Cultivating Systems of Support for Your Self-Care
Focusing on and enhancing your self-care journey is a sacred act of self-kindness, self-respect, and self-love. Although it can be a challenging and confronting journey of discovery, building a strong foundation of supportive practices and systems allows you to navigate your journey with recaptured energy and increased ease.
The Power of Exploration
Having access to endless information and tools is great, and it can quickly become overwhelming. In the beginning of my self-discovery and self-care journey, I thought everything that worked for everyone else should work for me too, and if I couldn’t make it work for me and implement ALL the things I was learning about, then I was failing or not doing it right. This was a continuing pattern of sabotage for me, but that is a topic for another time. When I finally got too overwhelmed with everything I was trying to implement, I decided to take an alternative approach. I decided to embrace a mindset and practice of exploration.
In our self-care journeys, we don’t have to commit to everything forever. We can try it on to see if it fits. If you REALLY don’t like it, you don’t have to do it forever, and maybe even letting go of it right now is the right option for you. You’re not a failure because something doesn’t work for you that works for someone else, and there is a difference between giving it a good, solid try, and giving up because it is hard. Keep trying until you know the difference. Different practices will be supportive at different times.
An example for me includes practicing yoga consistently. I know I want to do it, and I always feel better after I do it, but it has been challenging to practice consistently because I wasn’t ready to be confronted with the emotional intensity I was experiencing while practicing it. I’m getting better, and the practice is less uncomfortable now, but it took a long time for me to get here. I always felt like it was a practice that would eventually be supportive, and for a while I really beat myself up that I wasn’t doing it. Then, when I recognized that I wasn’t quite ready to be that confronted, I allowed myself more grace knowing that eventually it would become a very supportive practice for me; just not at that time. There were other practices I needed to embrace beforehand to get me to the place where yoga would be more supportive for me.
In your self-care journey, allow yourself to explore and maybe look at it as an adventure. Engage in reflection around your self-care practices to explore if they are really meaningful for you and in what ways they support you. You can move on from a practice, and you can return to a practice. It’s okay to change your mind about things. It can be more fluid and dynamic in supportive ways.
Building Stability Through Routine
With allowing things to be more fluid and dynamic, there is a balance between structure and fluidity. I have rejected routine for a long time because I feared it would make me feel monotonous, boring, and bored. Yet, as I evolve in my self-care journey, I’m realizing that foundational routines in the most important areas of health and well-being (like sleep, exercise, and food planning and prep) actually allow me to recapture a lot of wasted energy because I don’t have to continually make new decisions. It also allows for a greater sense of freedom because I know based on these established routines that I am more likely to be well-nourished, well-rested, and more physically healthy. This allows for more energy to be available for everything else. Establishing consistent self-care practices and routines creates a foundation for supportive behavior, and it especially offers stability when we face uncertainties and challenges.
Discover Digital Tools that Support You
We all know that there are digital apps and tools that our drain our time and do not support our well-being, but there are also numerous digital apps and tools that can support us, and some can even do both. Discover the digital tools that support you more than they deplete you. From mindfulness apps to digital well-being tools, see how technology can support and enhance your self-care practices. A few of my favorite tools include:
The Insight Timer app for guided meditations. (Which I am now teacher on as well! Yay!)
The Miracle Morning app for affirmations, guided practices, exercise, journaling, and all things morning routine.
The You-est You Podcast for insights and inspiration.
This is another area where we can put on our exploration hats, and seek balance between finding what works versus what becomes depleting.
Nurturing Connection
It’s not always easy to find/trust/feel safe with others; however, being with people who you can share experiences with that enhance your self-care can be very nurturing and healing. There is a certain magic when you find a group of people that support you in your journey. There are many avenues available online and in real life, from yoga studios to well-being services to group therapy to getting together with a group of like-minded and like-hearted people to discover practices that are supportive to you. There is strength and deep healing available in being part of nurturing connections and shared experiences. Again, put on that mindset of exploration, and be open and discerning to find what works for you.
Crafting Sustainable Systems
When creating systems to support your self-care, lean into what is easy, what is simple and anchor in that, and celebrate your progress. I have been practicing the Miracle Morning for years, and the part that comes easiest to me is reading. I almost always make time for it, and it’s very easy for me to engage with, so I start there as my anchor. I know I will read in the mornings, so that is what I focus on. Many times after I read, I will meditate, sometimes I will engage in movement, and sometimes I will journal as well, but those don’t come as easily. I consider them bonuses and celebrate each time I engage in them, but my anchor is reading because it’s easy for me to do and it’s something I enjoy. I anchor there, and know I will be doing something supportive for myself every morning.
Another great tool is discovering the small pre-actions that get you to engage in your desired activity. As an example, when I want to go running, I know if I change my clothes, put on my shoes, and get outside my house, I know I will go running. That is the action I focus my energy on. Discover those easy and/or simple actions that you do right before you get to the practice you want to do and perhaps focus your energy on completing that step to get you to where you want to be to reduce some of the overwhelm or friction.
Sustainable systems to support our self-care are essential for long-term practices. When you discover nourishing practices that are easy for you to engage with, notice that, and allow for the ease to support you.
Conclusion
Empower yourself with supportive and sustainable systems that enhance your well-being through self-care practices. Take the time to explore, experiment, and discover what truly nourishes your mind, body, and spirit. Remember, your self-care journey is a deeply personal adventure, and by prioritizing your well-being, you honor the essence of who you truly are. Reflect on one system of support you can incorporate into your self-care routine today. Whether it's establishing a morning ritual, exploring digital resources, or nurturing connections with others, take a step towards cultivating greater well-being in your life through a resourcing self-care practice.