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We are all quite familiar with self-care practices that sound pretty much like taking a bath, light 1000 scented candles, read a good book, get a massage, and so on.
While these practices are all having a dear place in our routine every once in a while, there is this need for self-care that goes a little deeper than that.
The approach to these self-care practices is a little different as they are addressing areas of our lives that truly move us.
By creating habits and practices around these areas we are improving our lives on all levels.
What is truly affecting our daily behavior? Our innermost beliefs? How can we change how we look at ourselves, our lives, and the people around us? What does it truly mean for us to take care of ourselves?
Take The Time To Heal Old Wounds And Beliefs
Working through childhood trauma and beliefs we picked up at an early age is for sure one of the most painful things but also one of the most rewarding.
There’s no way around healing old wounds if we want to live a truly free life in our adulthood.
If there are unprocessed emotions from situations, we refused to deal with they will stay stuck in our bodies and can leave us ill without apparent reason.
Beliefs you’ve inherited from when you were like five years old are still dictating your behavior now.
You can do the healing work by visualizing your younger Self, a moment when the younger version of you desperately needed someone around to make them feel safe and protected – and be that now in your vision.
Give your younger self the protection it needed exactly in the way it needed it back then – hugs, being there, words of empathy,…
Now from your current perspective, you can heal that situation for your inner child and let go of the sadness and beliefs it picked up on.
Don’t rush the process of healing. Go at your own pace. Always listen to your intuition and let it guide you naturally through this process.
Accepting The Past And Allowing Yourself To Move On
That’s somehow the following step to heal old wounds.
Now that you know how to show up for the parts of you that deserve healing, you can accept them as part of your journey in this lifetime.
You can see the deeper meaning behind what has happened to you and intuitively know why this lesson was or will be important in your ongoing life.
Finally, having worked through a major hardship produces a whole new range of emotions that were long forgotten – relief, peacefulness, contentment.
There is so much expansion and therefore growth happening in the hardest of times.
We had to face a lot of discomfort but now we’ve worked through it and can let it go and move on.
Don’t get discouraged though, if you still get caught up in old beliefs from time to time. Healing is an ongoing process and it’s important to be compassionate with yourself at all times. It’s natural that the healing journey isn’t linear, that we fall back into old habits. We are humans.
The important thing is to be aware in your daily life. Notice when it happens and then stop. Let go of thoughts you’ve outgrown. Find back to loving thoughts and repeat them instead.
Expressing Suppressed Emotions
Listen within on a daily basis to check in with your feelings.
What moves you currently? Give yourself time to feel your emotions. That’s the only way to not suppress them.
To not add to your wounds, you need to gently face the feelings you tend to avoid.
We don’t always have the capacity to deal with triggers right away, but we need to take the time shortly after the event.
This can be as simple as sitting in silence for a few minutes and just allow what is coming up.
Come from a curious but unattached place when you feel the emotions arise.
Be very mindful in the process. Where in your body can you feel them?
Simply giving space and practicing awareness is shifting the emotion already.
Because the real problem is not the emotion itself but the avoidance of it.
We can deal with a lot but not quite well with the subtle damages of suppressed emotions.
Getting Real With Bad Habits
You probably have this one thing you find yourself doing all the time although you know it’s bad for you in the long run.
You’re repeating it over and over again because you’ve subconsciously made it an essential part of your routine.
The first step out is always awareness. Take a step back and look at your behavior.
What makes you repeat the same negative habit all the time?
If it is to feel a positive emotion ask yourself if there are other healthier ways to generate these emotions.
This way you are replacing the habit and not just cutting it out of your life.
Another thing that could help is to become very clear on the consequences it could have for your physical, mental and/or emotional health if you keep on acting on this habit.
Give Your Body The Rest It Truly Needs
Especially in unsettling times, I tend to overbear my body and just keep going through my life at a very fast pace – probably because I think that time will pass by faster like that – which is clearly not the case, it just creates more resistance.
The body is already drained from all the mental energy that is very active in anxious times.
When we then go to bed even later than usual due to insomnia or don’t take care of our bodies’ very basic needs, it will eventually take what it needs.
When our body gets sick, we are forced to slow down. So, we better take care of it right away and don’t let it come that far.
By basic needs I mean healthy and nutritious food, enough sleep, regular movement, fresh air, enough water.
Make these essentials for your body a habit even in times you don’t feel emotionally and mentally well.
Appreciate The Small Blissful Moments Of Life
When we allow ourselves to be present and open to daily life, we create the best environment for blissful moments.
Bring awareness to the seemingly mundane things you do.
Happiness arises in the Now.
Also be aware of these small blissful moments when you’re around your family and friends.
Whenever we’re around them it feels like things will always be that way. It’s easy to look over those small random habits we have with each other.
But we all know that things are constantly changing and in maybe five years you will be craving exactly what you’re experiencing now.
Try to not take the peaceful time that you got with your loved ones for granted.
Appreciate Meaningful People In Your Life
Some people are meant to stay and some are meant to leave your life after a short period of time.
Some people can have a huge impact on us although we only spent a few weeks, or days, or hours with them.
Everything feels easy and effortless because they give us this comforting feeling that we can be who we truly are around them.
This can be the case with a family member, a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger we just met.
No matter the circumstances, these people help us on our journey, help us grow, go through life with us and we know we can always rely on their support.
Are there self-care practices you’ve established that impact you on a deeper level? Please share in the comments!
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Astrology basics: the 12 zodiac signs + mood boards
Sun:
14 fun self-care solo date ideas
The ultimate list of habit ideas for your Sunday routine
Sacral chakra healing: 9 ways to re-connect with your inner joy
Happy playlist to cheer you up
12 small changes you can make to improve your life
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