Back in April I put everything on pause. My business. My clients. My routines. Everything. It was so incredibly hard to walk away, but I had hit a point of burnout, overwhelm, and just wasn't sure what I wanted for my next steps.
I was showing up for everyone, but myself. And it was no longer fun. My body was tired. I was recovering from surgery and dealing with chronic pain and fatigue. It just wasn't getting better, so I needed to make a drastic decision for myself. So I walked away.
Over the last four months, there has been a lot of personal growth and development.
I've gotten on a sleep schedule for myself. I've established routines for my kids. I've spent time reading and gardening and being outside. I joined a gym and have been journaling and wearing things I love.
I've taken time to understand what I need. What all of me needs. Not just a bath once a week (which has become part of my routine) or doing my nails - but understanding that all of me needs more than that.
I sat down and made a list of all the different areas that I can show my full self the care that I need. I was shocked when that list ended up having over 50 different areas on it. Things like for my joy, for my home, for my goals, for my home, for my family, for my mind...you get the idea. 50 things!
Am I an expert with all of this? Absolutely not.
Has this been my personal focus over the last four months? Yepp.
Do I want to help others understand this for themselves? Yes.
I started calling this full-self care. See where I put the hyphen? Because it is taking care of all of you. All of your person. For who you are right now. Not your responsibilities or roles or job title - for you.
Do you know what you need right now? What would help you show up more authentically yourself in this moment? If not, that's totally okay. It's a process and a practice. And one I don't think we can ever be an expert in. But it's something that we can grow in.
My goal with sharing this with you is to help you see you can prioritize your own full-self without feeling bad about it. "You can't pour from an empty cup." We've all heard it before. But it is so true. So, what fills up your cup. A great place to start with your own full-self care practice is to make a list of 30 things that fill your cup. Things you love, that bring you joy, that you do for yourself. Get specific with it. No matter how you continue your full-self care journey, this is a starting point you can build upon.
Let me know in the comments below if you are going to make that list for yourself.
If this post sparked something for you, I'd love to have you join for the full-self care practice membership. Each week, we are taking a deeper look into a different area. All 50 of them. Journal prompts, resources, practical ways to implement - designed for you. My goal with each month is to give you the resources to grow. With online resources and a private group to connect with others, this is there for what you need when you need it. For August, we are talking about for my body, for my joy, for my home, and for my intention.
No matter where you are on your journey, take some time today to do that list of 30. And I hope to see you in the membership. Let me know if you have questions!
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