Claire Chamberlain wrote a little gem of a book entitled "Self-Care". I picked it up at Barnes and Noble the other day for $6.98. Published last year, Chamberlain's book is full of short, sweet, and simple ways we can practice being present (mindful!) and caring (as she puts it) for our own "mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being".
For those who have little or no idea what "positive self care" means or looks like in actual practice, this is the book for you. In the meantime, I am going to include here some of the quotes I found especially helpful from Chamberlain's book:
"Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause."
"It's not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It's necessary."
"Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it."
"Rest and self-care are important. You cannot serve from an empty vessel."
"Self-care is never selfish but may feel that way when you live a frenzied life."
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you."
"When you say "Yes" to others, make sure you are not saying "No" to yourself."
"It's only by saying "No" that you can concentrate on the things that are really important."
"Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness."
"Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others."
"Belonging is NOT fitting in; belonging starts with self-acceptance."
"Be nice to yourself. It's hard to be happy when someone is mean to you all the time."
"Seasons change. People grow together and apart. Life moves on. You will be o.k. Embrace it."
"The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I'm not going to let myself pull me down anymore."
"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever, have enough."
"Laughter is an instant vacation."
"We set the standard for how we want to be treated. Our relationships are a reflection of the relationship we have with ourselves."
"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it."
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it."
"Wherever you are, be there totally."
"Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be."
"Every act of self-care is a powerful declaration: I am on my side."
"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete."
"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."
"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths."
"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."
"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."
"Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments."
"Sleep is the best meditation."
"Self-compassion soothes the mind like a loving friend who's willing to listen."
"The more you eat, the less flavor. The less you eat, the more flavor."
"Rainy days should be spent with a cup of tea and a good book."
"I think in life you should work on yourself until the day you die."
"We are all of us works in progress."
...until next post.
For those who have little or no idea what "positive self care" means or looks like in actual practice, this is the book for you. In the meantime, I am going to include here some of the quotes I found especially helpful from Chamberlain's book:
"Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause."
"It's not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself, and to make your happiness a priority. It's necessary."
"Love yourself enough to set boundaries. Your time and energy are precious. You get to choose how you use it."
"Rest and self-care are important. You cannot serve from an empty vessel."
"Self-care is never selfish but may feel that way when you live a frenzied life."
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you."
"When you say "Yes" to others, make sure you are not saying "No" to yourself."
"It's only by saying "No" that you can concentrate on the things that are really important."
"Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness."
"Self-compassion is simply giving the same kindness to ourselves that we would give to others."
"Belonging is NOT fitting in; belonging starts with self-acceptance."
"Be nice to yourself. It's hard to be happy when someone is mean to you all the time."
"Seasons change. People grow together and apart. Life moves on. You will be o.k. Embrace it."
"The only person who can pull me down is myself, and I'm not going to let myself pull me down anymore."
"Change your thoughts and you change your world."
"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever, have enough."
"Laughter is an instant vacation."
"We set the standard for how we want to be treated. Our relationships are a reflection of the relationship we have with ourselves."
"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it."
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it."
"Wherever you are, be there totally."
"Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be."
"Every act of self-care is a powerful declaration: I am on my side."
"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete."
"Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are."
"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths."
"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."
"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."
"Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments."
"Sleep is the best meditation."
"Self-compassion soothes the mind like a loving friend who's willing to listen."
"The more you eat, the less flavor. The less you eat, the more flavor."
"Rainy days should be spent with a cup of tea and a good book."
"I think in life you should work on yourself until the day you die."
"We are all of us works in progress."
...until next post.