My friend Kamal Ravikant wrote a best selling book about how loving himself saved his life.
I encourage you to read it as part of your self-care.
Recently a friend asked me, “What the heck do people mean by ‘self-care’ anyways?”
Good question… it’s a vague term thrown around…
And like “work-life balance”, everyone has a different definition.
It’s defined for me as what I need to function as a “Pro Athlete Entrepreneur”…
Self-care provides the recovery and personal optimization so that I could play “overtime” every day if needed, while also providing the tools to finish/win the game in regulation time each day.
Specifically, for me, self-care means…
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- A morning meditation (after my first work session)…
- My daily lunchtime workout, green smoothie, and reading…
- One thinking walk per day (usually with Daisy the Dog) without “inputs” (ie. no podcasts)…
- 7 hours sleep… the right food… and a few supplements (vitamin D, greens powder, fish oil)…
- And tons of laughing, dancing, and device-free time with Michelle…
Is this self-care plan right for you?
Definitely not…
Besides, you better keep your hands off Michelle, LOL!
But seriously…
It takes self-reflection and introspection to know what is right for you.
It also requires a NOT to-do list… which can be as – if not more – important than the To-Do List.
After all, what good is a morning meditation if I slept 4 hours and had 6 drinks the night before?
So with all that said, do some thinking, testing, and tracking to find the self-care to support you.
And remember… it’s not about doing more and
doing all the things (otherwise you could spend 12
hours in self-care stuff all day).
PS – Breathing is a key to self-care and reducing COVID stress and anxiety…
There are many simple methods.
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- Four seconds in, six seconds out, repeat 6 times … this is great for simple situations
- Four seconds in, seven second hold, eight seconds out… repeat 3-6 times to ‘calm down’ … or repeat 9-12 times to fall asleep faster at night
- Six seconds in, six second hold, six second out, six second hold… repeat 6 times to calm down
Stay strong and push on,
Craig Ballantyne
P.P.S: 