Self Care
“Your thoughts create your life” - Louise Hay
For years I have been so critical to myself, it took me some time to realise it was stopping me to do things I enjoy and simply I was becoming my own enemy.
Most self-criticism happens in our head, in our thoughts and that’s why its so difficult to acknowledge them. I can never forget hearing the most inspirational coach Louise Hay say:
“Your thoughts create your life”
It was a lightbulb moment for me.
What does it mean?
What you FOCUS – EXPANDS.
In other words when we criticise, ourselves we are creating more self-doubt, judgment, self-hatred.
What can we do about them?
CHANGE our thoughts.
It’s easy to say however - quite difficult to execute.
As a person who always try to encourage and praise others, I was quite embarrassed of my own thoughts about myself.
It was mostly negative “I am not good enough”, “I am not pretty enough”, “I am not skinny enough”, “My hair is too thin” “I am not fun enough “ as a foreigner “I don’t belong here” “my boobs are not big enough” and the list went on and on..
But who was I competing against? What is ENOUGH?
The simple way to find out is to stand on front of a mirror look at yourself and see what thoughts come to your mind.
Do not judge, just listen or for more clarity even write them down.
When we ACKNOWLEDGE what our thoughts are then we can work towards CHANGING them.
There is no quick fix, Self Love is a practice and an ongoing process, and I am still in the process, but it becomes easier with time.
Do you struggle to get a good night sleep?
We often have so many ‘tabs open in our brain’ it gets very difficult to switch off and put our mind to rest.
A good night sleep is just as important as the regular exercise and healthy diet.
Having a consistent sleep routine is not just for babies, you can really improve the quality of your sleep by making small changes & incorporating some new teqniques.
Few things you can do to get a good night sleep:
Cut down on caffeine, which means not just coffee but other caffeine drinks or dark chocolate.
Do not listen/watch/read any news before going to sleep.
Keep your electronic devices outside bedroom.
Reduce daytime naps.
Reduce alcohol as it can negatively affect your hormones, can cause sleep apnea, snoring, and disrupted sleep patterns.
Don’t eat late in the evening.
Don’t consume any drinks before bed.
Have a relaxing bath
Listen to some guided meditation or relaxing music in bed (I have added a link to one of my favourites below)
Read a book.
Use lavender diffuser or pillow mist.
Exercise regularly.
Get a comfortable mattress & a pillow.
Make these changes regular and you will likely to improve your sleep habits.
Sleep well..
“TV should be kept in it’s proper place - beside us, before us, but never in front of us” - Robert Fraser
“TV should be kept in it’s proper place - beside us, before us, but never in front of us” - Robert Fraser
Watching the news has its redeeming values but mostly it bombards us with images of conflict, violence and exploitation.
The problem is not only do our minds become dulled by the constant stimulation but we begin to confuse this passive vicarious activity with actual living
Like most addictions a television and news addiction can be hard to kick:
Try cutting down gradually by substituting other activities that you find enjoyable: playing a board game, doing a jigsaw, reading a book or just watching a film instead.
Social media is full of bad news channels: Unlike/unfollow some news pages or leave the groups that can be full of toxic information.