How can you carve out time for self-care?
Next month, MindBodySoul will be 11 years old.
In some ways, 11 years went by in a flash. In other ways, so much happened.
We have had many iterations of this studio during its growth. From a 15-mat room to a 24-mat room to two practice rooms, a wellness center, and a boutique.
We grew in this way because our vision (mine, with the teachers and healers) of how we wanted to serve combined with your visions of how you wanted to care for yourself.
During this time of professional growth, my personal life grew, too. MBSY opened in 2009. Ailie was 11 years old when I gave birth to Lily in 2011. Amanda joined our family in 2013; Amy in 2017. It was a lot. It is a lot. Growth can happen fast.
You know what didn’t grow from 2009-2014? My self-care practice. I was busy being in the service of others, so I completely neglected to be in the service of myself.
I worked my tush off. Always in a state of doing because that is what I believed was needed in order to take care of all the things, but I was wrong.
Over the last five or so years I've re-learned that my self-care is vital to the care of everyone around me. When I carve out time for myself, I am a more patient and serene mom, a more clear and effective leader, and happier overall.
I continue to learn and refine this as my life shifts and changes. But what remains at the top of my list of priorities is my self-care. It's non-negotiable.
One of the most common questions I receive from the community is “How can I do it all?”
Today I'm talking to you, lovely yogis who are struggling to find time for yourself: yogis who have a habit of putting themselves last on the long list of things to do; and yogis who schedule classes, but then don’t come because something comes up.
I’ve learned how to manage my time by finding out how other successful women manage theirs.
So, I want to take a few minutes and show you how I carve out my week to ensure that my self-care comes first. Even when it seems like everything else should take priority.
If this isn’t useful to your life, just scroll on down and get all the juicy studio deets. No worries!
This is my basic rhythm these days:
On Sundays I take about an hour to look at my week ahead. What do I want to accomplish? What are my children’s schedules? What appointments do I have? What is the landscape of the week and what are my priorities?
Then I schedule my exercise. Exercise is a huge priority for me. It creates space in my mind and body for inspiration and hope and goodness. I’m moving in the direction from 5x a week to daily. It is that important.
I plan food and meals. I’m feeding three meals to five people on a daily basis. That takes planning and prep. I devote five hours weekly to this, usually Mondays.
Sleep and diet are EVERYTHING when it comes to my energy. I am protective of my sleep and attentive to my diet. A few months ago I went vegan and I felt great. But then my energy began to plummet too frequently. I added back dairy and my energy spiked. Be flexible and responsive to what your body needs without judgement.
I’m up early. Sometimes by 5am, usually by 5:30, always by 6. I start my day slowly and quietly with meditation, breathwork, stretching, and writing. I am clear on my intentions for the day and I visualize how I want to feel during my day. This practice, in and of itself, has an enormous impact on the quality of my life and my daily experience.
I do not watch daily TV. I’m protective of the media I consume and the vibration of it. I usually put my children to bed, then meditate and read. It recalibrates my nervous system after a full day and allows for a restful sleep. (I am not a fundamentalist about TV; if I want to watch something, I do.)
I do NOT overschedule myself. Stacey and my husband have to help me with this because my tendency is to overschedule. I am working on creating space during the day for easeful transitions. Stacey still has to tell me it's 3pm every day and I have to go and get a child. We all need support and help. Be open to receiving help.
Gentleness and flexibility with myself are cornerstones of my self-care and self-love.
The biggest shift in my life (from constant overwhelm to a calmer state) happened when I began to schedule my self-care into my calendar and did NOT let work “demands” pull me away.
For those of you who are caregivers, all I can say is grace and patience and online classes. Check out ours.
If for whatever reason, you set your self-care priority and it all falls apart, how do you respond?
Try to be as kind as possible to yourself. And gentle. Forgiving, too. Because the most vital self-care is how we treat ourselves inwardly.
So, start there.
