The concept of self-care can be a bit annoying.
Please bear with us on this and we will tell you why.

Self-care is often talked about as a separate activity, going for a county walk, lighting scented candles, taking long baths or going on a spa day.
Exceedingly glorious activities, and we love all of them.

However, we know that when you are busy, maxed out and have deadlines to meet ‘self-care’ feels like the easiest thing to cross off the list and think about another day. And, ironically, it can be when we feel the most burnt out and busy, that we realise we need it.

We are going to show you how you can start right now and use something that you do all the time, nothing to ‘add-in’

In fact, you are already doing it, and it has the power to make you feel so much better, calmer and focused.

You could describe many people as ‘functioning-ly’ knackered.

• Running on too little sleep.
• A drop too much booze.
• A little too much unhealthy food.
• A body you don’t hate but strategically cover well.
• A to-do list that never quite clears.
• Nothing too bad, nothing technically terrible.

Do you recognise any of those?

“You can’t pour from an empty cup”, they say. Well, we know that’s not true because we’ve all done it.
Sometimes for years.
No-one died or went to prison, the house didn’t catch fire and the children are basically OK.

#winning? …well definitely not losing, anyway.

We logically know that looking after ourselves is the obvious non-negotiable and we might even give ourselves a hard time for not doing enough of it.

So, before you ask yourself to add anything else into your day, for now – we want to ask you to stop.

Just stop.

• Wherever you are, in the park, at your desk, wherever.
• Set a timer, shut your eyes and listen to your breath.
• The in-breath then the out-breath.
• The space between the two.
• Nothing else.

How long?

You decide.

A minute.

5 minutes would be good.

15 minutes a day would calm your amygdala response (responsible for fight or flight); reduce your cortisol, help you sleep, balance your hunger and satiety hormones so you lose excess fat, help you focus, help you stay calm, reduce anxiety – make your life better.

By all means; put on a face mask, go for a massage, a facial, a holiday, do your nails and all the rest of it. All of these things are wonderful.

But starting with just listening to your breath will be portable, accessible, free and when it becomes a habit it is a profound way to improve your health and wellbeing

A minute right now would be a great place to start.

Self-care is not an extra to add in, something else to put on the list, it is something to live and breathe.