It’s Time to Get Serious about Self-Care

September is Self-Care Awareness Month. If there’s ever a time to be reminded of the importance of self-care, it’s now. ?

Whether it’s due to COVID, back-to-school time, or concerns about the global climate, it seems that stress levels are at an all time high.?

Incorporating self-care into your life can decrease the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other emotional health issues. We can ALL benefit from ways to cope with stressors and triggers.??

As I contemplated strategies to get SERIOUS about self-care, I reviewed some conversations I’ve had recently with guests on my podcasts, Mountain Mantras: Wellness and Life Lessons and Positive on Publishing.

Here are some gems that I hope will help us all take better care of ourselves:

Serious self-care strategy #1: COVID is yet another reminder from the universe that we must prioritize wellness (Dr. Ann Kulze)

Serious self-care strategy #2:? Make healing/optimal health a manageable process by taking baby steps (Janette Hillis Jaffe)

Serious self-care strategy #3: Create a healthy and loving relationship with food (Melissa Costello)

Let’s explore these strategies in detail.

Serious self-care strategy #1: COVID is yet another reminder from the universe that we must prioritize wellness (Dr. Ann Kulze)

Ann Kulze is a best-selling author, physician, and highly sought motivational speaker in nutrition and healthy living. With her online Healthy Living School and her e-courses, she is taking her unmatched ability to inspire and educate to even greater heights.??

Dr. Ann provided four fantastic “mantras” during our interview which may inspire you on your self-care journey:?

Mantra #1: To create positive change, we can work either top-down (advocacy, policy, etc.) or bottom-up (education, community, etc.).?

Mantra #2: Digital delivery/technology has allowed everyday access to world-class teachers.

Mantra #3: Brain health sets the bar; Dr. Ann refers to the brain as the COO of our wellness team.? It weighs only about 2% of total body weight yet uses about 25% of our energy needs/calories.

Mantra #4: The gut is the CEO of our wellness team; it regulates appetite, immune function, and inflammation.

It’s important that people “walk their talk.”

Dr. Ann RUNS her talk.?

If you are interested in an amazingly inspirational overview of how Dr. Ann incorporates wellness in her day, please see this video clip from our interview (or listen to the full interview): https://makeeverythingfun.com/radio/ep107-dr-ann-kulze/

Serious self-care strategy #2: ?Make healing/optimal health a manageable process by taking baby steps (Janette Hillis Jaffe)

Janette encourages baby steps over 100 days.? So why not start now?

Janette is the author of Everyday Healing, Stand Up, Take Charge, and Get Your Health Back…One Day at a Time. She combines her personal experience as a patient with her background as a public health professional to help others chart a course out of illness into health.?

Here are some action-packed self-care “mantras” from our interview:

Mantra #1: Optimal health is also in our minds, hearts, relationships, and homes

?Mantra #2: Take critical steps towards optimal health: a) take charge, b) nurture your heart, c) believe, d) connect, and e) create order

?Mantra #3: Create a big vision for your optimal health (and meditate/think deeply about what might be stopping you from achieving that vision)

?Mantra #4: Set up your environment as an essential part of your support team for optimal health;? Janette suggests as part of that environmental set-up to think about a) Tupperware containers, b) placement of pots and pans, c) the pantry and d) music.

?Janette lives in Sharon, Massachusetts, and supports others to lose weight, ease chronic illness, recover from acute illness, and overcome persistent pain. To get the details on her suggestions for self-care, listen to the interview here: https://makeeverythingfun.com/radio/013-janette-hillis-jaffe/

Serious self-care strategy #3: Create a healthy and loving relationship with food (Melissa Costello)

Melissa Costello is a celebrity chef, cookbook author, and Transformational Eating Coach. You’ll love hearing about her deep exploration of food, childhood experiences, and cultural messaging around appearance.?

Here are more self-healing with food “nuggets” from our interview:

#1:? Get out of the Food Prison that our “diet culture” creates

#2:? Heal your relationship with food by understanding how food has been hardwired in our brains to relate to survival

#3:? Recognize that even a cookbook can be a spiritual tool

Melissa’s mission is to empower busy professionals to stop the struggle with yo-yo dieting, weight loss, and food obsession so they can live a life of freedom without restriction, deprivation, or rules. Listen to her interview here: https://makeeverythingfun.com/podcast/e074-melissa-costello/

Create the time to focus on taking care of yourself, applying whatever strategies that call to you.

Celebrate Self-Care Awareness Month as a process to grow and heal during these challenging times.

Thanks for reading.

References and Resources:

Parts of this article were originally published on my podcast show-notes posts at www.MakeEverythingFun.com.

Mountain Mantras (https://makeeverythingfun.com/mountain-mantras-podcast/) features wellness experts to share actionable advice about how we can improve our health and performance. I summarize the takeaways from guests as “mantras” that listeners/viewers can take as actionable advice for their daily lives.

Positive on Publishing (https://makeeverythingfun.com/positive-on-publishing-podcast/) features an author and/or aspiring author and covers lessons on writing, messaging, and publishing. Each of these episodes features “fun nuggets” that act as the key takeaways or action items for listeners.

Dr. Ann: https://makeeverythingfun.com/radio/ep107-dr-ann-kulze/

Janette Hillis Jaffe: https://makeeverythingfun.com/radio/013-janette-hillis-jaffe/

Melissa Costello: https://makeeverythingfun.com/podcast/e074-melissa-costello/