Taking time to care for yourself and making time to think
Photo credit: Kate Swanson
Making the time for self-care strategies
It is a belief of mine that the role immersion in nature plays in self-care is not to be underestimated. I believe that setting aside time to be in and engage with nature can have an almost curative impact on our minds and bodies. However, it can be a big ask to ourselves to carve out that dedicated time slot to spend in our natural world; it can seem almost frivolous when our lives demand so much from us.
However, it is no more frivolous than eating healthily, hydrating properly, and exercising regularly; perhaps we can encourage ourselves to see it as a necessary asset to our self-care rather than something that makes us frivolous or selfish. However, immersion in nature is not the only necessary attribute, it is merely a single piece. There are other steps that can help ensure we are taking genuine care of ourselves and that help contribute to meaningful self-care:
Taking Time to Notice
Making Time to Think and Create
Taking Time to Be
Let’s walk through them together.
Taking Time to Notice
Making and creating the space to get outdoors, breathe fresh air, and really, genuinely take note of our surroundings, the beauty that nature offers, can be magical and restorative. It awakens the senses and creates, inside of ourselves, the ability to notice and approach a deeper level of awareness with regard to the world around us.
By doing something physical but not too strenuous, such as walking, we are able to wake up our bodies through movement and help all of our mechanical working parts ease, releasing bits of built up tension that we, perhaps, were unaware were being stored in our bodies.
This awakening allows us to start moving more easily, breathing more deeply, and noticing what care our bodies and minds have been craving and asking us for. However, this does not always come naturally to everyone. If you are unsure where to begin when it comes to walking and getting immersed in nature, I would like to warmly invite any who wish to accompany us to join our next Walking Partnership day. This will take place on 29th February, 2024; please feel free to access more information and details here.
Photo credit: Coco O’Brien
When we surround ourselves with nature, and the tranquillity it can offer, we are giving ourselves a calm environment in which we can start to notice our own selves. The importance of seeing ourselves, and I mean really seeing ourselves, is what allows us to acknowledge the parts of ourselves that are healthy, well, and supported, and notice the parts that may require some adjustments and fine-tuning. By striving to reflect and develop, we show those around us that we care, not just for ourselves but for them, as well. It is very difficult to care for those around us if we haven’t, yet, begun to look after ourselves; the quality of care we can offer is watered-down.
By taking the time and creating the space for self-care, we provide ourselves with a greater ability to notice the needs of others which can help lead to more fulfilling collaborations, communications, and partnerships.
Making Time to Think and Create
Making time to and seeking out a space where we can think can seem like a big ask to many, but it is so often a necessary and restorative aspect of true self-care. The importance of being in a new environment, away from the disruptions and demands of the everyday, can open up fresh possibilities and can provide opportunities for reflection and new ways of and thinking. This can also lead to waves of creativity.
In October, I was fortunate enough to make the time to spend at Quick Landscapes Creative Retreat in the stunning St.Ives, Cornwall led by photographer and entrepreneur Margaret Soraya and Dutch artist Carien Borst, and assisted by photographer Lesley Lintott.
I discovered this retreat after my dear friend, Natalie Shering, and I travelled to Scotland last year for the Creative Light Festival which was led by Margaret. The artists and work that I encountered there inspired me and Margaret convinced me of two things:
To buy a different lens that would help me take the kinds of images that I wanted
That I might enjoy the retreat she was running in Cornwall
I did and enjoyed both.
So much so that Natalie and I have already booked to go on a retreat with Margaret and Lesley on the Isle of Harris in 2024.
This retreat gave me the opportunity and space to think about some of the things that had been taking up room in my mind; the creative aspect gave me the tools to release some of those thoughts through art. In doing so, I was provided with the ability to reflect upon aspects of myself that otherwise may never have come to the surface. Making time to think and create gave me the headspace to just exist, without the demands, stresses, and pressures everyday life can place upon us, and care for myself in a more meaningful way.
Taking Time to Be
Creating a moment and a space in which you can simply exist, is perhaps the hardest of the three self-care strategies shared in this blog. It can sound vague and, in turn, be a frustrating thing to attempt to do. If you are someone who does find this strange then I encourage you to find the curiosity and the courage to try to stick with it. Start close in, start small, take short moments, and create easy spaces, in the knowledge that your way will be personal to you.
With my time in Cornwall, I rediscovered the importance of taking time, making space, and being alone. Meeting people from different places, and getting to know them - and myself - in a different way. It provided a beneficial and important change from the norm, as with my work I am the one who is in the executive coach, facilitator, leader, and mentor role; being led and facilitated by others was such an important part of my self-care.
Although taking time to notice, reflect, and be is an incredible and positive part of self care, those silent, solitary times can be unnerving and unsettling. I found that my sleep was impacted after my busy days, the effect of which was something that I had to take time and sit with; admitting that the changes around me combined with these quiet moments had conjured up things that I had perhaps purposely not sat with for a while, if ever. Despite the fact that I found it a bit unsettling, these moments are so important to capture and take time to be with, and so I made that time to acknowledge and meet that challenge. We will be taking the time to talk about courage in the new year and its role in leadership and collaboration.
I would like to mention that it takes real courage to meet these sorts of challenges, so if you have already done so or are in the process of doing so, I would encourage you to continue.
Your self-care matters
No matter your self-care approach, taking the steps to do it is what matters. Putting yourself first, not in a selfish way but rather in a caring way, by mindfully making the time to think, create, reflect, and just be, can help you better understand your needs, ways of thinking, and wants. By pinpointing our own needs and wants, we can better communicate these to those around us, making us better communicators, partners, collaborators, and leaders.
For more encouraging content on the go;
Being You - a conversation with Henrietta Norton, founder of Wild Nutrition
Being Playful Not Knowing – a conversation with Steve Chapman, creator of Can Scorpions Smoke
