If finding time to look after yourself is your biggest challenge, you need to read this!
The importance of having a powerful intention and how to create habits you stick to! #2 Snippets
Are you an all-or-nothing kind of person?
You know, where you want to start running but only once you’ve got the money to buy those trainers you really want, or perhaps you want to begin a meditation practice but if you can’t do it every day you think there’s no point starting... Maybe you want to eat healthier but first, you need to find the best recipe book, create a meal plan and do a “big shop” for all the ingredients you can’t pronounce.
Does any of this sound familiar?
My hand is up.
My assumption is you’re a busy person and sometimes that busyness stops you from doing the things you want to do, or that will improve your health and move you closer to your intentions for your well-being.
If you want to create healthy habits that help you move towards your intentions and desires for your life the best thing you can do is start small.
If you’re busy and your days and weeks are already filled with activities and responsibilities the chances are you’re going to find it difficult to find the time for your new habit, like going for a run or meditating every day.
If finding time for yourself is your biggest challenge, where can you find snippets of time within your existing routine to slip in an element of self-care?
The last thing you need is self-care to be another thing to add to your to-do list so perhaps habit-stacking is a good option.
This is where you layer a new habit onto an existing one.
Here are some examples:
Reading a self-development book before you go to bed
Practising a breathing technique while the kettle is boiling
Doing a mindful body scan in the shower
Running/walking some of your journey to work
Add your own here...
Let me share with you how I did this in my own life...
To add some context this was in 2017/2018, I was deeply unhappy and struggling with anxiety around work that massively impacted my health and disturbed my sleep.
One day I set the intention to feel less stressed in my life, especially at work. I knew that if I was able to start my day in a calm and positive mindset I would be in a better frame of mind to go to work and I'd be better able to balance and soothe my emotions throughout the day.
I began by waking up 15 minutes earlier, getting out of bed, wrapping myself in a blanket and doing a short breath meditation before journaling on my experience. Over time I built it up to 30 minutes and some days I now give myself 90 minutes for my morning rituals.
Please note: This is what works for me and supports my intention. You are a unique human being with your own needs and desires so go back to your intention, how you want to feel, and the change you want to see in body and mind and why (the benefits).
Let's backtrack to those snippets of time sandwiched between your responsibilities, existing habits and routines... Identify one gap in your schedule that you want to claim for yourself (remember we are starting small it could be anything from 5-15 minutes to begin with). How can you use this snippet of time to do something that will improve your mood, and help you feel present and able to be more of how you want to feel? (your intention)
A last note:
Self-care and creating healthy habits that stick, don’t need to take up big chunks of your time. Be mindful of how you use your time so you can do more of the things that make you feel good and move you towards your intention.
Big love
Becki
P.S. To go deeper into how you can create healthy habits that support a mindful lifestyle you can download my e-book "7 Secrets To Self-Care Without Stress."
