I have written many times about the importance of self-care as one of the two pillars of success. My client and colleague, Gale O’Brien, knows this first-hand, as she is a cancer survivor and health advocate. To your health! Janis

Why the Care of Yourself Matters Most

by Gale O’Brien

My cancer journey taught me the importance of self care. I realized more than ever that I needed to take care of myself so that I could have the energy to get through my cancer treatments. Taking a new attitude toward my diet increased my awareness of how good health affected me, and that choice built upon itself daily. I researched what else I could do to develop better health, and began to properly care for myself. In turn, I felt happier and hopeful about my future. As an added bonus, I lost 25 pounds and became physically fit for the first time in my life.

Self care begins with you! Here are seven practical steps to make self care your #1 priority:

1. Focus on health and feeling well.

   Stop obsessing over external appearances and obtaining an ideal body, and instead focus on the way being healthy makes you feel and what it gives you. You’ll find a deeper sense of gratification and more motivation to stay on track. You’ll also begin to lose tolerance for the way unhealthy choices make you feel.

2. Feed your body exceptional food.

   Food is a major vehicle for toxic substances to find their way into our bodies. Feed your body nourishing food so that you always feel your best, and remove the worries of disease and poor health. This includes taking daily nutritional supplements that raise and sustain your energy level, manage inflammation and provide a healthy balance of vitamins and minerals. I recommend the Lifelong Vitality Pack from doTERRA. You’ll want to nourish your body because you are grateful for it, so healthy choices will come with ease.

3. Exercise daily. Yes, DAILY!

   Reframe the way you look at diet and exercise as something wonderful you do for yourself, rather than a way to punish your unhealthy choices. Prioritize your daily schedule to allow for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity EVERY day. Start by taking classes at your local gym or community center three times a week. Then add thirty minutes of fast walking, twice a week, to your schedule. Finally, use the two remaining days of the week for exercising socially (hiking with your partner, dancing with friends, bicycling through your neighborhood, running in local races or participating in charitable walkathons).

4. Make time to meditate.

   Meditate to get in touch with your emotions, to connect with the bigger picture, and to feel at peace. Meditation purifies and strenthens your heart. It steadies your nerves and helps us embrace our fear and our anger, and that is very healing.
   

   Deepak Chopra says…
   “Meditation makes the entire nervous system go into a field of coherence.”

5. Treat yourself the way you’d treat someone you love.

   Our subconscious mind hears our self-talk and responds to it in a similar way, so make sure your self-talk is loving, supportive, nurturing, and forgiving. Look in the mirror everyday and repeat the phrase “I am deserving and worthy of all good things, and I accept myself unconditionally.”

6. Stay positive and show gratitude.

   Learn to catch and release negative thoughts about your body and to focus on the good that it brings you every single day. Show gratitude by focusing on what you have accomplished. Listing your achievements instead puts your focus on what is going right, which in turn motivates you to do more.

7. Love yourself first and the rest will follow.

   Learn to love yourself by reciting daily affirmations. Once you begin to treat yourself with the respect and care that you deserve, the habits needed for physical transformation develop naturally.

Ask yourself, “What will the quality of my life be if I put my self care last?” I implore you to take action now by making your self care your #1 priority instead of waiting until you are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

Gale O’Brien is a cancer survivor, motivational speaker and the award-winning author of Transformation: Creating an Exceptional Life in the Face of Cancer now available in both English and Spanish. Transform your life each month with timely tips on food, health, fitness, relationships, and work. Subscribe to the Transformation monthly newsletter or order her book by visiting: www.GaleOBrien.com.