When we take responsibility for our own selves we can step into our power. Not necessarily in a red and blue leotard, magic wrist bands and gold lasso kind of way, (although I am not ruling that out), but more in a ‘I’ve got this’ type of way.
Understanding how you tick is like having both feet firmly planted hip width apart, knees slightly bent, hands open and arms ready to catch. What you are catching are;
thoughts before you give them a narrative and they turn into something unhelpful, hurtful, and debilitating
instinctive reactions before you decide on your response and do/say something you might regret
feelings that stir up old emotions so you can choose to let them go before they settle and disrupt you
It isn’t easy, (tell me something worth having that is), but it is rewarding beyond measure when you begin to appreciate that your future is in your hands.
About 18 months ago I decided how I wanted to look and feel when I retire, perhaps more accurately I first pictured what I didn’t want. Having seen many older people get ill, frail, or immobile I knew I didn’t want that for myself, I also knew that I had a big part to play in this becoming my story if I did nothing to prevent it.
Having spent most of my life in my head, I had to get into my body if I wanted to make a change and this was unfamiliar territory and I found a million reasons why it wasn’t for me, wasn’t possible or wouldn’t work.
Having spent most of my life in my head, I knew all these reasons were bullshit.
Anything new is hard work; a new job, learning a language, buying a house, starting a family.
It becomes possible because you WANT the end result, you can imagine your future with the change, and you CHOOSE to put the effort in.
If we want to retire healthy and well, move with ease and flexibility, and make choices that are right for us, we must approach self-care through self-awareness.
For me self-care is;
How I nourish my body through food – what I eat and when
Noticing my breath – nasal breathing and using it to calm, restore and strengthen me
Moving with purpose – choosing to move every day even if it’s a 20-minute walk
Resting for restoration – prioritising rest and respecting my body and mind
Managing my mind – naming my inner critic so I can recognise her voice, identifying my strengths and leveraging them, loving myself unconditionally
Self-awareness begins by slowing down and tuning in to resistance, tension, and discomfort and the most effective to route to this is through your breath. Close your eyes, take a slow breath in through your nose, down to your belly, feel your diaphragm expand and contract, feel the breath move through your body and then out again through your nose. Repeat this and tune into the feeling – what is it telling you, warning you or reminding you of?
Now ask yourself, is it true?
That is liberation in practice!
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