Take Five Minutes to care for yourself

                                 Take Time for yourself

 When it comes to looking after ourselves in our busy lives, I’m often reminded that most of us have just a few minutes each day to nurture ourselves, and we usually leave this time for ourselves off of our to-do list.  I was thinking what I do, when I only have a short time to grab a quiet reflective few minutes. Here are five ideas to get you thinking about how you can take just five minutes for yourself today.

Go outside and take five deep breaths.

This means literally going outside in the middle of the day - to your garden, onto the balcony outside your apartment, somewhere outside the office where you work, to a park bench, in the middle of your dog walk - and pausing, noticing your surroundings, and then taking five deep breaths:

• With the first breath, relax your shoulders.
• With the second, notice how your breath moves in your body.
• With the third, try to let go of anything pulling on you.
• With the fourth, feel the space you create inside you.
• With the fifth breath, let your mind rest in this space. 

This is the practice that saves me again and again. Noticing. Breathing. Letting go of the day. I use it as first aid several times daily.

Pause for a mug of tea or coffee.

There’s something beautiful about the way your senses are engaged when you drink something warm. A cup of Green Tea does this for me on chilly mornings because the smell and taste hold beautiful memories for me. Consider setting some time aside just for you before everyone gets up or when you have a few minutes for a break in the middle of your day. Choose your favourite coffee or tea blend and make a date with yourself to slow down and be present over your next cup.

Aromatherapy

Add some essential oils into your day. I  sometimes burn some oils you can use in a diffuser to invite more calm to your day. Here are two to try in a diffuser:  Lavender oil for calm and is a good one to use before bed. Peppermint oil can bring your energy up and is nice to use at the beginning and middle of the day as a pick me up.

 

Sing!

Singing helps us get out of the chatter in our heads and raise our spirits.There is lots of evidence that suggest that the  health benefits of singing are both physical and psychological. Singing has physical benefits because it increases oxygenation in the blood stream and exercises major muscle groups in the upper body, even when sitting. Singing has psychological benefits because of its normally positive effect in reducing stress levels through the action of the endocrine system which is linked to our sense of emotional well-being. I am not saying that this is something that you can do anywhere. If you do it outside you may get some odd looks! In the comfort of your own home or garden I think it is OK to sing. I sing along with a few favourite songs that I have on itunes or my ipod and let rip. You've heard the phrase "dance like no-one's looking" well I" sing like there's no one listening"!  The song I turn to depends on what I need - happy, sad or songs that have special meaning. Come on we all have a favourite song we like to sing along to!  We all do it in the car when we are in our own - don't we? Or is it only me?

Nourish your body

A good way to treat yourself is to treat yourself to something special and nutritious. Treat yourself to something really healthy like a green juice or a handful of fresh berries or fruit, some nuts or a small piece of dark chocolate. Stop doing everything else and just be in the moment with your treat of choice. Focus on what you're eating - the smell, the texture, the taste and savour every mouthful slowly! 

These are just some of the ideas I use and may not all be to your own style. I encourage you to think about what simple things you can do, that in a short time, can help you to feel supported in the midst of your day.