If you’ve read my last two blog posts, you’re aware of the two different types of self-care that I’ve written about so far. The first is social self-care and some barriers that can get in the way of our self-care routines. Then last week, I wrote about physical self-care and how if unattended, it can lead to health issues.

This week I want to bring awareness to personal self-care. There are similar qualities to the other two; however, personal self-care requires having conversations with yourself and engaging with what the heart desires versus taking a cycling class or jumping into the tub for a 10-minute soak.

When we stay present to ourselves and what we are presently doing, we can honor that place inside that says, “Hey, I’m enjoying this!” or maybe that voice says, “I don’t like this, so I think I’ll try something different.” Really, it’s about listening to and honoring who you are and what you want in life.

I have this amazing friend Laura, who does Happiness Coaching. When I attended one of her Happiness Retreats in Mexico in 2017, she taught me about what she calls Essence (an emotion, for example, gratitude) vs. Form (what we can touch).

So how does Essence vs. Form relate to personal care?

I’ll get to that, but first, I’ll share a quick story about something that happened today.

A woman who takes my class regularly brought her 84-year-old mother, who was visiting from out of town. She’d never done a reformer Pilates class before, only Mat Classes which she takes regularly.

When I was introduced to the mom, I thought, “I’m happy to meet this woman. She’s excited to be here.” I must also admit, I was a little worried that it would be too much for her. It wasn’t! As we spoke, I genuinely listened to her. I heard her words and the meaning behind them. I asked her questions and treated her as if she was a guest in my home. I asked her where she was visiting from, how long she’d be staying, what brought her across the country, etc. We connected on many levels, both cancer survivors and athletic, and fought to regain our athletic abilities after cancer treatments ended. I checked in on her regularly and helped when I saw she needed it. I stayed present to myself and her. When class was over, she walked over and thanked me for the class and said she was grateful that I was her first reformer teacher and that she would be looking for classes to take when she got back home to Georgia.

For both of us, her presence in my class was the Form. The Essence was the emotions that were sparked in both of us.

Personal self-care is about listening to your intuition and living in gratitude because that trumps everything. It’s about finding out who you really are and rocking it because the ripple effects of doing so make their way around the world.

So...

Listen — When you listen to yourself instead of being on autopilot, you are engaging in personal self-care.

Treat Yourself — Treat yourself to that 10-minute bath with candles, flowers, music, soft lighting, and oils. No rush; lay back and enjoy.

Know Yourself — Who are you really? What do you want in this lifetime? How do you want to show up for yourself?

Something New — Try something new, have some adventure, and create fun in your life.

Hobbies — What hobbies do you currently have? Do they light you up or drag you down? Tap into the Essence of what you’re doing and why; the rest will unfold from there.

Once upon a time, I thought of personal care as a bubble bath, and I don’t like taking bubble baths. So, they never worked for me. Today, I know that personal self-care is what I’ve been learning and working on within myself these past few years. I now know that my intuition doesn’t steer me wrong when I listen.

What are you doing for personal self-care?

As always, I’d love to hear how you’re doing, so drop me an email, and let's connect.

With love,
Vonie

P.S. Join me for a bi-monthly group coaching call. Your first month is free. Check it out here.