Knowing yourself: the only way to practice self-care

I am a very anxious person... I have always been... and I have been in and out of therapy since I can remember... but, I have always been very insightful.  I've always known what I wanted to be and what I wanted to accomplish. This has been the greatest gift, because knowing myself has been key to heal and care for my body, mind and spirt. 
I truly believe that when we know ourselves we are able to understand our emotions, and our body and mind's needs... and this is what we need to practice self-care that is tailored for us. ​

When we live in auto-pilot we ignore all of the messages our mind and body send us and we cannot truly heal and grow. 

Mindfulness is perhaps the most important tool when it comes to self-care, and it's also the most challenging. Living in mindfulness takes constant practice and it can be exhausting if we don't do it right. Pushing ourselves to follow every message, tip or trick we see on social media about mindfulness is exhausting... and it will never work... It will never work, because if you don't know your body and mind's needs, is like giving cough medicine to someone with a heart problem. You know something is wrong, but because you don't know what is wrong you can't treat it in the right way.... so, I'll say this again... the first step is to KNOW YOURSELF! 

I have posted on my instagram account about my struggles last week and today I posted a little reminder with different ways I practice self-care. Please keep in mind that these things work for me and they may not work for you. I will walk you through everything I do in my day and I will explain why I do it, and why it works for me. I hope this is useful information, but if it's not... please don't continue reading and adding more mixed messages. It's important that you first identify why you need something and then find a solution to fix specifically that; please don't go trying everything everyone recommends; it might do more harm than help.

So now, let me walk you through my day: 

Morning Routine:

• ​I set my alarm for 6:45 am (since I've been WFH because of COVID, our classes start at 9am, so I get to sleep in; I used to wake up between 6am and 6:15am when we were in person and I never had enough time in the morning) This gives me about two hours to have "ME TIME" 
• I get up, make coffee while I watch "The Wake Up" on the Headspace app and then I go to the our office/spare bedroom to meditate
• I use the Headspace up for two reasons: (1)The premium version is free for teachers and it includes sooooo many options, and (2) I love taking classes, so the way the Headspace courses are designed really works for me... I think that my brain registers this as a learning process, which takes off the pressure of getting it perfect every time
• I journal right after. I use an app called Lifecraft, which gives you daily writing prompts and you only have to write down for 8 min non stop. Usually during meditation I am able to observe my thoughts and sometimes I prefer to just write down all the things that come to my mind... most of the time this is when I feel inspired and creative so I have to write my ideas down.. but it also allows me to get in touch with my thoughts, really figure out why I am thinking what I'm thinking and to understand my feelings towards those thoughts
• After that I eat a light breakfast (usually one toast with scrambled eggs or avocado), I get ready and it's time to work! 

End of the workday routine: 

• I am guilty of not always following thought with my end of the workday routine, and this is probably what I need to work on the most... so this is my ideal end of the workday routine, it doesn't really mean I always accomplish it
• I try to finish work at 5:30pm, I make sure I prep all my food for dinner (and my lunch for the next day) and I let the everything cook in the pressure cooker - this has been a life saver, I can just set the timer and forget about it. 
• When I am done prepping all the food/setting the pressure cooker is about 6:00 - 6:30 and I start my workout. I use the app FitOn because (1) is free and they have tons of workouts, (2) you can choose the program you want to follow (I do tone and strength) and the amount of time for each workout (I do between 20 - 40 min) and (3) they give you a list of workouts to do each week according to your preferences - so this eliminates all decision making and stress 
• After my workout I drink a protein shake... I eat meat at lunch, so for dinner I prefer a vegan protein and frozen fruit (usually strawberries or mangos). The dinner I have prepared is for my partner and for my lunch the next day, so I make sure to store the food, clean up the kitchen and set the dishwasher.

Bedtime routine:

• I have not nailed this down as I would like. I do complete all the activities I mention below, but I haven't figure out the times yet... 
• First, I put my pajamas on... then, I use my planner to organize the following day - this is an important step because it helps me organize my thoughts for the next day and write down everything I need to get done in a long "to-do list" that is not time-sensitive. This is specially helpful because as soon as I am done with this my brain gets the signal that I am done thinking about the next day and it's time to relax
• I make some tea, and go to bed... My phone automatically blocks all my apps at 10:00pm, so I can't access any apps after that (except for meditation apps). Although I usually try to be in bed by 9am, most of the time is anywhere between 9 and 10. 
• I do give myself one hour to drink my tea and read. The John Legend playlist on Headspace's Focus tab is especially helpful for this. It's the only playlist I use to read, so by now my brain knows that music = wind down. This particular playlist lasts 57 minutes, so that is my perfect reading time. 
• If I am not feeling sleepy yet, after the music stops, I use "bedtime stories" on the Calm app and I always fall sleep easily with those. But, sometimes I am so tired, that after reading I am done and go straight to sleep. 

I know these routines work for me, because I have been able to understand how my brain works. I always need to categorize things, have structure, keep everything organized, and by listening to specific music, bedtimes stories and having very specific routines I am helping my brain know when to shut down and when to be active. I will say it once again.. know yourself... some of these might be a good for you to try, but please don't try everything at once. Adding one thing at a time is crucial to build habits and to know what is actually working and what is not.

Bes of luck in your journey... remember that you need to feel all your feelings in order to grow, and as uncomfortable as that might be, it't the only way to grow, there is no easy way. 

Sending you all my love,         
- Jimena