Q: SELF-CARE TO ENERGISE & UPLIFT?
A: Whether you’ve woken up feeling a little bleary eyed or you’re experiencing that familiar ‘post-lunch dip in arousal’, these simple micro moments of self-care will help top up your energy bank. Read on for some good alternatives to that second coffee! Try these tips whenever you need a boost to your get-up-and-go.
Scent – spritz some zesty room spray, use your favourite perfume or savour some hand balm. Give the experience your full attention and feel it lift your mood in an instant.
Posture – research clearly shows that an upright, open-hearted posture boosts our subjective energy levels and outlook. You can do this wherever you are, seated at your desk, driving, waiting in the post office queue or at the kitchen sink. Simply elongate your spine, drop your shoulders away from your ears, soften your eyes and your jaw and feel the breadth of your collarbones. If this feels different to normal, ask yourself how you normally hold your body? A daily yoga practice of as little as five minutes will help you maintain better posture throughout your day.
Breathing – when you breathe better, you feel better. Often our habitual breathing pattern becomes short and tight. Expansive breathing will energise you. Imagine your rib cage is a barrel. As you breathe in, the barrel expands in all directions and as you breathe out, the barrel effortlessly retracts back to its centre. Allow your inbreath to fill up all those internal nooks and crannies, feel a little pause, enjoy a long, smooth and effortless exhalation, followed by another pause. Just 5 conscious breaths like this will help you tap into greater vitality and resourcefulness.
Mantra – rather than repeatedly telling yourself how tired you are, harness how you want to feel by using a mantra. Think along the lines of I am energised. I am vital and abundant. I am resolute. Or if the monkey mind gets in the way, simply repeat ‘I’ on your inbreath and ‘AM’ on the outbreath.
Movement – take a quick walk around the block to blow out the cobwebs or use some yoga poses to top up your energy bank. Any side stretch will do the trick. The simplest version would be a mountain side stretch: standing up with your arms down by your sides, breathe in and reach your right arm skywards. Breathe out and slide your left hand down your left hand side. Breathe in and come back to upright. Breathe out and lower your right hand back down by your side. Repeat on the other side. Notice the difference after you’ve taken this a few times to each side.
Sleep – Schedule in an early night! Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Our culture of ‘you snooze, you lose’ is seriously unhelpful. Prioritise getting the sleep you know you need to function and when that’s just not possible make sure you are engaging in regular self-care to compensate. Check out the blog for other recent posts on how to relax, soothe and promote better sleep.
Got a question for me? Fire away! Please drop me a line via asksuzy@lifeandme.com.