Busy times, eh?
I know, I know, it is all so exciting, so many happenings, get-togethers, peeps to chat and family to visit. If you are in the summer part of the globe, there is even the lovely sun, beach, pool parties and fruit frappes to get distracted.
Sounds wonderful till you add on top of that all the not-so-fun parts of of life – work, house chores, dentist and doc app, grocery shopping, general errands, demanding relatives, loud neighbors, needy dogs, chatter-box parrots, and so on.
Oh, the happy life of busy folks!
It is easy to lose track of the best tool ever to handle it all:
Ourselves.
Yep! You are the best tool ever to improve your life!
Self-care check-in it is!
No, sweets no. Don’t roll your eyes and close that window yet. I KNOW it ain’t easy to talk about self-care and even harder is to believe in it.
But I KNOW how important it is so I am back for more.
Self-care is important to keep going, right?
No, it is important to **enjoy** keep going. It is important to **enjoy** moving forward, it is important to end your day fulfilled and to start a brand new one excited for more.
Sounds unrealistic?
Baby-steps will make it possible.
If you follow me on Instagram you already had a peek of the new wonderful place we are living right now. Postcard-like views, I tell ya!
{I am drooling all over my own picture, hehe}
And with all that beauty around plus our dreamy new home I managed to ignore myself and let things slide off.
See, moving out of the country, to a brand new unknown one where you barely understand the language, you have no clue of the day-to-day life, systems, “modus operandi”, bringing two cats and many hopes and dreams is stressful to say the least. It is exhausting, daunting and can drain you.
It did it to me!
Since the very first day I got here I have been having a cold AND allergies. Could I had received a more clear sign from my body to slow down a little and take care of myself?
No. I couldn’t. Yet I ignored and kept going.
So many new things to learn, understand, figure out, and settle down. Plus for crying out loud, it is the CARIBBEAN! I just had to get out there and see the beaches around, right?
Nope, wrong.
The beaches will still be there next week. and next month.
So as predicted, my body, mind and spirit were asking for a break. I didn’t give them any and we all crashed together.
In a few days I woke up barely able to talk and in pain, obviously.
Forced to focus on self-care, I went back to re-do my list of things I love and went further. Started doodling – cause it is one of the items on my list! 😀 – and created a new tool for our self-care journey.
I know, it is hard to come up with a list of little, and/or big things that we love, I know!
{**One quick tip is to dig into past childhood memories. What did you like to do as a kid? Yes, they will probably be very simple things, like watching a line of ants walk by you and imagine how their life/home/family/friends are. No kidding I used to do that for hours. 😀 I still enjoy being quiet observing insect and plants till today.**}
Anywho, after scrambling to gather our list, we forget about its existence, don’t we? It was hard enough to put it together and to actually DO IT is just beyond our imagination.
***Enter our new little helpers!***
Self-Care Action Post-it Notes:
Very simple to work with it.
Pick a post-it and write on it ONE item of your list that you will do today. Start with an easy one. I did the doodling one because nothing fancy is required – just pen, paper and 10 min of my day. Then, next day. Reading….children’s books! Which I never let go of 😛
No more excuses to ignore yourself, right?
Baby-steps, sweets, baby-steps we get there! And we get better at it each time, believe me!
This round of body signs took me only a few days to be aware of. Months ago I could go on for weeks, getting bombarded by signs without having a slight clue of what to do with them or why they were happening.
Baby-steps {to get to know what we like} and practice {to regularly DO them} gets us there.
Now let’s do this!
Because, remember:
Self-care creates happier peeps, which creates happier relationships, which creates happier lives, which creates a happier world.
And here it is an illustrated tutorial on how to set up your new printable:
Easy-peasy, huh? 🙂
Download yours right below:
And now go get your self-care going sweetie.
You deserve it! ♥
Nurturing smooches,
I hear ya! I spent 6 weeks recently in Tenerife…which sounds idyllic, but when you’re living and working somewhere new, it’s pretty stressful! My one thing today is a one to one yoga catch up with my teacher now I’m home! PS I was looking for a facebook ‘like’ button on your post…I like to share blogs I like with my facebook peeps – might be worth adding to your blog? x
Hi Donna, isn’t it silly how we stress ourselves out because we are “supposed” to be having fun in a new location? Crrrrazy! 😀
Btw, all my social media buttons are right below the post on top of the big pink box, do you see it?
I sure will need these soon. We will be moving out of state next month and I’m not really looking forward to all the work.
Thank you for sharing.
-Jackie
It is not easy work, that’s for sure! Checking in with your own needs throughout the process is key 😉
Awesome!!!!! Hope you get yourself centered and feel better!!!!
Thank you Kimmie! I am. Slowly but surely 🙂
Thanks! These are so cute! Not only will I use them for myself, but think my kiddos could use them too! Maybe write in a positive personal thought for the day…? Today I will say Thank YOU for an unexpected gift!
Aaaawww that is so sweet Kathleen! So glad you like them and will pass them along!
I will definitely do some gratitude printables, it is on the schedule 😉
Thank you for including such easy instructions! I have my darling little post-it notes now, so excited. Thanks Raine!
Yay Angela! So glad you liked it!
Thank you for sharing on FB too! Just saw it 😉
Thank you for this reminder! We just moved to Kentucky last night (not quite as beautiful as the Caribbean) and I’ve woken up to a disaster of a house. Looks like I’ll just have to remind myself that I am only human and have to take one little step at a time!
Hope you are feeling better so you can get out there and enjoy those beaches!!!
I love that you’ve got “reading children’s books” on your list. That’s so awesome! This is a really great tool to help make sure that self care is part of our day. I agree that self care is essential.
These free printables are so cute and clever! I love them. Thanks so much!
This is fantastic! I had my body give me a wake up call recently. I have the habit ignoring the signs. I am getting better at self care. I love these little reminders via post it notes. Super fun and creative!
AWESOME article, great reminder, and unique voice. Thanks for putting this out into the universe!
Very good advice indeed! Happy PPF!
Great post! I wish I could forego sweets. I know they are my enemy.
Such an inspirational post. Love it! 🙂
Very very true post. love the idea of the post-its. And you’re right: that is a postcardlook view! I’m drooling too ….
I love that doodling is on your self care list! I agree with what you said at the beginning, who has time for self care when there are so many things to do! Plus, self care feels like a drag sometimes. But there are so many little things, like just zoning out and doodling, that can really help. I am definitely incorporate that one into my life, I always loved doodling!
Good advice with cute drawings! I’d think those beaches could be the best resting hang out around! Watching waves!
Even when you should be taking care of yourself and enjoying your amazing new surroundings there you are helping us take care of ourselves too!! I love these post-its and the step by step you did to show us how to print them!! thank you!
love this post! Good luck in the Caribbean, and with your life change!
Great post and yes we should take care of ourselves. The post-it notes are a great idea. Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed reading your post and hoping you start feeling better.
Oh how often we forget – if we don’t take the oxygen ourselves – how can we help anyone else (airplane emergency procedures). We also need life emergency procedures – but if would be better if we avoided the emergency. Take care of yourself – you are right. The beaches will be there tomorrow and available all year in that climate!
I love these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so sweet of you!!! and I hope you will doodle for 10 Minutes and join me for 10 Minute Warm ups!!!!!
Thank you sooooooo sooooo much for this great printable – I really needed a boost for self care – and you just made it more fun! Thank you for sharing – you have no idea what this will mean for me.
How do I print these on A4 paper?
Just download the file, feed your printer A4 and print it! 🙂
Somehow you were there at just the right moment. Thank you for being a special soul!
aawww Thank YOU for being here, Laura! ✨?So so glad it was useful!