The art of self care.
We all know on some level that how we take care of ourselves is the definition of “lifestyle;” and our lifestyle is directly related to our health, and our health shapes our future. On some level, we all know this.
A healthy lifestyle isn’t some pursuit of perfection or a purist approach to living. It’s a deeper relationship to ease. It doesn’t mean we don’t have moments when we bust out the chocolate when life gets stressful, take the family out for dinner when things are busy, or stay up late when our favorite friends are in town.
After years of considering what healthy living really means to me, I’m starting to think it’s a willingness to be an active participant in my own life. To OWN it. All of it. All the ups and downs the successes and the hardships. There is no perfect. If we are waiting for life to be perfect or the world to be perfect, we will be waiting our entire life.
The Path of Participation
Like many of us on the path of yoga, I’m interested in being an active participant in life. I want to be fully engaged in the art of living. I have a true longing for a deeper connection to life versus a superficial relationship where I exist in constant reaction mode. I believe my overall health and wellbeing isn’t isolated to diet and exercise habits, but is wrapped directly around my mindset and self-talk. It wasn’t until I merged my yoga on the mat with practices off the mat that my life amplified.
Over the years, I’ve stumbled over old stories and life circumstances that sent me into true backsliding, the lyrics of my old stories creeping insidiously back into my consciousness.
If we are striving for perfection, we might run into a few obstacles along the way.
Signs of Inaction
- You self-sabotage. You’ve always wanted to learn to meditate. Your best friend invites you to join her for a class being offered by a meditation teacher. You use work as an excuse not to go. You sabotage the situation and use work as your rationale.
- You are indecisive. You can’t make up your mind about your job, where to go on vacation, or whether to remodel the house or move.
- You always feel behind. No matter how much you work on organizing your To Do list or updating your calendar, you always feel behind. As a result, you never really feel present with friends and family and are constantly distracted from deeper connection.
- You take on too much. It’s easier to say yes than to create a boundary around no. You strive for success and want to be part of everything. You have a general fear of missing out but refuse to be honest with yourself about scaling back and prioritizing.
- You are critical of others and yourself. We are our own worst critics. The interesting thing here is that often if we are so hard on ourselves we are likely to be equally hard on other people in our lives as well. Be kind to yourself.
If this is you, take a breath. You are not alone.
Shift Towards Action
- Take small steps.
This is about making tomorrow 1% different and 99% the same. If you don’t reverse engineer your longing and build on simplicity, you will wave the white flag and never shift. Experience the power of success and momentum with the small steps.
- Own your life circumstances.
This is accountability at it’s finest. Own your life, your past, your present, and your future. Commit to shifting into a growth mindset. Consider connecting with a coach.
- Practice daily gratitude.
When you find yourself stressed out, agitated, or overwhelmed, breathe. It may sound cliche, but it works. Be grateful for your breath, for your body, and for your life. You are the architect of your life. At night, write down 3-5 things you are grateful for and include why you are grateful for them to take it to the next level.
- Connect.
Get yourself hooked up with other people on a similar path who are interested in learning, growing, and supporting you on your path. Join the tribe at the Easeful Living Community.
A purist or perfectionist approach only limits us from experiencing all the amazing textures this life has to offer. Instead, we can soften the edges and connect, engage, and act from where we are in the moment. We do not need to allow a certain way of being to paralyze us from experiencing this gift of life. We can take the small steps to align our lives with what matters most.
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Rachel Peters is a yoga teacher, yoga health coach, lifestyle and habits expert, easeful living advocate, and lover of wild places. She leads others towards Embodying Ease through a yearlong wellness & lifestyle journey to dissolve perfectionism, embody daily habits that promote mental clarity, overall ease, and deeper connection to life on this wild ride of modern living. Learn MORE today!