spiritual wellness activities for my mental, emotional & my self- … · exercises your right...

My Self- Care Kit

Activities for my Mental, Emotional & Spiritual Wellness

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Reconnect. Restore. Rejuvenate.

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Sara

I am SUPER excited that you are here and that you’ve decided to prioritise your self-care today! We live in a very action-oriented, fast-paced, masculine-energy oriented. It’s always about doing, doing, doing every minute. Rushing to this and that, packing our schedules full. Hustling (how I dislike this word!). We answer "how are you?" questions with "I'm so busy!". As a result, we are seeing the drawbacks to that sort of lifestyle. We are disconnected with ourselves, unable to tune into our feminine energies, we get anxious when we have to relax. Over the past decade or so, we’ve seen an increase in stress, mental health issues like depression and anxiety, physical health problems, sleep disorders and so much more. It’s time we slowed down, reconnected with ourselves, loved ourselves and took care of ourselves. When we do that, we will start to see changes in our lives. Any health issues will also start to gradually disappear. This self-care kit which I’ve created for you, serves as a mini guide cum reflection worksheet for you to give more thought to your emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. I’ve listed and expanded on several things you could do in each of these three categories. These three areas are usually the most neglected in our lives at this point in time. So we can all do a little something for ourselves and start creating a self-care routine incorporating habits from all three categories. I hope you find this helpful and that it ignites a self-care spirit in you! Xoxo

Hello you!

Emotional


Have you been taking care of your feelings? Are you in touch with your emotions? Sometimes, we find ourselves feeling down for no reason, or a certain emotion comes up and you have no idea why. These are all signs of a disconnect with our emotions. It’s time we reconnected, acknowledged and accept whatever that comes up and give ourselves room to express them. Here are some activities that can help you boost your emotional well-being.

GET SUFFICIENT REST

When you sleep well, it improves your performance and focus the next day. You’ll find that you have tons of energy. Make sure you sleep in a cool, dark room, that you aren’t exposed to any gadgets/blue light at least an hour or two before bed. Drinking something warm like chamomile tea and warm milk can also help you sleep better.

START YOUR DAY OFF GREAT

Give thanks the minute you open your eyes. Our subconscious minds are still extremely active just as we are waking up. It is the best time to inject some feel-good stuff into your minds. Some things to do – go to the gym, eat a healthy breakfast, morning pages, meditate. Whatever works! Figure out what works for you and stick to it.

EXPRESS YOUR EMOTIONS

Repressing your emotions is harmful in the long run. So express them freely! Happiness, sadness, anger, jealousy, hurt etc. Feel them, accept them and let them out.

WRITE AN UNSENT LETTER

Got something you’d like to get off your chest to someone but can’t do it for whatever reason? Write a letter to them but don’t post it! Detail what they did to you and how it felt. Pour it out.

Emotional


KEEP A FEELINGS DIARY

It’s something like a journal, in it, you note the key emotions you felt throughout the day, along with the accompanying events that caused those emotions. After some time, you’d be able to note patterns in your emotional journey as well as its causes.

EAT WELL

Ever heard of being hangry? Yup it’s a real thing! It’s when you feel grumpy, anxious or on edge when you’ve had not eaten. Take the time to eat - chew well and don't multitask whilst eating.

TREAT YOURSELF

Movies? Chocolate? Sleeping in? You deserve it. Reward yourself with something you like from time to time.

MOVE, DANCE, EXERCISE

Exercising releases endorphins and makes us feel good, more awake and less distracted throughout the day. It doesn’t have to be long and drawn out, just dancing for a bit or doing yoga, any form of joyful movement is great!

CULTIVATE RELATIONSHIPS

Join a social group, take up a hobby and meet the wider community. Social networks helps us bond with others (oxytocin effect), feel a sense of belonging and can boost our happiness.

Emotional


HAVE SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO EACH DAY

Joyful anticipation boosts your happiness by tenfold as it gives us loads of pleasure imagining future happy events. Just plan something joyful in your day, be it lunch with a friend, walking your dog or enjoying a cup of tea.

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS & VISUALISATIONS

Tell yourself you are fantastic every time you look into a mirror. Tell yourself you have phenomenal coping skills and can take anything that life throws at you. Visualise all the good that you want in your life (or already have) – this process doesn’t take long, 5 minutes will suffice. Really feel your positive affirmations when you write them. Write things that really uplift you and refer to them often.

DECLUTTER

You’ll be amazed how much better you feel when you’ve cleared up and organised your surroundings. Clutter not only affects our mood but can also prevent clarity of thoughts.

GET SOME SUNSHINE

About 15 to 30 mins is all you need. Not only does it help you shed pounds, sunshine provides a healthy dose of Vitamin D, enhances your mood and lowers your blood pressure.

Emotional


My notes/thoughts/feelings:

Mental


Have you been taking care of your feelings? Are you in touch with your emotions? Sometimes, we find ourselves feeling down for no reason, or a certain emotion comes up and you have no idea why. These are all signs of a disconnect with our emotions. It’s time we reconnect with, acknowledge and accept whatever that comes up and give ourselves room to express them. Here are some activities that can help boost your emotional well- being.

PUT AWAY YOUR PHONE AND GADGETS

At least an hour before bed. I do this 2-3 hours before sleep. Blue light from all our technology affects our circadian rhythms and melanin production thus making it difficult for us to fall asleep. Overexposure is also linked to obesity, heart disease and other health issues.

READ

Reading is like brain exercise, it helps increase creativity, empathy and is one of the best ways to reduce stress and induce sleep. Reading also serves as a form of mindfulness – you get lost in the content which temporarily suspends the thoughts in your mind.

DO SOMETHING YOU DREAD IN THE MORNING

It’s the time when our willpower and self-control is at its highest and is the best time to get those dreaded tasks out of your way. Our willpower is like a battery, it drains quickly. Leaving dreaded and difficult tasks to the end of the day makes it more likely that you will completely skip it altogether. Tackle it first and you’d feel more motivated.

JOURNAL

This helps clarify thoughts and reduce stress. Journaling doesn't have to take long. It could be just you doing a brain-dump or reflecting on your day, and setting intentions for tomorrow.

Mental


HOLD OFF ON CHECKING EMAILS

Checking emails constantly leaves you in a switched on state all the time, and is a big source of stress. Our minds are already racing when we read an email and thinking of what to do. Schedule inbox check-ins at certain times of the day, if you can. And disconnect from it otherwise.

MEDITATE

There are plenty of benefits to meditation – it increases focus, self-awareness, reduces stress and even helps improve your health. Meditation sessions don’t have to take hours – though if you prefer longer sessions, go for it! They can be as short as 5 to 20 minutes. You can hit up YouTube for some great meditation playlists or use apps like Calm.

LISTEN TO PODCASTS

I sometimes end off and start the day listening to podcasts. It helps me stay positive and calm. You are also able to learn loads of new stuff. I use an app called Stitcher (android) and load up as many as I want.

COUNTDOWN TO BEDTIME

Also known as the shutdown ritual, it primes your brain to stop whatever you are doing and prepare for bedtime. This way, you aren’t doing things past to bedtime and are already in a restful state when you climb into bed which helps you sleep better.

WASHING UP AND WARM SHOWERS

There’s something very therapeutic about taking your time to get through your cleansing routine or taking a warm shower before bed. It’s a form of mindfulness and helps you decompress before bed, allowing you to sleep better.

Mental


DO SOMETHING CREATIVE

Knitting, graphic design, app development, gardening, cooking, dancing. Anything that exercises your right brain and allows you to express your creativity and do something different from what you do at the office every day.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

Take up a new language or a new course. Learning new things is always a good form of brain exercise and can help the brain build new neural connections and replace the old ones. A great way to keep your brain healthy and happy!

DON'T OVERTHINK

Constantly worrying and stressing over things that probably won’t happen can really take its toll on our brains. Neuroscience has shown that our thought patterns can alter our brain plasticity and permanently affect our moods and our memory over time. Whenever you find yourself starting to ruminate or overthink, stop and ask yourself – what are you afraid of? And what do you need to do to overcome this fear?

Mental


My notes/thoughts/feelings:

Spiritual


Do you always feel drained? Do you tune into your intuition or let your ego boss you around? Spiritual well-being is one of the areas that we neglect the most in our lives. This area does take a bit of understanding and time to really "get". But the key thing is to look after your energy and the energy of the space and things around you. Protect it and cleanse it. Speak often to your intuition as well, as that is how our inner selves communicate with us. Here are some tips.

PROTECT YOUR ENERGY

We unknowingly absorb a lot of energy from our surroundings – environment and people – when we are out and about. This can affect our own energy leaving us down and drained. Visualise yourself in a protective bubble, repeat your affirmations and stay away from people who are energy vampires.

GROUND YOURSELF

We are always in our head, thinking, planning etc and that can make us very 'ungrounded'. I get around this by doing grounding meditations (with feet on ground), walking in nature bare-foot or connecting with my black tourmaline crystal.

CONNECT WITH YOUR SPIRIT GUIDES

They could be animals, your ancestors, guardian angels etc. Just talk to them! Write to them. Tell them your fears and concerns and you will start to see signs popping up in your life.

CONNECT WITH THE MOON

The moon cycle has been used since ancient times for various purposes and you can start using it today for intending, self-care and manifesting.

Spiritual


PLAY WITH ORACLE CARDS OR TAROT

Oracle cards are a good start. Just browse the net for decks and see which one you feel most drawn to. I tend to ask my oracles to guide me whenever I have a question. I’ll intend, pick some cards and reflect on the messages.

PLAY WITH CRYSTALS

I use a few different crystals for different purposes. Black tourmaline for grounding, amythest for creativity, howlite to keep calm. Carry it around on you or wear it to tune into the natural energy-radiating properties of crystals.

TUNE INTO YOUR INTUITION

Talk to it, ask it questions, ask it for guidance. Tell your ego to work with it. Listen to the messages it gives you, be it a feeling in your gut or chest.

CLEANSE YOUR ENERGY

Make sure to do so at the end of each day to clear the gunk accumulated from the day's activities. Warm baths, visualisations, breathing exercises all work so you will be refreshed for tomorrow!

GIVE THANKS

Showing gratitude for anything in your life, even the small things, has ton of benefits. You start to be more appreciative of the things you have and take things for granted less. To do this better, get into the habit of keeping a gratitude list or journal.

BE PRESENT

Whatever you do and wherever you are, focus on what you are doing in the present. Tell your ego to take a break and really tune into what your inner being wants you to enjoy in the very present moment.

Spiritual


REBALANCE YOUR CHAKRAS

We have 7 chakra points which can go out of balance and lead to physical illness. Affirmations, targeted meditations and oils can all help open your chakras and heal them.

ESSENTIAL OILS

Oils like mint and lavender are popular for inhaling and rubbing into your skin. They are made of natural ingredients and can make you feel really relaxed. My fav is peppermint and I love inhaling it – wakes me up and clears my headaches!

BREATHE DEEPLY

You’d be surprised to know that many of us take quite shallow breaths. There is a method known as the 5-5-5 method. Breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds and then exhale for 5 seconds. Do this 3 to 5 times. It helps calm you down especially during stressful times.

SMUDGE YOUR LIVING AREAS

I love burning Palo Santo wood and smudging my house and garden. Sage also works as does other forms of incense. It helps to clear your area of any negative energy or intentions/imprints from others.


SpiritualMy notes/thoughts/feelings:


I hope you've enjoyed designing your own self-care kit from some of the prompts I've provided here! It's always easy to forget about our self-care as life does get busy. If you find yourself constantly forgetting to indulge yourself, do remember to schedule it in your planner. Habits do take time to build up, especially if we are starting completely fresh! So do give yourself time to ease into it. Below are some ways you can follow me on social media or my blog - in that order (click on each icon below). My Youtube Channel is extremely new, but do subscribe as I'll be posting lots of wonderful videos on self-care in the upcoming months! Feel free to also email me at: [email protected]. I love to hear from my readers and followers!

Take care of you!

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spiritual wellness activities for my mental, emotional & my self- … · exercises your right...

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