Study success and you'll discover that mindset plays a key role in just about any endeavour - and it's no different when it comes to taking charge of your health, wellness and making positive lifestyle changes.
The biggest challenge with maintaining (or developing) a "self care" mindset, is first overcoming the limiting belief systems about health.
The media, marketing campaigns, the health care system and our society have all contributed to many of the false beliefs that you may have such as these:
- Disease is a mystery;
- You need protein from animals to stay strong;
- Salt causes high blood pressure;
- Sunshine causes skin cancer;
- You need supplements because there's no nutrition in the food anymore;
- Don't eat fruit because it contains too much sugar....
You and you alone have the power to recondition your thinking around your health and to be more intuitive and intelligent in your approach.
With this in mind, the following are some tips and mental distinctions that can help you develop a self care mindset as you move forward throughout your life.
1. Take a Holistic Approach
Ultimate self care is not just about your physical health, it's about your overall wellbeing that encompasses the following:
- Your Physical
- Your Mental
- Your Emotional
- Your Financial
- Your Relationships (or social connections)
The human experience can be likened to a star that radiates these five areas or points.
And if one of these areas is damaged or weakened, the star becomes encumbered and won't fully shine. So, it's important to have a balance and to recognise that all of these aspects play an important role in your overall presence, state of mind and your physical and emotional wellbeing.
The key thing to realise is that everything is connected.
You may be doing great financially, but if you've paid the price with your physical health, or relationships, or you no longer have a hobby or passion outside of work, there'll come a day when you'll question if it's all worth it.
Likewise, if you have outstanding physical health, but suffer from constant emotional stress or hardship, soon enough that will manifest and show itself too in negative ways.
The point is, you need to stay connected to all of the aspects and take steps to ensure you're progressing in ALL of these areas if you want to experience a truly fulfilled life - not just one point of the star.
2. Deal with "The Cause" of Dis-Ease
Today's health care system is built on treating symptoms, rather than getting to the root cause of dis-ease and addressing this.
Part of the problem is that there is no money in healthy population.
So, it is an industry that is effectively incentivised to manage and even perpetuate sickness and disease.
The good news is that just about any discomfort, ailment of disease that has been caused due to diet and lifestyle factors, can be UN-caused with an adjustment to your daily habits.
And at the end of the day, this is what "Self Care" is all about - being self-responsible for making some simple, common-sense lifestyle adjustments, rather than handing yourself over to an outside source for a quick-fix, band-aid solutions that never address the true causative affects of dis-ease.
This is why the 7 Principles of Health, whilst so simple are profound - Air, Water, Sunshine, Walking, Wholefoods, Non-Toxic Relationships & Passion - they're profound, because they are the very basis of sustainable health and vitality physically, mentally, emotionally and they work!
Prevention Is Better Than Cure.
The old saying that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is worth remembering when it comes to your long term health.
By doing the things you need to do on a daily, consistent basis, such as a high quality diet rich in plant foods, drinking plenty of water, getting enough sleep, ensuring that you do moderate daily exercise and being around positive, uplifting people and environments, all add up to "prevention" when you adopt these steps as part of your lifestyle.
3. Take Baby Steps & Commit To Today!
So many people live in a disconnected place called, "Someday Isle" ...
“Someday I’ll clean up my diet.”
“Someday I’ll start getting more exercise.”
“Someday I’ll follow my passions.”
If you know you need to make drastic changes but are constantly procrastinating, it's probably because you're mentally challenged by how high the mountain is to climb or the discomfort associated with making the changes you known you need to make.
The key is to take one step and to break things down into bite-sized pieces.
Any positive step is a step in the right direction, but don't feel like you need to change everything over night.
When you consider that bad habits and health outcomes often take years to manifest, it's fair to reason that it will take some time to undo those habits and results.
The key is to commit to making a start with one daily change that you know you can handle. Then, as you begin to feel good about this change and you notice and feel the difference physically and emotionally, take another step.
If you really think about it and you are committed to self care, you can in fact quite easily take care of at least 3-4 of the 7 Principles of Health first thing in the morning before you go about your day:
For example...
Air: Step outside in the morning and take a moment to practice deep breathing in the fresh outside, moving air. Keeping a window in your room during the night will also help to keep the fresh air circulating through the room/house;
Water: First thing, when you rise, drink 500ml - 1 litre of water. I like to add a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a pinch of nature-made salt;
Sunshine: Watch the sun rise by practising the ancient art of sun gazing, or sit in the morning sun for 10-15 minutes and allow the light to enter your face and brain;
Movement: When you rise, go for a 30-45 minute walk, do some yoga or light stretching. Anything to get the body moving will activate your body and senses at this all important time of the day;
Whole Foods: For breakfast start with a smoothie or a fresh cold pressed juice rather than a heavy meal to ease the weight on your digestive system;
Relationships: Make time to connect with your partner or children or a friend early in the day if you can just to express your appreciation for their presence in your life;
Passion: Take time each day to 'smell the roses' and spend a moment to reflect on what interests you the most and commit to spending time on this each each week.
The ancients taught that there really is power in the now, so ‘carpe diem’, seize the day and start straight away.
4. The Importance Of Your Environment
In so many ways, your environment and circle of influence has a big impact on your physical health and emotional wellbeing. This is why you need to take control over who and what you expose yourself to on a daily basis.
Negative stimulus can be one of the biggest thorns in your side when it comes to putting your self care first, so it's important to be very conscious of your environment.
If you want success, stack the odds in your favour.
For example, if you know you need to clean up your diet, your chances of failure will be high if you're constantly surrounded by packaged and processed foods all of the time.
Being committed to your self care means drawing a line in the sand and clearing out all the stuff that's no longer serving you and replacing it with things that will.
The same goes for your home or living quarters.
Arrange your home in such a way that is conducive to taking care of your physical, mental and emotional health. For example...
Open the windows to get fresh, natural air flow, sunlight and positive energy into your home. Minimise the clutter in your bathroom in terms of the chemical products you're using that are causing you harm. And clear out your pantry of the junk foods that you know are no longer serving you.
5. The Power Of Intention & Goals
Having an intention or goal is important if you want to make any kind of significant progress in your life or health.
Fuzzy dreams generally don't come true, so the clearer you can be on the outcomes you'd like to achieve, the better the chance that you'll get there.
Interestingly, the neuro-muscular movements of writing and then “seeing” what you have written, reinforces the visual part of your brain. It is a double mantle of reinforcement that creates “intention incubation.”
It's so powerful - you will probably see it in your dreams, so we encourage you to write down your intentions and goals for your health and re-visit what you've written often. Here are some ideas:
1). Dreaming – identify what you really want in terms of your health and wellness, establish priority values, and eliminate conflict. Be specific and develop a burning desire to achieve your objective;
2). Targets – establish your goals in an order of priority, then write down all details of your objectives. Be specific in your description;
3). Walls – analyse what stands between you and optimal health and what barriers or limiting beliefs are in your way, either physical or mental. Be confident that you have the capabilities to reach your objective;
4). Start dates – When are you going to begin? Specify an initiation date when positive action to attain your objective will begin. Don’t procrastinate once this date is set. If not now, when?
6). Completion – When will you arrive at your goal of no longer being dependant on a certain medication, losing a certain number of pounds, or make a positive career change? Specify a realistic completion timeline and take steps in the direction.
7). Rewards – Picture the results of your Self Care and health goals, then list them. Imagine how you’ll look, act and feel as well as what you’ll be doing and who you'll be with.
The Main Takeaway
Having a self care mindset is all about being responsible for the steps you follow and the outcomes you achieve in your life.
So long as you're clear on your intentions, remove yourself from environments and influences that don't serve you, stay positive and take baby steps in the right direction and don't deviate, your success is assured.
Always remember that you are a divine being that nature created, and with a clear self care mindset you can craft the life and health that you deserve.
Tolman Self Care.
