Remember that I introduced you to the Life Wheel a while back? It’s a worksheet that helps you identify where you stand in all areas of life and where you might need some work. If not, you can download it here.

Today I want to introduce you to a different kind of wheel: the Circle of Self-Care.

Your circle of self-care is basically the foundation of your life.

The different elements all contribute to your happiness, balance and overall wellbeing.

There are different slices to the Self-care pie:

  • Create
    • What you are good at and love to do
    • Your creativity, your purpose
    • Your hobbies, your curiosity
  • Connect
    • Who you interact with – who gives and drains your energy
    • Your connections and community – your tribe
  • Care
    • How you take care of yourself (physically, mentally, spiritually)
    • What feeds you and makes you feel safe
  • Calm
    • The things that ground you
    • Your balance and peace
  • Communication
    • How you show up in the world.
    • Your self awareness and authenticity
    • Your voice
  • Clarity
    • Your intention in life (what you want and where you wan to go)
    • Your values (what you stand for) and boundaries (what you will not accept)

EXERCISE

So what I want you to do today or this weekend, is take a pen and paper and write down for each category a list of things that feed you, that support you, that support your foundation.

I’ll give you a few examples of mine.

Create:

  • Paint, doodle, make art
  • Create and organise workshops that help women and creatives

Connect:

  • Meet with my friends for good food and good talks and provocative questions
  • Spend quality time with my teenage boys (challenging but so rewarding)
  • Call my parents more often now that they are getting older

Care

  • Regular exercise – adapted to my mood (ie, a softer body balance when I don’t feel like going for a run)
  • A bath
  • An afternoon of no plans but just a cup of tea and a book
  • Dance, sing, move, ground
  • Healthy food

Calm

  • Systems that simplify life and create space and calm
  • Reading
  • A walk in the woods

Communication

  • Being authentic, even when difficult
  • Share my story, experience and learning
  • Continuous learning and growth

Clarity

  • Choose a word of the year, create a visionboard
  • Daily intention setting
  • Setting clear boundaries

The things on this list can be small or big.

The goal is to create the awareness and then making sure these elements are added into your life daily.

If you are not sure where to start or how to do this, let me know and I’d be glad to help you.