If someone asks – do you care for yourself? You would most likely answer ‘yes’. But we rarely think about what self-care actually is.

Self-care is not only about eating healthy food and having enough sleep every day. It also has a lot to do with learning how to dance in the rain; showing empathy to others; speaking kindly to yourself and spending time discovering the hidden layers of your own consciousness.

Taking care of yourself is an art in itself.

Start small and develop habits that can significantly improve your life. Most importantly, gain a habit of looking out for number one – you, soon you’ll feel well balanced and looking out for others will come effortlessly. We have some ideas on where to start and some tips on how to implement certain practices promoting self-care. Keep an open mind, invite these practices into your life and be sure to see the positive changes happening in no time.

• Learning how to dance in the rain.

What do you do when you get caught in the rain? If you’re well-prepared – you pull out an umbrella. If you forget to take an umbrella or actually don’t even own one  – then whatever else you have to hand you cover your head or carry on and pretend its not raining. If you’re an unprepared tourist – you run for the first bus stop that has cover. But some of us look up to the sky, smile and carry on walking. But have you ever seen anyone dancing in the rain? That kind of stuff only happens in movies – right?

Okay, let’s strip down the metaphor here and get to the point. The raindrops are challenges that we face in life and our reaction to it shows how we approach the obstacles that come our way. Some of us run, some of us hide – but the truth is that the majority of us are totally unprepared.

How can you prepare for it in the form of self-care?  Look for positives rather than focus on negatives. When it starts raining with challenges don’t look for an umbrella – face them with positivity and learn how to dance in the rain!

• Speak kindly to yourself.

It’s not a secret that we’re the worst critics of ourselves.  We all catch ourselves doubting, being insecure or shy. We feel the moments of failure and know that we will be punishing ourselves for some. W are all human, plus being overly confident and narcissistic isn’t the greatest of qualities, either. But where is the fine line between modesty, humility – and plain self-destruction?

It is all about the inner dialogue that’s constantly happening in our heads. You might not notice, but we all have this little chatterbox inside of us that never stops. The secret is to learn to control it. To do it, we take advise from a learning expert Jim Kwik . He teaches that we all have ANTS in our heads! No not those kind – ANTS stands for automatic negative thoughts.

Negative thoughts are an almost inescapable part of our day-to-day lives. These are not completely useless; humans are evolutionarily wired to think about threats and risks beforehand in order to prepare for survival. The problem starts when this thought pattern outgrows its purpose and starts self-sabotaging. You can learn how to control them by reading this article here.

• Show empathy to others.

Once you have learnt how to dance in the rain and to quieten those ANTS in your head – it should be much easier to show empathy to others. Looking after others is just as, if not more, important than looking after yourself. Kindness is contagious and we all know that the more you give – the more you get back. The key is to always try to see the situation from another person’s perspective. If they’re acting out or being rude, there must be a reason for it. Don’t retaliate and respond to their negativity but show empathy and see what happens.

We’re not saying you should become another Mother Teresa – just a simple smile to a grumpy person can do the job. The world has an abundance of positive feelings and giving it to others will only increase yours!

• If you can’t go outside – go within.

Even though the lockdown has eased, some of you will still have to self-isolate or feel that you are not quite ready to come out to this new world we’re living in. It’s been over 6 months already, so we understand that things can get tough, so self-care should be our number one priority!

We’ve got your back! Here’s one piece of advice: if you can’t go outside – go within in a good way.  We’re not talking about diving into deep meditation for days but about small mindful habits that can improve the quality of your life! You can read all about it in our blog here.

Now, if you still feel you need some more encouragement for your self-care month (and, hopefully, continuing for the rest of your life!), here are some things from Source that could help you out…

Hello Gorgeous doormat to greet you daily in a positive manner…

Mindfulness candle set to help you unwind after a long day…

A thoughtful gift for a friend…