I'm a little late to Mental Health Awareness Day, however I just wanted to share with you my thoughts on Self Care as self employed/small business owner, & what a difference it has made to my life over these past few months now that I am actively making sure I participate in it in the right way.
Firstly, this might be a controversial opinion but, I get really annoyed reading about self care suggestions such as "have a bath, drink a coffee, eat something nice, get a good nights sleep". Personally I don't think that's self care - I think that's a basic f*cking human right. Wash, drink, eat, sleep! That's basic care - like, the care minimum! The Google definition of Self Care is "the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health" and "the practice of taking an active role in protecting one's own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress." So, let's cut the bullsh!t - having a bubble bath, eating a cake and trying to get 7 hours sleep is not self care, it's the minimum of what we need and deserve.
These past few months I've been practising self care in a different way; in a way that actually makes me feel good, puts myself first and protects my well-being. Previously I have been in the mindset of 'I'm too busy for that', or 'I can live without X,Y, Z' or 'that's not an essential' and something I'm terrible for 'business/child/relationship/etc comes first'. However through my coaching with Badass Birth and after reading Sarah Akwisombe 's book and listening to some Podcasts & Ted Talks, I have been making changes in the way I adopt self care. One of the biggest changes I've made is planning my down time & actually making it a priority. I used to hate seeing a blank page in my diary, it meant no work, & no work means no money. Where as now I make sure I have AT LEAST 2 blank days. I've come to realise that those days are so important. They are my days & are crucial for me to take care of myself.
I put myself first on those day. The biggest change - I say no WITHOUT GUILT to anything that I do not want to do on those days - even if it's my partner asking if I want to do something together. I spend money on myself - I'm not an extravagant person, in fact in the past I've actually been quite tight as I've always been counting the pennies - but now I'm buying myself lunch out, I'm visiting my osteopath more regularly, I invested in PT sessions with Kapow Healthy Living and I'm going to the gym 3x a week, I booked a massage, and subscribed to Audible, to list just a few things. Thanks to these changes I feel like I'm taking the best care of myself than I have in years. I completely understand that I'm a writing this from a place of privilege, however I urge anyone to look deeply in to their self care routine and really tune in to what you need and deserve. And I can tell you now - it's more than a bath and a cup of coffee!!
If you are thinking about booking a hypnobirthing course with me, bare in mind that my availability is limited, I only work 5 days a week, and my evening availability is even more restricted as I value my family time and down time. I will always do what I can to be accommodating and flexible, but get your Hypnobirthing and antenatal sessions booked in in advance to avoid disappointment. I only have one space remaining for private hypnobirthing course in November. Book now for December to get the dates you want.