Good Weather, Good Mood.

Good Weather, Good Mood; A reminder for dynamic care

Howdy Austin and Happy New Year! Winter is upon us and like many-seasoned Austin folks; I was quick to take advantage of the glorious sunny and cool weather today. Maybe I absorbed a few too many rays, but what a great pleasure it was to take a bit of time for myself. Chalk it up to a bit of self-care. I have noticed self-care coming in my work with clients. What does it really mean to take time out for one’s self?

You may find yourself saying: “Taking time out for myself is selfish!” or “I don’t have time to take time out for myself!” or “Self-care, who needs that?”

I would ask you to consider expanding your definition of self-care as reaching beyond the basics and becoming a dynamic, vital, and engaging process with yourself in relation to the world. While often self care may appear as secondary to work, school, family, etc. its lowered priority may actually be zapping your resources to manage work stress and family demands. In short, self-care is vital to maintaining your health and creating a balanced dynamic life. I call this dynamic care as it opens the idea of the care we give to ourselves as ever changing, growing and developing. This idea also applies to our relationships, also dynamic in nature and requiring care to maintain their resiliency. Often it is easy to find us in a rut, habituated by our everyday mundane routines and patterns. Dynamic care is our toolbox of pro-active methods to help keep our relationship with our own selves fresh, as well as our relationship with others.

So, while the weather is fine, consider taking the family out for a walk, or taking your lunchtime outside and invite a friend. And where good weather can create good mood, time outside or to yourself can reduce stress, improve self-esteem, increase positive communication, boost wellness, improve relationships and more! Want more ideas? Check out http://www.innerworkspublishing.com/news/vol1/selfcare.htm and Emily Long’s Extreme Self Care ideas! http://healingspaces.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/100-extreme-self-care-ideas/

Add another level of dynamic care by reassessing your self-care techniques occasionally to see if some of the ways you spend your time now might be spent in other ways to help recharge your energy.

I am dedicated to improving the world we live in. Throughout the year I will provide other useful tips to increase your health and happiness.