In my ‘Who is the Fiery Explorer’ page, I explain I want to share my view on Fiery living, and maintain a truthful narrative. We all know that life does not only consist of sunshine and happiness. I believe living a #fiery life goes beyond the beautiful pictures on Instagram, and we all have our struggles and have periods when we are not OK and a little lost.
One of my 2017 #Doing Sh*t resolutions is taking better care of myself, as 2016 was not a great year mental health wise. So far, I have taken many steps to enable myself to get better, and one of these initiatives has been to focus more on self-care. Self-care for me is about asking myself often ‘what do I need and what do I want to do’? Especially when feeling sad or anxious, I try and pay special attention to this. Below are a few of the ways I practice self-care, and that provide me comfort and peace when needed. Remember, there is no ‘right’ way of doing this – as long as you find ways which feel right and work for you!
Walks outside: I live near Katendrecht in Rotterdam, which is a perfect place to go for walks along the river. Often when feeling anxious I put on my coat, and go for a 5KM walk along the river. The physical activity helps create the ‘happiness hormones’ your body releases when working out. In addition, my coach says focusing on smaller things around such as birds, boats and other activities, helps ground you in the moment and relax.
Staying in & cooking a nice meal for myself: I’ve had a few #selfcare Friday’s now, and these really do work! After a long week at work, I cook myself a nice meal, buy a good wine and then settle in for a fun movie or series (Anthony Bourdain is a favorite). Later I’ll often give myself a manicure of put on a face mask. It feels good to unwind and take good care of myself.
Audiobooks & podcasts: If I’m feeling anxious or am unable to sleep, focusing on someone else’s words helps me to relax. I listen to them when getting ready for bed, or cleaning up my apartment. When travelling it helps to distract me from the nervous activity on airplanes and airports…and sometimes even puts me to sleep on a plane!
Going to the gym: Especially training with my trainer helps me get out of my head and focus purely on me. Working on getting stronger and fitter also feels good! It’s the same reason why walks work – the supply of happy hormones (endorphins, dopamine and serotonin) helps regulate your mood, reduce anxiety and improve your concentration.
No hurry Sundays: I try not to plan anything in advance on Sundays, and go with the flow and energy I have when I wake up. I’ll generally start with preparing a nice breakfast for myself. Depending on my energy and what I feel like doing, I will go for a walk, meet up with friends or have an quiet day at home. The point is to make sure that I have one day a week when I don’t have to do anything…and can do whatever I want!
I hope you enjoy the wellness and fiery living posts as well! It’s still scary to share more personal stories, but hope that sharing these might inspire others in their #fiery living journey!
Beijo,
Flávia
