The Practice of Self-Care
Self-care is incredibly important. But it is not always easy.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Self-care means taking the time to do things that help you live well and improve both your physical health and mental health. This can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness, and increase your energy.”
As we seek to balance the busyness of our lives with caring for ourselves, I appreciate that the topic of self-care has become more openly discussed, and that people feel not only comfortable talking about, but also liberated to explore and share their own methods and modalities more freely.
Theory vs. Practice
But the truth is, as simple as it may sound in theory, self-care in practice can be extremely difficult. For many of us, prioritizing our own health and wellness above the other things (or people) in our lives, is something we have to learn, or re-learn.
I used to find myself feeling a strong resistance to investing my time and money into myself. But it was something I decided that I needed to change. I should note that starting to develop my self-care practice is deeply entwined with my physical health journey. I wasn’t feeling well in my body and knew I needed to make serious changes.
Which led me to regenerative health and my work as a practitioner. Over the years I have experimented with many different versions, modalities, and methods of self-care. And have spent a lot of time and energy to find the right team of people to support me along the way. This is a fluid process that will always be continuing as I learn and grow, and need different supports.
As someone who is naturally drawn to community, the beauty of many of the self-care practices that I have come to learn over the years are things that I may also share with and teach my family, friends, and now as a practitioner, my clients.
It feels good (and right for me) that my self-care practices enable me to support others on their own self-care journeys.
My Self-Care Practices
Self-care can manifest itself in so many ways. It’s about finding what feels good for you. It will likely change over time - and even with the seasons. Below is a list of some of my self-care practices. I’ve included links if you’d like to learn more.
If you have any questions, I’m always happy to hear from you. You can send me an email at office@jillianabraham.com and I’ll get back to you.
Food as Nourishment
My relationship with food and taking action to eat a clean nourishing diet changed everything - my physical, mental and emotional health!
Today it’s the core of my self-care practice.Each step along the way plays a role. Selecting (or growing) the foods, preparing meals for me and my loved ones, and savoring what my body needs and wants.
I share some of my favorite easy-to-make recipes, and if you are looking for some support in your diet, book a free call.
Superfood Supplements
Supplements! What can I say? My daily supplements are one of the most important aspects of my self-care. It’s my daily maintenance and the extra boost I take when I’m a little more stressed that usual, or if I can feel a cold or sickness coming on.
Purium is my gold standard. My daily smoothies are Dark Berry Protein and Power Shake. ZincAide, C from Nature, and Can’t Beet That are three of my favorites for the extra boost when needed.(If you use my code strengthandbalance you can save $50 on your first order.)
I know supplements can be overwhelming! I’m available to assist in ordering for your specific needs and desires.
Quiet Time and a Soothing Cup
My calendar is full. Between running my regenerative health practice, completing my Master’s degree, running a farm, being a parent and partner, a leader in my community - it’s important I build in some quiet tech-free time.
Cozying up with a cup of tea or Rasa in the winter, or sitting out in the sun in the summer with an iced tea replenishes me. Did you know we also make and sell our own tea?
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy came into my life after a rotator cuff injury. It is now a regular part of my self-care practice. It helps when your partner is a massage therapist!
Massage is one of my highest recommended modalities to clients - find a massage therapist in your area that you enjoy working with.
Skin Care
Something as simple as washing your face is a beautiful form of self-care. It doesn’t need to be time consuming or costly. But taking a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes before bed to wash my face and put on some moisturizer is a ritual I am grateful for.
And my skin thanks me for it!
I get most of my products from a local business, No. 19. Natural, clean, super nice.
Natural Warmth
Food and supplements are two things I put in my body as a self-care practice. But I also consider what I put on my body as self-care, too.
Especially during the winter.
Living in a cold part of the world, the act of dressing in warm wooly clothing soothes me and keeps me toasty.
Holistic Chiropractic Care
Dr. Dominique Desrochers is absolutely incredible! That’s all i have to say. I go see her for chiropractic care and a biodynamic resonance technique!
This is an extremely powerful energetic healing form based on kinesiology - muscle testing.
Somatics, Movement, Meditation & Yoga
My daily movement as self-care includes a few different things. Somatics, yoga, stretching, meditation. It’s always growing, adapting, and changing.
I love Asana Rebel and it’s under $40/year right now -there are 2-45 minute mediations, core workouts, yoga classes, general stretching for any time of day. You choose how you want to feel (energized, relaxed, etc) and it recommends videos! There are recipes too. And it’s not AI…it’s real people :)
I’m also a part of my friend Jen’s Skool platform here, called The Resilient Practitioner for yoga and meditation. You can join for free, too!
Daily Exercise
I’ve been going to Green Mountain Community Fitness. If I don’t have time for both cardio and resistance training, I switch between them. Though, I always run on the treadmill, even for just 10 minutes…it’s easy and I can challenge myself as much (or little) as I want but my heart rate gets up and I sweat!
During the pandemic I invested in a Peloton - can’t say enough about the bike, it’s classes…well, and Bradley Rose…he’s just cheeky.
Weekly Sauna
I’ll be honest, it’s a main reason I go to the gym.
Fellow Vermonters - have you checked out Drip Culture in Waitsfield?
Infrared sauna has a lot of benefits to our health.
Community!
Spending time with friends and nurturing connection. It’s so important to my overall wellbeing.
It can be a 2 minute phone call, or a whole day event. But priortizing this in our lives is what connects us to who we are, and shifts our perspectives by seeing a bigger picture rather than perhaps a tunnel vision of our own daily grind.
Further Education
This one is such a large part of my self-care. Learning fuels me! What do you read, study and love?!
Monthly advanced trainings with the Institute of Regenerative Health
Training for Biodynamic Resonance Technique
Grad school for Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Study and use my training with Dr Aimee Apigian, 21-Day Journey, All Parts of Me - programs within Trauma Healing Accelerated.
Study and use my training with Shirzad Charmin and Positive Intelligence.
Investing in Myself
I had (and still sometimes have) so many fears about the time and money I was spending on these practices. But what I’ve learned is that if I don’t take the time for myself, my symptoms creep back into my life. Through my self-care practices I have learned that I am not simply spending money on myself. I am investing in myself. And in fact, what a beautiful way to honor the time and energy I put into actually generating that money.
The only way I can creatively, actively, move forward in my life with a healthy mind and body, is through investing my time, energy, and resources in me.
And I’m so grateful for it.
How To Develop Your Own Self-Care Practice
Option 1: A self-led exercise
Are you feeling motivated to develop your own practice? Let’s start with a little self-reflection.
Snag a piece of paper and set a timer for two minutes.
I want you to write down as many ideas as you can of what you would like to try as self-care. The skies are the limit!
Think as small as taking five minutes in the morning for meditation or making a daily smoothie, to as big as weekly massage appointments or doing a yearly wellness retreat somewhere sunny and warm!
After you have your list, I want you to pick out one thing you would like to try this month. Go ahead and circle it.
After you try it, I want you to come back to this page and write your thoughts on it.
If it feels like something you’d like to continue - amazing!
If not, you now have a whole list of ideas to select from.
Option 2: Schedule a free discovery call with me
If the thought of developing a self-care practice on your own sounds inaccessible for you to do right now, let’s connect.
I'd love to meet you, hear your story, and support you in any way you need. Together we can work through the challenges holding you back, and chart a path forward. We will have you developing your self-care practice in no time. Simple steps lead to major changes.
You can schedule a free discovery call with me to explore how I can guide you along on this journey.
I hope this inspires you to reimagine self-care as not only a priority on the to-do list but as a way of life.
