New to self-care practices? Don't make this mistake.

For most of us, our self-care journeys start when we're kids, and it happens in the most unconscious way. Maybe our kindergarten teacher teaches us to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" - our first introduction to the body scan. Maybe we're given a diary on our 11th birthday, and start writing angsty little pre-teen thoughts in it after school every day.

If you think back, can you see the childhood habits that have led you to where you are now?

Sure enough, when I started really focusing on my well-being in my twenties, I brought those habits with me. 

I did my body scans from head to toe. I continued writing and journaling, especially on days when I'm pissed off. I read books and watched movies to distract myself from unhelpful thoughts. I prepared well and solved problems ahead of time so I wouldn't subject myself to unnecessary stress.

And all of these self-care strategies are great when used at the right time. 

But they all have one thing in common that made them not ideal for someone who was just starting out in their self-care journey: they are all focused on the head or mind!

I eventually needed to revamp my entire self-care routine in my late twenties because I didn't have a solid enough foundation to make those more cerebral or head-focused strategies work for me long-term. Something was missing. 

Now, here's what I recommend for anyone who's trying to add some self-care or wellness to their lifestyle:

Start with your feet, and work your way up.

Here's why.

Most of us learn that stress starts and exists in the mind, so a lot of focus is placed on making that part of your body feel better. But what ends up happening - especially if you're new to self-care - is that you end up trying to think your way out of thinking!

Before we add on the more mind-based strategies, we need to start with the literal foundation of our body: our feet. 

Your feet is the part of your body that's the furthest from your head, and that's exactly why I want you to focus on them.

Bringing your attention to your feet is the best way to draw attention away from your head... so you can stop THINKING and start FEELING what's actually real in the rest of your body! Your body's sensations are much more real than your stressful thoughts.

Our entire body - not just the head or brain - receives and experiences stress. And it will be nearly impossible to ease our mind if we don't first ease our body.

If our body feels safe, our mind will feel safe too. Got it?

So make sure you've got a strong foundation to your self-care routine: stop thinking, and start feeling, starting with your feet. (You can always add the more "heady" stuff back in once you've got this down.)

Here are a few simple things you can do at work or at home, at any time of day, to attend to your feet:

1. Sit or stand with both feet planted flat on the ground. Actively and evenly press your heel, small toe mound, big toe mound, and each toe into the floor. Just feel that secure connection between your feet and the floor for a few breaths. This is how it feels to be grounded - literally. Oftentimes, you'll notice that you'll feel more emotionally grounded once you're physically grounded.

2. Sit or stand naturally. Simply check in with how your feet are feeling. Are they cold? Warm? Throbbing? Is your toe itching? Do they need a stretch or a massage? Are they feeling pressure from your shoes, or from how they're positioned on the floor? The sensations of your feet will give you so much information about what your body needs, like, right NOW. 

3. Give yourself a foot massage. Many of us carry tension in our feet. (And many of us like to wear shoes that squeeze our feet into unnatural positions!) Start by rubbing your thumbs over the arch of one foot, and work your way out towards the edges, in whatever way feels good to you. I promise it's gonna feel SO good, especially if you haven't given yourself a foot massage in awhile... or ever. 

I love these feet-focused self-care rituals because it's almost impossible to do them wrong! They're super concrete and super beginner-friendly.

Even as someone who's been on her self-care and wellness journey for over a decade, I still practice these rituals - because they just WORK. They get me out of my head, out of unproductive thought cycles, and back into what's real.

AND, they barely take any time at all. Perfect for the busy woman who doesn't have time for self-care. ;)

I challenge you to try all 3 of the exercises above, and then let me know which one's your favorite right now. I hope you'll find as much relief from them as I have!

Here's to going back to basics,
Diana

P.S. Have a friend who’s “too busy” for self-care? Link her to this blog post. Sharing is caring. <3