What does it mean to “Challenge Yourself”? How does it personally resonate with you? Maybe let it sit with you for a while, give it some thought….
Do you take on new tasks? Approach thing differently? A challenge is different than a decision, it is like a dare, it can make you a little uncomfortable, courageous almost, there can be some uncertainty while we carry it out. The more we challenge ourselves the more decisive we get about our destination, even if we encounter barriers along the way.
While it’s the time of year for “New years resolutions” very few of us will stick to them never mind achieve them, leaving us feeling like we are lacking or disappointed. So, let’s keep things realistic, lets manage expectations and be more likely to successfully challenge ourselves. The beauty about personally challenging yourself is that it can be a once off, making it more likely to have a successful outcome, leaving you with a sense of achievement improving your sense of self, self-confidence, self-esteem. Sounds positive……It is important to remember Rome wasn’t built in a day, go slow, be supportive of yourself and patient.
Here at turn2me we are big advocates of selfcare. To explain it, Selfcare is anything you do to take care of yourself so you can stay physically, mentally and emotionally well. It can begin with small things that provide big improvements to your everyday life. Some examples are provided below, however its important to remember not one size fits all, we are all individuals with our capacity for the everyday challenges altering all the time. So, it is important to ask yourself what will work for you.
Selfcare suggestions
Begin with a daily check in, ask yourself “How am I feeling?” Allow yourself some time for the question to resonate with you, allow yourself to answer honestly.
Bring some conscious breathing into your day. Conscious breathing is simply some long, slow deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Aim for three breaths to begin with. It can be done anywhere, waiting for the kettle to boil, hanging out the washing, picking up the kid’s toys, washing the car. You can do it anywhere at any time, no equipment necessary. The power of our breath is rarely utilized to its full potential. It is our biggest aid in combating and managing anxiety and stress.
Get some fresh air no matter what the weather, go for a walk, even just around the block, down the road, allow yourself those ten minutes. A change of scenery is good for you, practice your breathing while you walk.
Bring back a Hobby, sometimes as adults we are guilty of forgetting or not practicing what we enjoyed doing when we were younger. Keep it simple, don’t over complicate it. Allow yourself to read a book, pick up a paint brush or pencil, knit a hat whatever it may be. Allow yourself the time to do what you enjoy.
Declutter the closet or spare room. While it can appear tedious, once completed the sense of achievement is great, and you have more space.
Prioritize yourself and your well-being. Remember you are the most important person in your life, allow yourself to feature. We can all loose ourselves minding or worrying about others. Stop, allow yourself to feature, no one will thank you for not minding yourself.
At turn2me our suggestion for challenging yourself is improve your self-care. Remember it is not something to add to your already long “to do list”. Selfcare is about allowing yourself to reconnect with you, giving you the energy you need to tackle the “to do list”. It is about ensuring you have what you need to boost resilience so you can better manage the everyday and rise to challenges that present themselves either by your choosing or not. If you feel you would like to explore further anything mentioned in this month’s article visit us at turn2me.ie and register as a user. We are here to support you, a Lifeline Online.