Ready to nourish your mind, body, and soul with self care? This 7 day challenge will incorporate, emotional, physical, mental and spiritual aspects that will aid your mental health and well-being. Looking after yourself is so vital, and we have a tendency to put ourselves last in this fast paced busy world, yet for the following 7 days put yourself first and you will slowly see just how beneficial it is.
Routine is a vital part of this process and so if your day allows, complete the challenge at the same time each day. There is not set time scale to execute the daily challenge, though of course the more you put into each challenge, the more you will benefit.
Social media plays a huge part in how we perceive things, and due to this a social media detox is of so much benefit. Many people diet, restricting their food intake or having more caution of the types of food they eat, so a mental diet is just as important – detoxing negative thoughts and taking caution of what you choose to act on and what you choose to discard – Just think, after 7 days if you feel no benefit, then by all means re install them apps, but I can assure, you will not go back!
You will need: Notebook, pen and the willingness to embrace these 7 days!
In today’s world everyone is influenced by environmental triggers. Many of us wake up and reach for your phones, turn the television on and watch the news, read a newspaper and so on. Instantly we start our days with an external influence, mostly often than not a negative one. Being ‘aware’ is so important, as there are so many outside influences that impact our mental state.
As you go about your day, stop once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once before bed to jot down notes on the day’s events and how they made you feel. Were you stressed, invigorated, overwhelmed? Using your notebook, answer the below questions.
Looking back at your answers. If you feel happy with your answers then this is great news and you are already living a fruitful life and supporting your mental well-being. If on the other hand you’re looking back over your answers and wishing you could start your day again, then this the reason I am sharing this 7 day challenge, to help people like you! Tomorrow we will touch on how we can improve our mental wellbeing with small simple changes to our day.
There are many ways in which we can change, from the way we look, to the way we behave, but very rarely we condenser changing the way we think. The power of positive thinking is huge and has such a vital affect on EVERYTHING! Think back to your last thought that you acted on. What were the variable’s that impacted your decision? The power of the mind is so underrated, and not enough time is spent supporting how it works and how we can use our very own minds to bring us joy and positivity, which in turns has a positive impact on our life, physical health and ultimately mental well-being.
Think back to the way you were raised, you may have had an upbringing that truly encourage positive thinking, though equally you may have also had an upbringing that impacted negatively on your thoughts. Irrespective of the way you were raised, it is today that changes can be made.
Simply jot down, a yes or no to if you feel positive thinking was encouraged during your upbringing. If you wrote ‘yes’ then continue on from this with examples. If you wrote ‘no’, then continue on from this with how you feel your upbringing has affected the way you think.
Read back over your notes and go about your day being contentious of the way your thinking can affect your day.
There are 1440 minutes in the day – but lets be realistic
8 of those we will be sleeping so that now gives us 960 minutes during the day. There seems to be a lot of confusion around ‘self love’ and what level of ‘selfishness’ entitles you to. In fact, many people shy away from ever putting themselves first as a means of ensuring that they aren’t what society/parents/religion/culture says is ‘bad’, which is what we fear the most: being a bad person.
A very wize lady once told me “if you don’t put yourself first, nobody else will” and this really resonated with me. Many of us fear being disliked or seen to put our self first; as this can at times be persevered as being ‘selfish’.
Use this day to spend a whole 60 minutes on yourself, doing something that will add value to your life. Some examples of this could be, going for a walk, messaging a friend, worship, reading and so on.
Over the last 3 days we have focused on the mental impacts, though we can not be fully ‘well’ without the physical aspect also. Physical exercise offers incredible benefits that can improve nearly every aspect of your health from the inside out. Regular physical activity can increase the production of hormones that make you feel happier as well as help you sleep better. For some, you may already have a very vigorous exercise routine, though for others this may not be your thing! I am not saying you need to do 50 sit ups, 5 mile run and swim 75 lengths a day, but simply to get your heart rate going, get your body moving and your mind focused.
You do not need all the expensive equipment, the fancy gym wear; yet simply the motivation to make a change. Set yourself a time today when you’re going to exercise. I have linked below a 10 minute work out, that I can honestly vouch for, that will for sure get your heart pumping and give you that feel good energy you need.
You can of course continue to carry out the free 2 Week Shred Challenging… and I can honestly say; feeling and seeing the benefit is so satisfying, though you can also just do this work out as one off and when you see how much better you feel, you will for sure be doing all the work outs and over a period of time see how not only how it is positively affecting your physical health, but ultimately your mental health… which is the goal!
So far we have touched on external influences, positive thinking, making time for ourselves and physical exercise. How do you feel so far? Do you feel that you are seeing the way you are thinking differently?
Eating well is a form of self respect. It is so easy – especially within the fasted passed environment we live – to binge on food that is of no benefit to our body and furthermore our mind. Think back to a pet you had when you were younger. Did you feed them with goodness and food that was meant for them, or did you feed them scraps and food that was bad for them?
Now think back to your food intake yesterday. Did you eat around your day, or make your day around food? Did you eat at your office desk? Did you eat on the go? Did you get a take out, or a microwave meal? If the answer is no, then I am very impressed and you have great willpower at this stage. If however, your answer to the above is yes, then this is something that can be easily amended. The aim to eating well is to create healthy habits and not restrictions.
The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison – Ann Wigmore (Lithuanian-American Holistic Health Practitioner).
Many of us go through life with friends we have accumulate from school, clubs, work, university, friends of a friend etc, but do the friends you have add value to your life? Are they supportive of you? Are they encourage you? Do they have a positive impact on you?
Going through life alone is no fun, and friendships and companions are an important part of life, but the friends you have in your life, are up to YOU and only you! Scroll through your contact book in your phone and as you do, think to yourself: –
Does [name] add value to my life?
Does [name] have a positive impact on my life?
Does [name] benefit me?
Does [name] support my beliefs?
You may be thinking “Well this is a really selfish way to live” but toxic friendship can be so damaging and impact your whole life in such a negative way. You of course will have many contacts that you do need to keep hold of, but while you may not wish to delete contacts, this task will provide you that realisation that you may have toxic friendships and start you thinking in your new found way of positive thinking.
You should be feeling a sense of achievement by now, for you have made it to day 7. You have stuck with the challenge and seen it through to completion, the part that is left to now do is reflect and maintain these daily challenges in your everyday life going forward. Look back over the notes you have made over the last week to see how your mind set was on day 1, and how it may differ to today on day 7.
Having completed the week challenge, don’t feel you have to stop there, as self care is not just for 7 days, yet for a lifetime. You are worthy of a happy and healthy life and so never doubt that! Head over to my Self Help Material for further reading that can guide you to live a fruitful life.
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