FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️: YOUR SELF-CARE EVOLUTION
Let's start this episode with a deep breath in. Now, let it all go with a big exhale.
Do that two more times, my friend. I'll be right here doing the same.
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I'm Karli Newman, and you're listening to FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️, a podcast for women in midlife and beyond who want to feel connected, hopeful, confident, and more satisfied with life than ever before.
I show up here each week to help you deepen your awareness and gain knowledge to expand into the powerful and resilient woman you are.
It is one of my greatest joys to help you foster a positive mindset and encourage you to explore the endless possibilities on the flipside of midlife.
Want to connect with me in other ways, too? I invite you to sign up for my feel-good emails and visit my website, flipsideofmidlife.com. There you'll find all the information on how I help women in midlife and beyond through my coaching programs, virtual workshops, private retreats, and wellness events in Phoenix.
In the previous three episodes, I shared some of my thoughts on self-acceptance, self-love, and self-compassion. I chose self-care as today's topic because I see it as a tool that enhances those three practices.
Midlife and beyond is an ideal time to assess how you care for you. You are primed for a self-care evolution, my friend.
What self-care practices no longer serve you like they used to?
What are you doing just as a habit even though the results aren't what they once were?
What's missing in your self-care practice?
Don't you worry, I've got you on all counts in this episode. Per the usual, I'm guessing you may want to take some notes today. Grab your journal, notebook, or favorite app, and if now's not a good time, listen through to the end of the episode. I'll drop a time marker in the show notes and transcript for you, so you can land right here when you're in a place to jot your thoughts down.
TIME MARKER 02:05
So, as I already mentioned, I'm here today to help you evaluate your self-care practices. A self-care evolution, or maybe even a self-care revolution, is in store for you.
I'm here with a four-step process to help you get through it.
Step one. Make a list of all the ways you currently practice self-care. From the daily things to the once-in-a-while things, the no-cost to the big budget - include all of it. Anything that you currently do that you consider self-care.
Step two. Now think about each item on that list. Does it help who you are, right now in this stage of life, feel relaxed and calm and cared for? Does it enhance your self-acceptance, self-love, and/or self-compassion? Bonus points for anything you do that fosters all three of those. Make notes about each of the items on your list. You're going to need them as we move forward into steps three and four.
Step three. Think about the gaps that exist in your list. Do you feel like there's items on your list that no longer suit who you are today? Do you feel like you're going through some motions and not really receiving the benefits that you once did?
Do you feel like you've changed and evolved as a person yet your self-care practices have not?
Do you have opportunities to add more kindness and understanding to your self-care practice? Make notes about any of the observations about your list.
Step four. With your list and notes in hand, choose the self-care practices you want to leave behind, those you want to continue, and how you want to fill the gaps.
I encourage you to take this opportunity to diversify your self-care practices. Include what fosters self-acceptance, self-love, and self-compassion. What takes five minutes or less? Broaden your options of ways to find calm and feel cared for in under 30 minutes.
What can you do in less than an hour? What are the all-day or the multi-day possibilities you can think of?
Keep brainstorming until you have a list that is full of ideas that foster your self-acceptance, self-love, and self-compassion. That help you feel cared for.
Make sure that list has nothing on it that doesn't suit who you are right now. Remember my friend, this is a self-care evolution.
A longer list gives you a menu of choices that allow you to plan self-care into every day, which is exactly where it belongs.
And a little reminder for you, my friend. You get to decide what self-care is for you. What works for others may not work for you and vice versa. And that's perfectly okay. If something makes you feel good about yourself and supports your overall well-being, consider it self-care. Now, get it on your list and add it to your self-care rotation.
If thinking about your self-care practice is newer to you, it might be challenging for you to think outside of the self-care box. So I have a few different ways to practice self-care that you may not have thought of.
I hope these will inspire you to look at things a little bit differently and to maybe consider some things that you haven't thought about that sound really good to you.
Create and expand your health care circle. Midlife and beyond is a time when our awareness grows about our health. Our bodies are changing before our very eyes. We're feeling a lot of funky stuff. And we're aging. So our bodies may not be tolerating, everything that they used to.
So this is an amazing time to expand your healthcare circle. And of course, it's not limited to just doctors. Think about massage therapists, registered dieticians, acupuncturists, chiropractors, physical therapists. Add those to your list of medical doctors, your dentist, your eye doctor, your hearing specialist, and counselor or therapist. Find trusted professionals that help you be as healthy as possible in body and mind in midlife and beyond.
Another way to practice self-care that you might not have thought of is to engage in activities that foster your intellectual wellness. Whether it's taking a class, learning a new skill, or reading books you wouldn't normally choose, your intellectual wellness will benefit.
You're designed to learn and grow throughout your life. Foster your curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking, and call it self-care.
And a third way to practice self-care is to keep a clean clutter-free home and workspace. It may not be something you've thought about before, but your environment influences your well-being. If you're having a hard time sleeping, for example, consider your sleep environment. If you consistently feel distracted at your desk, how might your workspace environment be influencing you? On the other side of that coin, think of the spaces where you feel calm and relaxed or productive and focused.
Pull inspiration from those spaces. Do your best to eliminate what isn't conducive to the purpose of your space and integrate what is.
Self-care is different for each of us, my friend. Once again, think about what makes you feel good about yourself. What activities contribute to a positive self-image for you? What helps you treat yourself with kindness and understanding? What allows you to feel cared for by you?
If you would like my guidance as you develop your self-care practice, take a peek at my SELF-CARE FOR SERENITY virtual workshop. It's you and me together for 90 minutes with a focus on defining and planning your unique self-care practice. You can book any of my virtual workshops at flipsideofmidlife.com.
Thanks for listening to FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️. I'd love to hear from you. What got you thinking during this episode?
Email me at karli@flipsideofmidlife.com, or if you're listening on Spotify, use your mobile app to respond to my Q and A and poll questions.
Wherever you listen, it's helpful if you hit that button to follow, subscribe, rate, or write a review. When you do, you help other women in midlife and beyond find this podcast. Consider me forever grateful if you recommend FLIPSIDE OF MIDLIFE®️ to your friends.
Find me here same time, same place next week, my friend.
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