How can I make my well-being my top priority?
I take care of my family, I make sure I fulfil all my professional and personal obligations – in short, I try to be at the top of my game at all times, even if it means forgetting my own well-being. Now I’m putting things back in order: I’m making my well-being my top priority! By refocusing on my needs with little rituals just for me throughout my day, I am healthier and this is reflected in all areas of my life!
Why is taking care of myself so important?
Far from being selfish, refocusing on oneself is essential to feeling good and to nurturing relationships with others.
It is the best way to get in touch with what I really want and to remember who I am. From the few moments of introspection that I reserve for myself, I discover how to optimise my potential. I take stock of what I have achieved so far to get in tune with myself and decide on the next steps to take to regain control of my life.
This gives me the confidence to accept or refuse when something is offered to me. Once I feel good about myself, relaxed and full of confidence, in turn, I can please those I love and invest myself fully in the projects that are important to me. It’s when I feel good that I give my best.
I adapt my schedule to make my well-being the focus of my daily life
My first step will be to give myself a few moments to myself during the week. These appointments with myself can take several forms:
- Self-care, such as a spa day, massage or a beauty routine that I take the time to do to boost my self-esteem.
- Times when I take care of my health by working out, being active, getting fresh air, letting off steam and so on.
- Spaces away from the world where I take refuge in peace and quiet through reading, meditation, learning new skills, pursuing a passion or a creative activity in which I thrive.
- Regular updates on my progress, my desires, my objectives, the new routines I want to introduce into my daily life and suchlike. For example, by keeping a journal.
I adopt new routines to start taking care of myself on a daily basis
Beyond these spaces of freedom, during which I spend quality time on my own that makes me feel good, I add little bits of happiness to my life with very simple actions that make all the difference in the long run:
- I try to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night at regular times, even at weekends.
- I increase the number of opportunities I get to spend time outside in nature.
- I sing, hum or whistle, alone or not: this is a powerful stress-reliever that helps me regulate my breathing.
- I eat mindfully, slowly, away from screens, having fun creating beautiful, colourful dishes rich in vitamins and savour every bite of my meals.
- I laugh and smile whenever I can.
- I stay hydrated, for instance, by making homemade infused waters or herbal teas that I always have on hand.
- I set up a screen-free day every week, month or whenever I feel the need.
- I take a good look at myself and congratulate myself on every goal I reach and every time I do something just for me.
Bonus tip from the #ProFormTeam
If I can’t put my own needs before those of others, I create an avatar in my own image, or rather, in the image of the person I would like to become. I list its characteristics with a gauge for each: health, sleep, good mood, hydration, anger, laughter, serenity, etc. Every day, I adjust my sliders. This helps me to take care of myself by identifying what my avatar needs, just as I know how to do it for my loved ones. Gradually, I become who I want to be.
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