Everyone struggles to prioritize the time and energy for their personal needs and wants. It’s normal to feel the push and pull around creating time for yourself. But remember the airline oxygen mask admonition: Put your mask on before helping someone else.
I recently finished a 4-week pilot program focused on self-care intention setting, action, and accountability. The pilot was 1:1 life coaching, online group webinars, weekly individual goal setting, and group accountability. As the group came to a close, I spent time reflecting on what I learned. May I share my reflections with you? Maybe they’ll encourage you to take that vital step and put your oxygen mask on too…
Changing our behavior can be exciting or draining- I vote for exciting and fun! I’ve learned that it’s incredibly encouraging to be part of an accountability group with 1-3 other people. Small individual actions were celebrated by the group. Have fun with it, make each other laugh, and share the steps that you’re your taking towards creating your best self from the inside out. Text a few others and start sharing your small successes together.
I’ve found that clarifying just one thing that you want to shift is the best place to start. Identify it, prioritize it, make room for it, then decide what your very first step will be. When we laser focus our energy on one behavior that we want to shift, it’s like a chain reaction leading to other healthy behaviors. Over time we begin to trust that we can change and become a better version of ourselves.
Failure is part of the process of change. We can’t ignore that we are humans, juggling complex lives and our plans don’t always turn out the way we expect. In our weekly AIM S.M.A.R.T. goals the participants itemized what could keep them from accomplishing their goal. Once they were aware of what could get in the way, it was an opportunity to create a strategy to move around it. It was also an opportunity to be compassionate with themselves ahead of time. Let’s call it planned compassion so that they felt successful and motivated to keep going.
Create the energy to focus on yourself. You won’t regret the time nourishing your soul, moving your body, or learning something. Reach out and together we can strategize ways that you can put your own oxygen mask on first.
Xo,
Tracy