Imagine owning a plant. A plant needs water, soil and sunlight in order to thrive. Depriving the plant of adequate water, fertile soil or direct sunlight would cause it to wilt and weaken. Like a plant, you need to provide yourself with certain tools and ingredients to flourish and grow. Your relationships, friendships, career path and overall quality of life can suffer when you're not taking care of yourself or aren't in tune with how you're feeling.

Here are a few easy and effective tips you can use to practice self-care.

Take your temperature: Your emotional temperature, that is. Imagine your temperature on a scale of 0-100. Zero means that things are going well and there are no major stressors affecting you. 100 represents feeling that you are faced with a catastrophic situation, and feeling as if you may actually explode. When stressful situations occur, our emotional temperature can rise very quickly and if not monitored, can lead to potentially unhealthy or harmful results. Practicing taking your emotional temperature when you're not in a crisis situation can be a very effective way to implement this skill.

Get a full night's rest: Never underestimate the power of a good night's sleep. Sleep is a critical piece of self-care that tends to get neglected. According to The National Sleep Foundation, young adults and adults need a solid 7-9 hours of uninterrupted rest in order to charge up for the following day. Giving your mind and body a full night's sleep is essential to optimal functioning. Imagine letting your smart phone’s battery run low without ever plugging in?? You wouldn’t do that to your phone, so why do it to your body?

Take time for yourself: We are all stretched so thin in today's world. We take on the roles of friends, partners, parents, children, associates, mentors, bosses and the list goes on. Taking time for yourself is a very important element in self care. Whether it's reading a book, or unplugging from social media off for the afternoon, taking time for yourself is one way to recharge and feel more prepared to work through issues or challenges. Oh – and lose the guilt! You deserve to recharge and renew.

These are just a few strategies you can implement on a daily basis that will help you feel more grounded and prepared for life's ongoing challenges. So treat yourself as well as you would your plant or your phone!

Blessings for great self-care!

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