What is radical self-care and why it matters to you?

Do you struggle to find the time to look after yourself on a regular basis?

Are you constantly looking out for others and putting yourself last?
Or perhaps you find time for some self-care, but secretly feel a little bit guilty?
Or maybe you spend a lot of time on yourself, but still feel that you need more?

You see, for me, 'self-care' is a bit of a broken concept!

A concept perpetuated by magazines and reduced down to 'stuff' you need to do for yourself in order to 'tick' all the self-care boxes...

Honestly, I'm not a fan!

Radical self-care on the other hand, practically makes me swoon as though Simon from Bridgerton has just winked at me ;-)

Because Radical Self-Care... is all about Attitude!

But when magazines talk about 'self-care', it often revolves around long baths in expensive chemicals, massages, and guilt-ridden restrictive diet plans that you need to follow to the letter.

However, for me, it's more than that!

It's more than pampering, sleep, healthy food, trips to the beauty salon, or even your regular yoga classes (though I totally adore all of these too)

Let's face it, if self-care was this simple, you could just follow a plan written for you by somebody else and have done with it.

And yet most of us struggle to find the time or make the commitment to looking after ourselves... WHY?

I believe it's time to get RADICAL about self-care and be honest about what self-care really is...

AND WHY it's so difficult for many of us!

I love the term Radical Self-Care because somewhere within its essence it speaks to me of Courage, Change, Choice and Power.

For me, radical self-care is about committing to the deepest form of nourishment available to you!

It's a feeling that you're enough, and loving yourself enough, to give your needs center stage.

I'm sure you've met someone who spends a fortune on pampering, diets, looks gorgeous... and still isn't happy!

That's the thing with 'self-care'... it doesn't necessarily lead to happiness or contentment.

Radical self-care, on the other hand, does!

And it can be achieved regardless of how much time or money you have at your disposal.

It may take the courage to do things a bit differently... Well, it's not called 'Radical' for nothing ;)

The ultimate aim of radical self-care is to liberate you from anything that doesn't serve you or your soul.

To free you from habits you've just fallen into and help you question your status quo!

For example:

'What are you not saying 'YES!' to because you are spreading yourself too thin in other areas?'

When you commit to radical self-care, it's a work in progress.

It grows, adapts, and develops as you do.

So it's unlikely that any prescriptive plan or regime is going to suit you forever!

Radical self-care is bound to look very different, (and have different challenges) for a new mum than say for a single man or woman...

Radical self-care for an introvert might involve staying in and reading a book... for an extrovert, it might mean a wild crazy night out...

At one time in your life, it might mean cutting out foods that irritate your gut... while on another occasion it may cause you to jack in your job, take a sabbatical, leave a dodgy relationship, book a weekend of pampering, or spend a day walking in the hills.

But whoever you are, and whatever your life situation, I can almost certainly guarantee that you'll benefit from a good dose of Radical Self-Care!

One objection I often get when I talk about Radical Self-Care is:

Anna, isn't this selfish?

I smile and say:

Yes, it is!

But why are we taught that being selfish is bad?

Surely, it’s more selfish to burn out so you can't function properly?

Or to become so tired, stressed and joyless that those close to you only get to see an anxious, exhausted, or snappy version of you?

When you take steps to fill your metaphorical cup first, everyone wins!

So unless you have narcissistic or psychopathic personality traits, I'm pretty sure that you could probably do with a little bit more 'selfishness' in your life.

Initially, it can feel strange, or even wrong, to do things purely for yourself; but why?

Why are we expected to put everyone's needs before our own, especially as parents, caregivers, or empaths?

When you start to practice radical self-care, the first thing you may notice is your boundaries... or perhaps, the lack of them!

If you think you don't have enough time to look after yourself, then I'd to ask you some questions:

How often do you say 'No' to people?
Does saying 'No!' fill you with dread or make you feel mean and unkind?
Do you often agree to help others then silently resent it just a little bit?

Knowing what you're willing (or not willing) to accept takes practice and courage.

However, once you recognize and embrace your needs, you'll no longer have to look to others for approval

You'll no longer feel needy, anxious or selfish if you put your own needs first.

And The Best Thing:

You'll love and adore yourself so much that you'll have abundant love to share.

It'll naturally spill over, and you'll find it easy to be loving and giving when appropriate.

You won't feel drained because you are no longer giving from a place of lack!

Approached like this, Self- Care makes sense on so many levels, and yet it's still so easy to put yourself last!

So I want to challenge you to become conscious of your feelings around radical self-care:

What challenges you?
What makes you feel uncomfortable?
What objections do you get in your head?

Then start to question whether these are 'real' feelings and objections... or just the reactions that you're used to?

It'll probably take a bit of practice (it took A LOT of practice for me ;-) )

But slowly and surely thing will begin to change...

Then it's:

Welcome to feeling better than you’ve ever felt before...

Welcome to more Bliss, Joy, Serenity, Energy, and Choice...