Sleep Archives | Reinvention Playbook

Ode to a Nap

Sheri here,

Here it is September, the Fall of the year and life is getting really busy.

I have a friend who says their year starts in September, a throwback to school, even as an adult, and they aren’t an educator. I’ve not thought of a year starting with school in quite some time.

The End of the Year is Around the Corner!

Now, it is a quick march to Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the other December holidays and New Year’s Eve. In my opinion, once we hit October, the calendar flip is around the corner.

Since I finished the writing part of my book, Everything I Learned About Life I Learned on Vacation, my life accelerated. I started the promotion and suddenly things that I had forgotten about seemed to jump into hyper mode.

During a time like this, I need to be very careful, because one of the first things that goes for me is self-care, taking care of me.

Self-Care – Daily Routines

What I’m talking about when I say self-care are those daily morning and evening patterns:

connecting with your Higher Power or God;
taking care of your needs;
assuring adequate nutritious food;
preparing for the day;
performing a gratitude practice; and
getting enough good sleep.

I’ve had a gratitude practice for decades, and I am grateful for my rich full life today, just slow it down a tad. Of course, there is that whole concept of being careful what you ask for, you just might get it, in an unexpected form.

For more information about a gratitude practice and World Gratitude Day, September 21 of every year, see my blog post Celebrating Gratitude and A Challenge.

Put Your Oxygen Mask on First

Self-care is where you put your oxygen mask on first. No one else can do this for you and you cannot help another person if you are deprived of sleep, good food, or self-care.

In some self-care routines, you can enlist someone else to assist you, a nice spa treatment for example, or a cup of tea or coffee with a friend. These rituals could be a special reward for completing some goal, large or small, or just part of your regular routine. You get to choose.

Remember those preventive care doctor appointments, the check-ups with the dentist, vaccinations, annual tests, etc. They also need to be scheduled and attended.

Self-care Is Mandatory

I know I need to be reminded sometimes. I really try to look at my self-care practices as mandatory.

These routines are as important as something like loving our family, supporting our friends or our community, but none of those are available without looking after ourselves, first.

Some of these may need to be squeezed in between the spaces of other activities, but this an important part of personal self-care.

We can support our loved ones in getting some of these routines done. You can support them, but not do it for them, just like they can’t do these rituals for you. Maybe we attend them together, but we have to do them individually!

This is the part of life that happens or needs to happen, while you are planning other things.

If you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will do it for you.

How about you? What do you think, do you agree, have a comment or appreciate the reminder? Leave a comment and let me know.

Around Town

My Everything I Learned About Life I Learned on Vacation book is still in prepublication sale. Publication is targeted for October. If you’d like to take advantage of the special gift of the second book for only $5, just go here!

Thank you to all of you who have already support this effort – big virtual hug!

Have a blessed week.

Ciao,

Sheri

Self Care – Our Physical Health

Habit

Sheri here,

Self care comes in all shapes and sizes – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social and intellectual to name the most common.

Yes, this is another reminder to take care of you!

Our Physical Health

In this blog, we are limiting the discussion to physical self care for our health and the well-being of those around us.

This includes sleep, nutrition, exercise, and hydration. Plus, the care of our skin, our teeth, and our bones. They all work together and are inter-connected!

Regular Evening and Morning Routines

The beauty of these inter-connected relationships is that we can create a routine, (see “Your Daily Routine Matters”) if we desire, to help us “automatically” manage. We can use habit to help take some of the stress off us and keep ourselves physically healthy.

On average, we need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. That requires we have a bit of regularity in our life.

I used to cut an hour or so off both bedtime and rising time to fit more in. Did it serve me? Some day’s I’d say “no.” Other days that included a level of play or stress busting practices, which did help.

To fit everything into a day, it also required certain routines every night to take care of removing my makeup, brushing my teeth, and preparation for the next day. Then my morning routines to shower and prepare for the day.

The morning routine needs to also include some good nutrition and hydration – our bodies are roughly 60% water and that needs to be continually replenished daily! Food is fuel and protein, and carbohydrates help power us along for a strong start to the day.

It’s difficult to be on our best game if we are short on sleep and under fueled as well!

What about you? Do you have regular routines in the evening or in the morning?

Exercise for Long-Term Health

At some point during the day, we need to look at regular exercise to keep our muscles and bones in strong shape, not only for today, but for the future as well. What we do today, will serve us for years to come.

I know a lot of older people who were exercise adverse, including myself. People who never put regular exercise in their daily life and are now paying a price in poor health. I’m not wild about exercise, but I work, and some days its really work, to get some walking or yoga into the mix. Those are my favorites – they are easy and take little equipment to do.

What are your favorite exercise? Are you doing it regularly? Leave a comment and let me know and how you stay motivated to do it.

Our Physical Health Affects Us and Those Around Us

Our health affects not only the quality of our lives but that of those who surround us. Look around at those you love and see what I mean. If your loved ones, especially the older ones, are in good health, you worry less about them. If they aren’t, you worry more, and they may require more support from you.

Some of paying attention to our physical health is merely setting up a regular schedule, regular activities, and regular attention to our basic needs. If we don’t do this, no one else will! And we will pay a price at some point in the future.

All of this requires an investment of time – your time, no one else can do it for you. Somedays, I so wish that were possibly! Sometimes, we need to make a commitment to show up for another person – an accountability buddy to work out or walk with. Some of this takes a bit of investment of money – whether it’s a good mattress, a gym membership or a coach. The investments are up to you and your pocketbook.

Last occasionally, about once a year, we need to check-in with our doctor to make certain all systems are humming right along and if there is something that’s not, you can get an early warning and take corrective action.

Keep taking care of you – no one else can.

Sheri’s Book Status

Currently on my book: Everything I Learned About Life I Learned on Vacation. I’m working through some of the edits that my book reviewers have suggested – I know it will be better for it in the long run – sorta like exercise – we’ll be better if we do it!

‘til the next time.