of all I have mentioned above. It is seriously a slow or quick death physically, mentally and also psychologically.

Not respecting ourselves is a threat to ourselves. Being aware of negative toxic energies that enter into our lives is important. Are we being negative mined ourselves we have to ask and be honest of the answers seriously. Are we people pleasers, impressors, butt-kissers? All of these can lead to burn out. If we are honest with ourselves we all have indulged in this not healthy behaviors because of low self esteem, confidence, gender inequalities, race related issues, work concerns and the list goes on. A better you is a more conscious you. Let's face it and admit burn out is ugly, dark and leads to depression.

Masterclass on Self Care

The How are you arriving today examples was quite amusing and interesting I must say. It is a good observation for me as I wake up out of bed to affirm what I feel and how I feel before I start my day is important. Taking these important notes can make or break your day. As we age we may have health issues that we struggle with on a daily basis. The truth of the matter is we need self everyday. Do we faithfully practice self care everyday? Personally if I am honest with myself I will say no but most days I can affirm yes. The best form of self care I give myself is treating my mind and body to a super health pampering day catered to all of my needs including shopping for a luxury item(s), eating at a fine restaurant (which I do quite often) visiting my Shaykhas( spiritual guidance session with mentor(s) and more. On a financial budget? Not often. Unfortunately today most of what I write about here can be financially expensive but there are several perks to living your life very well without going over board with your finances. Finding balance is the key here. I find my self care approach working and I am always open to change up routines and locations from time to time. Taking Care of me is extremely important as I am aware of the fact that if I do not nothing or no one else would matter. What I am learning in this journey is self care is self love , respecting the higher source, and yourself. What a beautiful self discovery I honor and treasure.