Do you know what pops up when you use a search engine for "care instructions"?
- care instructions symbols
- care instructions for orchids
- care instructions after tooth extraction
- care instructions signs
- care instructions for peace lily
- care instructions for tattoos
- care instructions for polyester
- care instructions for vera bradley bags
What about "care instructions personal"?
It's telling that more people are searching for care instructions for Vera Bradley Bags than they are for themselves.
What are your care instructions?
Anna Guest-Jelley is a bit of a hero of mine. She created Curvy Yoga. A yoga practice for those of us who can't perform a side plank using one finger while wearing size zero Lulu Lemon gear.
I am so grateful for Anna's vision of self-acceptance, self-love, and now self-care. Do explore the Curvy Yoga site for yourself and the empowerment of those in your care.
Anna wrote a blog post and released a podcast on how to create your own care instructions. You can listen to it here.
Anna had a bit of an Aha! Moment after Daylight Savings Time this year. She was filled with more energy. After some reflection, she realized that this is a pattern in her life - it's just that Anna - and so many of us - need to relearn it.
Which makes observing patterns on both micro and macro levels key to your own care instructions.
Parents and caregivers are acutely aware of care needs of the children in their lives. But what about ourselves? It's the old truth about putting on your oxygen mask first.
Self-care is the center of everything we must do and dream of doing.
I recommend we all take some time and write down our personal self-care instructions. But first, listen to Anna's podcast because she has some wisdom to share.
- Eating regularly keeps us off the emotional roller coaster and regular "fueling" helps the body cycle into sleep.
- Adjust your care instructions according to seasons. Get a calendar or journal for next year to note reminders of how you're feeling right now.
- Honor your own temperament...and acknowledge the unique temperaments of those around you. For parents, I highly recommend Carol Tuttle's The Child Whisperer and for everyone It's Just My Nature.
Make two lists: What I Need to Thrive and What to Do When I'm Blue.
The first list is the kernel of your self-care instructions. The second is simple activities that can redirect your day when you feel it shifting. Things like having a cup of tea, smelling lavender, going outside barefoot, dancing to a favorite tune, breathing in the sunlight for 6 deep breaths.
What do your children like to do? Can you join them in some creative art project where you all list what you need to thrive and make a list of how to redirect the day? Wouldn't it be fun to post these reminders around the house?
What if...the refrigerator didn't have big lists of schedules, but instead had pictures and notes of what the family needs to thrive?
And because Sleepytime Club is all about the bedtime ritual, what special thing can you add to bedtime to find your own calm as you transition to sleep?
The Bedtime Blueprint is one of the best tools to determine when your personal care instructions happen. Download it below.