At Spiritual Quest we believe it’s important to take time to check in with ourselves. We understand that life can be busy and things can get in the way, so here is a gentle reminder from us to you, to take a little time today and reflect on your self-care. You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘you can’t pour from an empty cup’ many a time. Think about it…from the moment we wake, we are continuously giving our energy to family, friends, work and life in general. If we don’t take time to replenish ourselves we can effectively ‘burn out’. The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to improve your self-care and overall well-being.

The Seven Pillars of Self-Care

We think the simplest way to look at self-care is to imagine seven pillars: emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, environmental, recreational and social. Each of these representing a different aspect of your life that needs to be nurtured. Let’s explore these a little more…

Emotional – Relates to your ability to acknowledge, process and reflect on your feelings, or matters of the heart. By strengthening your emotional pillar you begin to understand yourself better; giving you the strength to deal with set backs or challenges, as well as developing healthy emotional responses.

Mental – Mindset is everything! Creating a positive mindset through mindfulness techniques can have a significant impact on our stress levels. It can also increase our creativity and knowledge.

Physical – Probably the one that most people think of when they hear ‘self-care’. This pillar covers everything from exercise, nutrition, hygiene and sleep.

Spiritual – Something that we at Spiritual Quest are huge advocates of…your spiritual growth. It’s the practices that allow us to nourish our soul; giving us purpose, direction and bringing meaning to our lives.

Environmental – Our living and working environments can have a huge impact on our head-space. Take a look at your environment. How do they look or feel? If they are cluttered, there’s a good chance that’s how you’ll feel too. Take time to clear these spaces and it’ll help bring you the clarity you need.

Recreational – As we age, we often forget about the little things that used to bring so much joy. Taking time to nurture your inner child with hobbies and activities that re-energise, will help you escape from day to day stresses and allow you to enjoy the simple pleasures in life once more.

Finally, Social – Our connections with others are so important for our self-care. Building positive, meaningful relationships with people who ‘get you’, can have an overwhelming impact on your life. Surround yourself, as much as you can, with people who bring you a sense of self-acceptance and belonging.

Take a moment to reflect on the points raised above. Think about what your current self-care practice looks like and what pillars you think could do with a little nurturing. Next, we’ll talk you through some very simple ways you can improve your self-care regime.

How to improve your self-care regime

There are so many wonderful things you can do to support and strengthen your pillars of self-care. It’s about finding the things you enjoy and those you know you’ll be able to easily incorporate into your life. Below is just a small selection of the things we like to do at Spiritual Quest to support our self-care.

• Daily meditation
• Connecting with nature by going for a walk, or spending time in the garden/park
• Gentle exercise – Qi Gong, yoga, swimming and hitting the gym are favourites here
• Journalling
• Listening to music
• Bathing with Himalayan bath salts
• Spend time on hobbies and interests
• Spending time with family and friends
• Connecting to higher powers through spiritual and/or religious practice
• Clearing the clutter – Let the spring clean commence
• Eating regular nutritious meals and drinking plenty of water
• Rest and getting a good amount of sleep
• Disconnecting from technology and social media for a little time each day

We’ve got you covered

Here at Spiritual Quest we have everything you need to enhance your self-care practice from amazing well-being products to courses and workshops designed to inspire you to lead a more meaningful life. Take a look at these wonderful products and workshops we have coming up. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Pop in, browse online or give us a call on 01372 878 606 and we’ll be happy to help you.