Category Archives: self care

Getting Healthy and Feeling Great

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In a recent post, I talked about the fact that Dan and I were about to get a Vitamix. 
Well… I’m so happy to let you know that we bought it yesterday and have already used it several times!
Eating healthier has been on my to-do list for a long time. 
One misconception many of us have about eating a cruelty-free diet is thinking that it must be healthy. It’s just not true though (which I learned firsthand). 
Many years ago, Dan and I were eating all of the processed soy-based meat substitutes for basically every meal. And what happened is that the soy actually caused our thyroids to stop producing enough hormones and we became hypothyroid because of it. Scary stuff for sure. We have now been soy-free for 2.5 years and are feeling much better. (It took several months before we started feeling normal again.)
Vegetarians and vegans can be just as unhealthy as meat eaters.
If your diet consists mainly of processed foods, tons of sugar, and chemicals and dyes, chances are you aren’t going to feel that great in the long run. 
I am not a big salad or raw food person, but I know how many nutrients are packed in raw, green food. This is where the Vitamix comes in. By hiding these healthy ingredients in a smoothie, I’m much more likely to eat it!
I’m going to keep a daily log of what I make in the Vitamix here. 
Please feel free to comment there and also leave your favorite recipes (if you are also a juice and smoothie lover). 
Making healthy changes can be fun and exciting! 
They are much more likely to stick if you are having fun and enjoying yourself. And this will lead to long-term health and a lifetime of feeling great!
What are some fun things you can do to feel healthier? 
Could you add something nutritious to your diet?
What about exercise? 
Is there a fun activity that you would like to do (such as tennis or dancing) that wouldn’t feel like exercise but would still get you moving? 
Think about it today and see if you can start with small changes at first.
Remember that the small changes will add up to big changes, and you’ll be feeling healthier before you know it! 
Here’s to our health! 🙂
P.S. – Be sure to answer this week’s poll in the top right section! It’s all about relaxing and recharging!

Defining Self Care

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This week’s poll asks how often we make time for self care.
Thank you so much to everyone who responded! 
It’s so great to see that most of you are taking some time each day to put yourself back on the priority list.
I really think that self care is the key component to a happy life, and so I thought it would be fun to see what everyone’s definition of self care was. We are all so unique and we all live varied lives. And this means that our definitions will all be different.
If you are a new mom, self care might mean taking a nap while your baby sleeps.
If you are a busy mom with older children, self care might mean practicing deep breathing while waiting in the car pool lane. 
If you are a business owner, self care might mean delegating tasks so that you can ease your own workload. 
How do you define self care in your own life?
  • Does it mean taking time for yourself, which could include relaxing and rejuvenating?
  • Does it mean listening to your inner voice and setting boundaries with others when needed?
  • Does it mean taking care of your body by eating nutritional foods, resting when you are tired, and remembering to take deep, full breaths? 
  • Does it mean taking a hard look at your schedule and realizing that you simply must eliminate certain tasks because you are in fact only one person and it’s just not humanly possible to get it all done?
  • Does it mean waking up an hour earlier so you are guaranteed to have a peaceful morning?
  • Does it mean saying no when you don’t want to do something but would normally have said yes because are a people pleaser?
  • Does it mean taking time to go within and really getting to know yourself?
  • Does it mean scheduling appointments that you have been putting off, running errands that are on your mind, and checking things off your “to do” list so you can have a more peaceful, quiet life?
  • Does it mean taking a day off each week where you only do what you want to do?

As you can see, there are so many ways that we can define self care and what it means for each of us. 
Here are some of the ways I define self care in my own life:
I set aside every morning for myself. 
I schedule this time into my calendar, and it isn’t negotiable.
I write. I go within. I drift through my morning in a calm way and a slow pace. 
It’s my time to do with as I wish.
I take one day off of work per week. 
Until recently, this wasn’t a given in my life. Working from home tends to blur the boundaries between what is work and what isn’t work. And while I’m still setting the boundaries to make them more clear, I do take one day off to read, hang out, and just be Jodi – not the owner of This Is It! Creations.
I eat food that nourishes me.
Fresh, healthy food that makes me feel energized and alive.
I focus on what I love and say goodbye to the rest. 
There is always time
So often I hear people say that they just don’t have time for self care. That they are simply too busy and how could they possibly add something else to their schedule?
I guarantee that by making time that’s just for you, you will have more energy and will be more clear about what kind of life you want to live. I know that you don’t want to live a life where you don’t matter at all. 
Start small and see how it feels. When you go to the bathroom, take an extra couple of minutes to think of what you are grateful for, to take full breaths in and out, to say your affirmations. When you are at the grocery store, get yourself one healthy treat that will make you feel good to eat. 
Show up for your own life, and I promise the schedule will work itself out.
I would love to know what self care means to you. 
Take some time to think about it, and then comment below. 
I guarantee that your comments will help others who are just starting on the path of self care and may not know where to begin. 
We can all share in each other’s journeys and help each other to each live the life we were meant to live. 
I can’t wait to read your comments!
P.S. – Three of our journals are currently the Daily Deal on the DailyOM! We’re super excited to offer them to you at more than 50% off today and tomorrow! 🙂

Grateful for Authenticity

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It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time to write a post about gratitude! 

Feel free to click here (or below) to learn more about our Gratitude Project. 
Okay – now for today’s post:
I had the amazing opportunity yesterday to attend a wonderful telesummit focused on helping women entrepreneurs practice self care and put themselves back on their own priority lists. 
put together by the amazing life coach, Susan Liddy.
Susan worked her magic and found 24 inspiring women in many different fields – each offering advice and strategies to help us feel energized and taken care of as we continue to run our businesses. 
I can’t wait to attend future events!
I am so grateful for Susan and her ability to be completely authentic. 
She tells her true story, which can be a vulnerable place. I admire anyone who can talk about not only the wonderful highs of owning your own business, but also be realistic and talk about the lows that can come as a result of working for yourself. 
She recently was working so hard and such long hours that her adrenal glands stopped working correctly. She has since begun to really evaluate her life and take steps to truly take care of herself and her body. 
I am in a very similar place, and so her story really resonated with me.
Running your own business can be a slippery slope. You can lose perspective and start having a hard time recognizing what is work and what isn’t. It starts to seem natural and normal to think about work all of the time, to not have balance, and to keep pushing yourself to achieve your goals. 
I was feeling really tired and burned out a few months ago, and so I went to a nutritionist. It turns out that (among other things), my adrenals were completely shot. I had been keeping crazy hours, stressing out, and overworking for so many years that they just didn’t have anything left to give.
So I stopped.
And I took some time to reevaluate my life.
And I came up with a plan to create a life that was authentically me, calmer, and balanced. 
And while I am still in the midst of all of this soul searching, 
I am excited to see what the future holds. 
Having people like Susan share their similar stories is a gift that I am so grateful for. 
Having the courage to put your authentic self out into the world is so inspiring. 
So thank you, Susan, for being authentically you – honest, caring, and forthright about your experience. I am inspired and know that you are helping so many women who are in similar positions. I am truly grateful that our paths have crossed.
If you are also a FEMpreneur and could use a little pick-me up, you can still join the telesummit – and it’s completely free! 
It’s never too late to start practicing self care. 
And it’s never to late to start living your authentic life.

A Day Just for You

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Let’s schedule an entire day where we pamper ourselves and 
do exactly what we want.
Let’s spend the day replenishing our energy and nourishing our soul. 
Let’s declare it to our loved ones. Let’s let them know ahead of time that this is our day. 
On this day, let’s wake up when we want, eat what we want, and do exactly what we want. 
Let’s get creative in what this means for us – let’s talk about the specifics. 
Let’s spend some time planning it out.

Write down when you want this day to take place.
Write down exactly how you plan to spend your time – is it going to be scheduled
or will you just take the day as it comes? 
How do you plan to pamper yourself? Will you stay home and take a hot bath and read, or will you schedule a spa day, hang out with your friends, and go to a movie? 
This is your day. and you get to decide what makes you the happiest.
What are some things that you are not okay with doing?
What are some boundaries that you might need to set with your loved ones on this day? 
What arrangements will need to be made ahead of time as far as work, family, and chores?

Once you have your date chosen and your schedule cleared – circle the day with a red permanent marker. It’s final – it’s set – you have put yourself back on your priority list! 
Not only will it feel good to actually rest and pamper yourself for a day – but you’ll feel great knowing that you are taking care of yourself. Your self esteem will soar when you remember that you haven’t forgotten the most important person in your life: YOU. 
I’m so excited for us all to do this assignment!
Let the pampering begin! 
Extra credit: Once you have taken care of yourself for a day – you’ll feel so good that you’ll want to do it again! Spend some time thinking about how you can make this special day and your ordinary days look and feel more alike. How can you put yourself on the priority list every day? What are some things you can do to continue taking care of yourself?

Smile. Smile. Smile. :)

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Doesn’t it feel good to smile? 
You can’t help but be happy when you are smiling – so smile, smile, & smile some more!
I recently watched Eat Pray Love, and I loved the part where Julia Roberts was in Thailand meditating with a smile on her face the entire time. 
I started doing this each morning while taking a shower. 
And at first it feels a bit strange to just be in there with a big smile on my face while shampooing my hair. 
It’s definitely awkward.
But…while I’m doing it I can feel something start to shift in my brain.
I start to feel happier. 
I start to feel lighter.
My brain isn’t able to worry or stress or be overwhelmed when I am smiling.
And these are definitely good things!
Try it tomorrow – see how great you feel!
Plant a big fat smile on your face from the moment you step into the shower until the moment you step out of it. 
You get extra credit for thinking about everything you are grateful for while you are smiling!
And for today, take some time to write down some things that bring a smile to your face. (Be prepared to start smiling just thinking about them.)

The more you think about smiling, the more you will start to smile. And the more you start to smile, the happier you will be. And the happier you will be, the more fulfilling your life will become. And the more fulfilling your life is, the more you have to give to others. And the more you give to others, the more they will pay it forward and give to others. And pretty soon the entire world is paying it forward and happy. 
And it all started with just one smile. 
🙂

Perfectly Imperfect

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to do your best. 
But what happens when wanting to do your best keeps you from living your best life?
Have you ever had a project that you wanted to start – you had really great ideas – and great hopes of what the finished project would look like – and then you started thinking about how this is going to be the best project that you’ve ever worked on – no one will have ever seen such a project before – and your mind starts swirling with all of this pressure that you’ve just put on yourself to make it such a great project – and you immediately get overwhelmed and just need to step back from it – just for a little bit – and then months go by and you remember that you had a great idea for a project that you never started 
(and definitely didn’t complete)? 
Sound at all familiar? 
Perfectionism can be really amazing – it can push you forward and keep your standards very high. It can make sure you’re living your life to your best potential. 
But… it can also be a saboteur in your life. It can keep you from finishing projects, which can do a real number on your self esteem.
Many of us are recovering perfectionists. We strive for the best of ourselves. We push and push and often achieve the best. But at what cost? And who really cares? 
And when do we say enough is enough? 

Let this be our mantra:

I AM not perfect
nor will I ever be.
I am a work in progress,
and that is definitely
GOOD ENOUGH.

Let it sink into every cell of your being – the message is that important. 
Are there any areas in your life where you push yourself a bit too hard? 
Are there any projects that need to be finished that you’ve set aside because you felt overwhelmed? 
Which would you rather have – lots of completed, “good enough” projects or lots of uncompleted “perfect” projects? 
I am a recovering perfectionist, and I’m learning that good enough is a really great thing.
🙂

Where Do YOU Fit In?

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Life is busy – that’s just the way it is. 
We all have so many things to do – so much to keep track of on a daily basis. Many of us tend to be overscheduled, overworked, and overexhausted. We’re just trying to make it all work – make sure we keep up with everything – make sure things don’t unravel. 
In a perfect world, there would be a 25th hour every day just so we could rest, take care of ourselves, rejuvenate, relax, and unwind.
But that’s not obviously not going to happen.
This may seem counterintuitive, but taking time for ourselves each day will actually free up more time. It’s true!
When we don’t put fuel in our own tanks, we run around on just fumes – which will eventually run out. By simply taking some time each day to refuel, we will have so much more energy for our family, our job, and our daily lives than before. 
Don’t you feel so much better after you pamper yourself a little bit – read a book, watch your favorite show, meditate, exercise, take a long bath, etc.? 
We forget sometimes that we are the most important part of any “to do” list. If we aren’t recharged, the list has no chance of getting checked off anyway! 

Take some time today to write a Self Care List. 

List all of the wonderful things that you can do to pamper yourself. 
It can range from small things (such as baking your favorite cookies and eating them while reading a great book) to large things (such as taking a beach trip for a weekend of relaxation).
Once you have your list, put it up somewhere where you will see it frequently. And make sure to do at least one thing on your list each day. Even if it’s just for a few minutes.
I promise you will feel so much better – more recharged – and better able to be an active, vibrant participant in your own life. 
You matter!