What is your foundation for self-care?

When you get that feeling of not having enough time and being rushed, and your body starts to feel hot and constricted, it’s easy to get flustered and start panicking. Then you begin to question whether you are good enough at what you do – taking yourself down a vicious spiral.

The reality is that there will always be situations and interactions that stress us out and trigger catastrophic thinking. That good old feeling of the knot in your stomach – panic! Is it going to be all right? Am I good enough? Why did I say that? etc

Stressing about the uncertainty of life is a natural response to uncontrollable events. No one can change that. However, you can change your ability to re-focus your energy when you get knocked off kilter.

I recommend using your breath and connecting with the ground underneath you. When you do this – you redirect your attention away from your head towards your body. While this is not easy and may not always be comfortable, it brings you into the present moment. This is one of the best foundations for our wellbeing that we have.

This month’s self-care project

Try to practice conscious breathing for two minutes  

Here’s how – download the FREE audio file of Sage Practice’s two-minute breathing exercise here

Conscious breathing is one of your best foundations for self-care – if you are alive, you always have your breath – you just need to remember to use it. Practising conscious breathing regularly makes you more likely to connect with your breath to manage stress effectively

When you get caught in panic and negative self-talk, notice that and redirect your attention to your breath. When you do this, you are not suppressing your thoughts – you are creating the opportunity for a choice to break the repetitive thought patterns that are not necessarily helping you.

Keep things simple – take one breath at a time – I know it’s hard to do, but it is a sustainable and effective self-care practice.

    • Set a time for 2 minutes and put your phone on silent
    • Either listen to the download or
    • Feel your feet on the ground (or your thighs on the chair) supported by the ground
    • Close your eyes if you feel comfortable or look downwards
    • Close your mouth and relax your jaw
    • Breathe only in and out your nose
    • Feel the breath coming into your side ribs on the inhale
    • As you exhale, activate your stomach and follow the breath up and out the nose
    • Stay here and keep breathing until the timer goes off

When you finish, reconnect with the feeling of the ground underneath you and continue your day.

You will be amazed how much a regular conscious breathing practice can help your mental and physical health. 

Contact me at charlotte@sagepractices.co.nz to establish a personalised practice that you can incorporate into your everyday life. 

You can visit me online or in person if you live in Wellington.