Ladies, just like many of you this lockdown has given me ample time to reflect, think and plan. Out of these four things however, what I've enjoyed the most is reflecting. Whilst there are some negatives that have come with being in #lockdown, there are also some positives. In these unprecedented times, we've all been forced to sit and reflect; on who we are, what we want, what we enjoy and where we want to be.
So much of our lives is influenced by outside forces; whether it's our busy schedules or the influx of social media posts we see daily. Other people seem to be constantly influencing the way we think and behave, without us even realising it. Sometimes, these external influences, even impact the way we see ourselves.
Today, I want to encourage you to use this lockdown to get more in tune with your inner voice. Your authentic self. As you reflect, it's important that you have the right tools to do this, and to help you with that process, I'll be sharing the 4 methods that I use to nurture my authentic self!
1. Pray & Meditate
Nurturing your authentic self is all about listening to your inner voice. Through stillness I am able to reach my inner voice and really listen to what it is saying. For me, prayer is the best way to achieve this. For the first few minutes of my day, I am in complete solitude with my Creator. Doing this allows me to receive guidance for what I need to be doing for the rest of the day.
Meditation can also help you to achieve similar results. To be still and be centered by your breath allows you to focus. It can seem unnerving at first, especially if you're used to hearing the sound of your own voice but 10 minutes of stillness each day does so much for your mental clarity. If you need help with this, apps like Headspace come in handy!
2. Focus on Your Needs
Whenever I wake up, I make it a habit to ask myself the very important question “what do I need today?” or “what do I need right now?”. Sometimes the answer is, “a cold glass of water”, on other occasions the answer is “I need to make a plan for the week ahead, in order to feel more relaxed now”.
Whatever your immediate needs are, make sure you address them before dealing with the needs of everyone around you. Make time for your needs. Remember that self-care is more than just painting your nails or having a bubble bath, self-care is about prioritising YOU.
3. Have Regular Social Media Breaks
We all know that scrolling endlessly through a feed you've already seen 3 times, is a good way to get nowhere fast! You can't nurture your authentic self, if you're not listening to your authentic self. By taking some time away from YouTube (yes, even your favourite channels), Instagram and Facebook every once in a while, you get the opportunity to clear out your mind and listen to your intuition.
The occasional social media break is also great for increasing productivity. If you're not sure about this point, just check your daily Instagram usage. You'd be surprised at how much more you can get done with those 3 hours everyday, although when you do need a break from the work, you can always come back to the blog.
4. Engage in Your "Feel Good" Activities
Ladies I'm sure you're aware of how important self-care is, here at team Effortlessly Sarah. Self-care isn't just a fun trend or hashtag, it's also a great way to nurture your authentic self! Personally, I enjoy doing my "feel good" activities as part of my self-care routine. For me that looks like reading a book, listening to a podcast, catching up with a friend or experimenting with my fragrance collection.
What makes the "feel good" activities so special, is that your feel good activities will be unique to you! We spend so much of our time doing things for other people, it's important to spend time exploring what feels good to us.
Take Action!
Ladies I want to encourage you to take just 5 minutes out of your day and come up with five feel good activities that you'll start incorporating into your weekly routine! You'll be surprised at how much more centered you feel by the end of the week.
Speaking of "feel good" activities, we have more exciting blog posts coming up at the end of every week. Keep an eye out to see what's fresh on the blog and don't forget to comment to keep the discussion going!
Written by Faith O.
Contributing writer for Effortlessly Sarah
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