We are on this fantastic journey of creating our non-negotiable list. Last week we added items to our list related to family time. From dinners to kid events, to holidays, to vacations, you added items to your list that matter to you and that you will no longer sacrifice unintentionally. Today, let’s add some additional items to that list by diving into self-care.
Self-care is exactly what it sounds like, it’s 100% the actions you take to care for yourself. These could be basic things like getting a good night’s sleep, exercise, meditation, journaling, weekly massages, monthly hair care, all the way to daily reading.
Anything and everything that you need to care for yourself physically and mentally are self-care items to add to your list. And here’s the honest truth when it comes to self-care, we will gladly put on our non-negotiable list the family time events, right? Those are easy to identify and those are easy to put first because we love our families. Our families are a big part of why we wake up each day and do what we do. But when it comes to self-care, those are usually the activities that get sacrificed first if they even make it to the list at all.
It’s time for an honest moment here. How often are you sacrificing self-care to prioritize something else?
Remember, you can’t care for someone else unless you are in a good place. On a flight, the attendant always tells you, “put your oxygen mask on first before putting someone else’s on for them.” Family time is putting the mask on someone else. I’m sure it gives you great joy to spend time with family, no doubt. But if you are barely hanging on by a thread, prioritizing family time over self-care doesn’t serve you.
Self-care is not just critical to your happiness but to your survival.
Are you with me now? Do you agree?
So when it comes to self-care and your non-negotiable list, where do you start?
Make a list of the self-care items you currently do. Anything and everything you do to care for yourself gets added to this initial list. Then decide how often you will consistently take that action or decide what that non-negotiable looks like for you.
An example is sleep for me. I don’t really nap, but I love to get a good night’s rest. Once my head hits the pillow I am out. I don’t take forever to fall asleep and I am a sound sleeper. I enjoy sleep because I have told myself that sleep is necessary for me to perform at my best so therefore I make it a priority. I don’t work late. I don’t stay up late unless I can sleep in the following morning, etc. It’s a non-negotiable for me. Could work or life interfere with sleep? It can. For example a Tony Robbins event and the hours they run, they interfere with my sleep. But I make a conscious decision to allow those events to impact my sleep. I know what I am signing up for in those events and I create a plan to rest but also fully enjoy and participate. In other words, I consciously acknowledge the impact and create a plan. This is where we want you to be with your self-care non-negotiable.
What are your self-care non-negotiables? What must you do in order to feel rested, cared for, energized, and healthy? Create your full list, decide the “musts” for you, and then add those events to your non-negotiable list.
Be Legendary!