My Extreme Self-Care Stash

The most resilient people in the world practice extreme self-care.

You know you are practicing extreme self-care when you treat yourself as kindly as you treat others.

Does extreme self-care always make my priority list? No. I know it is challenging. I’ve made my self-care a grab-and-go type of habit. Here’s what I mean.

Every time I recommend to others that they keep their blood sugar stable by eating carbs, proteins, and fats in proportion, I believe in this sound advice. I live this way myself. To practice my advice, I visit my stash.

This photo of my snack stash in my kitchen was not prepped for a photo. It really is the way I like to keep it. I’m happy to show you anytime you’d like! This is part of my daily extreme self-care.

If you snack in my kitchen, you will find nuts, seeds, fruit, figs, tea, avocados, crackers, chocolate, and cookies. The onions are not up for grabs until dinnertime tonight! Sorry.

I like to grab-and-enjoy quality food anytime my body needs it. And I like to have options. There was a day about 20 years ago when my options would have been different. I have learned what my body likes best; which high-octane foods give me high MPG if you will. My goal with my food is to feel balanced, full, and energetic. I have busy days and that requires fuel. I know the same is true for your busy life.

Here’s what a client recently told me about her own growing self-care habit.

“I wish I’d stopped waiting for a magic pill for my unhealthy body years ago. Now that I’ve embraced extreme self-care, my ability to make great choices every day really works! Like you always tell me, I can create homemade health.” AP, Chicago

Taking care of yourself is at the top of the to-do list. When we honor our bodies and time, we are able to show up with enthusiasm in a more sustained way. We CAN create homemade health. It’s not selfish to want to feel amazing! When we’re at our best, we can give our best. Something as simple as taking a class or enjoying a little quiet time a few times a week is all you need.

Self-Care Habits as a Life-Saving Priority

Extreme self-care is not just about weight, food, or the scale. Far from it! Real food does heal, and it does our body good in more ways than we can measure. Yet, there are other parts of holistic living that add to happier and healthier years.

According to Dr. Anabel Bejarano, PhD., studies have shown that women who exercise regularly, eat right, get enough sleep and find satisfaction in their work and personal lives have LESS depression, anxiety, and illnesses, such as heart disease.

Find what you enjoy doing for self-care and learn what recharges you. How can you fit this into your schedule? How can you make your self-care habits ‘grab-and-go’? Maybe for now it can only be 30 minutes twice a week, but that’s a start, and that counts.

Here are a few examples of simple self-care you may enjoy. 

1. Get more sleep. Set up your bedroom so your bedtime is easy.
2. Take 10 minutes each evening to plan for tomorrow. Empty your mental to-do list and relax.
3. Remember to schedule things as evenly as possible throughout the week: no crammed-full days!
4. Reduce time on the computer or TV. Enjoy quiet time without distraction.
5. Take deep-breathing breaks throughout the day, or, just take a break!
6. Set up a snack spot on your kitchen counter and upgrade your options.
7. Connect with family or friends after dinner tonight. Listen and talk.
8. Take 2 hours on Sunday to prep slow-cooker meal ingredients for the week ahead. Delegate.
9. Ask someone for help on a specific responsibility. Capture that time for yourself.
10. Spend 20 minutes reading a wonderful book every day. I like to do this with coffee.

Do the ideas in this list sound like extreme self-care to you? If your tendency is to “get through” each day without taking time for any calm activities, may I ask why? I recognize that using a slow-cooker may not sound remotely interesting to you. Is picking up a daily reading habit impossible now? When you give yourself a moment to think about what does interest you and then decide to grab that this week, know that I wish you well. I urge you to find extreme self-care actions you like and enjoy. It will add quality life to your years!