There are arguably 10 areas in our life that require attention, areas we need to take care of or we will find ourselves experiencing much bigger problems.
We have all heard about how having a balanced lifestyle is the key to happiness, but that does not mean that you're going to be absolved of crappy things being thrown at you!
But having things in balance means at least you won't fall over at the first or tenth hurdle. How do you know when your life is pretty balanced?
You'll experience being "in flow". Everyday feels fairly simple or at least not stressful. It will be enjoyable, you feel energised yet calm, no feelings of overwhelm you take the day as it comes but steer it to how best suit you.
In no particular order
Spiritual wellbeing can give you space to think, meditate, to unveil who you are. Maybe a time for prayer & practicing gratitude.
Personal self care can be exploring what you want from life, maybe your thoughts & belief systems are changing or evolving. Having a dream of where you want to be in the next few years & an idea of how you can get there. Even if you don't know how it doesn't matter, just know that you want this with every fibre of your being & take some steps towards it - magic can happen! Your core values might be stronger than ever & you might be studying or moving through a series of huge self development.
Physical self care means we pay attention to what we consume, putting mostly good stuff in is a no brainer. How we move every day, means we have a better chance of being able to keep doing so for a long time to come.
Social wellbeing has been a funny one this past year some of us living alone with little social connections, some of us squashed in together. Often daytime TV & social media has been a live lifeline bringing camaraderie, empathy & support. New friends have been made & older ones have tiptoed gently away, as the old saying goes: We have 3 kinds of friends. Friends for a reason, for a season and friends for a lifetime. That's ok, that is life.
Relationship wellbeing with our nearest & dearest has been challenged just as much. With many new babies and many separations the light has been well & truly lit on our closest partnerships.
Mental & emotional self care incorporates much of the above. Have you developed more resilience, can you better articulate your feelings & do you feel like you have better coping mechanisms?
Social media wellbeing, a new breed of envy & judgemental exchanges or a comforting world of inclusivity?
Professional wellbeing is undergoing continual adjustments as we start up or end businesses, feel lost in furlough, flat out in essential services or trudging through the treacle of WFH.
Practical wellbeing is one of my personal favourites as I love a clean, tidy, organised house. Love being at home & have managed to create a lovely office space.
Financial Wellbeing - If you weren't into budgeting before the massive changes we have all been through & will continue to navigate, then surely now is the time to respect the ebb & flow of your money?
Why?
Zig Ziglar said:
There's a great article on Mind.co.uk that explores the relationship between mental health & financial health. You can read the full article here https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/money-and-mental-health/money-and-mental-health/
The short story is that the two are inextricably linked & for sure having money worries is a huge contributing factor to sleep problems, relationship problems & your world can spiral if you don't have a handle on your money.
So what is Financial Self Care? In a nutshell it's actively managing your incoming & outgoings to the point where it's moving you in the right direction for wherever you want to go.
Being in debt is frightening, the feelings you experience can be debilitating. Many businesses have & will go under in the next several months. Cut backs, job losses, cutting hours, no pay rises... I mean this journal could be very depressing but I don't want it to read that way.
Proactively respecting your finances makes a huge difference to your life. If you've ever run a business or been a manager within one, you will have experienced a profit & loss report, maybe a cashflow forecast, got involved with securing funding & of course finding ways to trim down expenses.
Your home finances really are the same although a p&l looks different it is essentially your budget plan. Your net profits what you have to spend once all your essentials are paid out.
How differently would your life be if you treated your finances like a business? A cashflow enables you to look forward 12 months & pre-empt problems ahead of time so you can figure out what to do.
Would you have enough to invest, to save, to spend on lovely things you've gone without? Would it help you to worry less, make better decisions or at least have a clear head knowing what's what?
5 simple ways to take some action with your Financial Self Care:
Want more?
Check out our 20 ways in 20 days to streamline your money series, join our facebook page & group for ongoing conversations & also our shop where you can begin your budgeting plan with a ready made printable that has everything on it you will need for a full audit!
Would love to know how you get on - we're here for you!
Lucy x
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