The Declaration of You – Blog Lovin’ Tour – Self Care

Hi everyone. I’m delighted Dreaming on a Star‘s post is part of The Declaration of You – Blog Lovin’ Tour – by Michelle Ward and Jessica Swift! Learn more – and join over 100 other creative bloggers by clicking here.

The Declaration of You will be published by North Light Craft Books this summer, with readers getting all the permission they’ve craved to step passionately into their lives, discover how they and their gifts are unique and uncover what they are meant to do!

Today I’m going to talk about Self Care!

When you work for an employer, they usually take care of most things – your schedule, breaks, workload, time-off, healthcare, etc.  As freelancers, we can often slip through the cracks!

As a result, sometimes all these things can get a bit jumbled together. Work days seem to have no beginning and no end, weekdays blend into weekends, lunch becomes hastily thrown together food that we eat at our desks. “Sunshine – what’s that, I have a deadline to meet!”

A little piece of advice I learned this year –

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You are Your Business’ Greatest Asset!

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If we can’t work for whatever reason (mental, physical, emotional), then our businesses cease to exist.

Therefore it’s of paramount importance that we look after ourselves.

How do you do that?

By

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Keeping a Balance!

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We may be in the enviable position that we love our jobs, but if we don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be able to perform to the best of our abilities. We can’t work 24/7 no matter how much we love what we do.

Here are some things we need to have a happy, balanced life:

Nutrition – You’ll need lots of nutritious food to keep you going. But most people like a treat, so it’s a good idea to follow the  80:20 rule. (80% good, healthy food and 20% naughty treats!). Don’t forget breakfast! And forget about dieting – starving your body never works.

Exercise – whether you walk or compete in basketball tournaments, exercise is so important for body and mind. Find something you love doing, that gets your heart racing – dancing, hiking, playing footie with the kids, running, trampolining. The great thing about exercise, apart from the way it makes you feel (endorphins rule!), is you can eat your treats and not feel bad!

How do you keep fit?

Hobbies – I love designing but it’s good to have other things outside of it. They bring a freshness to your work and offer a new perspective. Knitting, rowing, cycling, writing, collecting music, live music, reading – these are some of my hobbies.

What are yours?

Fresh air – the great thing about this is you can combine it with exercise (and hobbies) and kill a few birds all together – how’s that for efficiency! [No birds harmed in this post!]

Social – Working alone from home means no office politics, but it can get lonely. Meeting friends and family for lunch, joining clubs, volunteering, chatting to neighbours, connecting with people online. No man is an island, as they say (“I’m bloody Ibiza” – Will from ‘About a Boy’!)

Time Off – I love designing. I can’t wait to start in the mornings. Monday is my favourite day of the week, because it’s the start of a week full of possibilities. But we need time off from our work, no matter how enjoyable it is. If we don’t, then our health suffers and we lose our sparkle. Take one day a week off (at least) and keep your engine running!

Energy levels – My friend Ursula runs an Energy for Resilience program that “creates more energy to do the things you enjoy most in life.”  Something I learned from her, was to make a list of 5 things in your life that give you energy (Energy Boosters) and 5 things that take your energy (Energy Vampires).

Energy Boosters
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These can be hobbies, friends, laughing, sports, etc. What are your Energy Boosters? Spend more time doing these things, when you want more energy.

Energy Vampires

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They can be negative people, lack of sleep, worry, etc. The trick here is to avoid them if you can, or if not try and turn these around, e.g. if lack of sleep, go to bed an hour earlier, etc.

I hope you enjoyed my post about self care. I’d love to hear your thoughts below. ♡

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