Self Care- Be kind to yourself
So far this month we have looked at self care in the sense of practical ways in which you can take a break and also the signs that you maybe doing doing much and are at risk of burnout.
In this blog post I am going to explore ways in which you can be kind to yourself and take responsibility for managing your own mental health and be kind to yourself.
Watch how you talk to yourself, think about the words that you use, are they positive or negative? Would you talk to other people and constantly put them down and use negative words or phrases when talking about them? If you did how would that make them feel?
If you speak to yourself in this way then you will feel negative and will also attract negative thoughts and actions around you.
Positive people always seem to get all the breaks and appear lucky. Is it just luck or is it because they are positive so they attract the lucky breaks.
Next time you are thinking about yourself or talking to yourself watch out for those negative words and phrases. Change the negative into a positive, instead of thinking ‘I can’t do this, I am really rubbish’ try ‘This is a challenge, what actions could I try to overcome the issue’.
Manage your emotions. There is a great book called the Chimp Paradox written by Dr Steve Peters. In the book he discusses how in our brain we have a Chimp who can either work for us or against us. Through the book he explains how to manage your Chimp and harness it’s power. The Chimp part of your brain is your emotional machine and sometimes we get into a state where we are overcome by our emotions. I recommend that for a full understanding you read the book. By managing and controlling your emotions then you can think clearly and rationally.
Be your own cheerleader. Celebrate your wins however small or insignificant. Share them with friends, family, colleagues or on a social media post. What qualities do you love about yourself, what makes you great. Write them down in your journal and then think about how you can make use of these qualities in your work or personal life.
Look after yourself and others, be a community. You might start as a community of one but seek out others to give you support. These may be others in the same workspace, or others who enjoy the same leisure activity as you. Even as an introvert I find that time spent with others can be a great positive resource. Do make sure, however, that you also limit time spent with people who do not enrich your life or fill your positivity bucket. This is difficult if these people are family but be mindful of this time and protect yourself.
To help trainers and assessors to find a community I have set up a group on Facebook to provide that support and ongoing development in a positive environment. If you are not already in the group click the link below and come and join us.
Trainer and assessor support and advice Facebook group
For those who are looking for a bit more I have a paid for membership starting in September 2022 which will provide weekly coaching sessions, CPD courses, useful links and much more.
Click here to add your expression of interest to join the membership group.