By 
me I know sometimes I must sound like a broken record. I repeat myself over and over again to my clients, my students, my friends, my family. And I’ll say it again. Self care is not an option if you want to live a happy and peaceful life. Especially if you are a sensitive, empathetic person.
yesLeprechaun care, of course, includes the obvious elements, such as a nutrient-dense, plant-rich diet, plenty of exercise, and good hygiene. Neither is optional if you want to maintain good health.
TTo maintain happiness and inner peace, self-care must also include emotional and spiritual practices. My daily practices, which I share below, help me stay centered, focused, optimistic, connected, creative, productive, peaceful, and happy.
TThese are the tools and techniques that work for me. With most, I mix and match, depending on the day, the amount of time available, and my emotional/spiritual needs. Some practices, like Meditation and Gratitude, are non-negotiable and I do them every day.
METERMost days I usually do at least 4 or 5 of these techniques. Some days I only do 2. Other days I might do them all! Some are so quick, or so easy to fit into my day, that they don’t take ‘extra time’. And to tell you the truth, when I do nothing, which happens from time to time, I feel completely out of place, unfocused and anxious. That’s why I use a checklist to track my progress. I’ve learned the hard way, it’s not worth straying from the path.
againstrepeat your own plan. Take any of the following techniques that work for you, add your own, and keep them in your pockets throughout the day. Pick at least one activity, like meditation, to do every day, no matter what. None of the activities need take a long time. And, as long as you’re sprinkling them throughout the day, you’re optimizing your energy.
Meditation I practice some kind of meditation, every day, from 10 to 60 minutes. Some days I do two or more shorter meditations. Insight Timer is a fantastic free app that I use to time my meditations. It comes with an extensive library of sounds, chimes, meditations, and music.
Abundance Meditation For this meditation, I use the book of abundance, by John Randolph Price. It is a small green book with 10 statements of principles. I meditate at first a day for 15 minutes, for 40 days or more. This helps me stay in an abundant and spiritual state of mind.
gratitude meditation Closing my eyes, I meditate for 5 minutes on something for which I am grateful. It can be something that I already have, or that I would like to have. This sense of gratitude feels truly authentic and very, very good.
goals I handwrite my goals, in the present tense, expressing my gratitude for achieving them. This feels good and helps me stay on top of my goals. I write down my goals almost every day. This takes about 10 minutes.
morning pages Created by author Julia Cameron, Morning Pages are 3 free-flowing pages handwritten each morning. They are invaluable for clearing the mind and generating creative flow.
yoga or exerciseExercising in the morning energizes me for the rest of the day. Movement is crucial for efficient energy flow, lymphatic flow, strength, anxiety release, and more.
heart breathing I add heart breathing whenever I feel stuck in my head. Heart breathing helps me move out of a busy and overworked mind, into the peace and calm of my heart. It is a great tool to reduce anxiety. 1 minute, or more.
uplifting reading At some point in my day, I find time to read. Sometimes it’s work-related, but it’s always uplifting.
listening uplifting This includes music, podcasts, Hayhouse Radio, audio courses, and more. I like to listen when I prepare dinner. This helps me stay in a positive and optimistic frame of mind.
EFT tapping This is a practice at any time of the day, as needed. EFT Tapping is perfect for releasing anxiety, tension, fear, sadness, or any other unwanted feelings that may arise.
more gratitude Gratitude is something that can be expressed in many ways throughout the day. In addition to my 5 minute gratitude meditation, I enjoy spontaneous moments of gratitude, or write a gratitude list, or a thank you note, or just say thank you, thank you, thank you while doing something that brings me joy. Gratitude helps me feel more connected to the spirit world. And, the more grateful I am, the more I have to be grateful.
nature walk Nothing better to please the senses and calm the soul.
meHave fun! And reach out, let me know what works for you!
in courage,
mariano