by Melissa Steginus | Featured Contributor
You are a go-getter.
Maybe you’re raising a family, running a business, traveling the world, or stepping into a new chapter in your life. Or maybe all of the above! You’ve got appointments to go to, meetings to attend, and errands to run.
But where exactly do you fall into the mix? Yes, you’re the one doing these things – running around tackling your to do list and conquering the world. But what’s keeping you going?
What’s fueling you?
Every go-getter needs fuel to keep going! That’s where self care comes into play. self care is your fuel–your way to stay centered and grounded in who you are and what you want. (Or, when you don’t feel centered and grounded, it’s your awareness of that and ability to change it.)
Self care is self-investment, provided by you and for you.
A Productive Self Care Process
For me, practicing self care is a simple (not necessarily easy!) 3-step process:
Identify my needs
- Where am I currently investing my time and energy?
- What areas of my life are lacking and in need of my attention?
Explore ways to meet my needs
- What can I do to invest my energy back into myself?
- How can I nurture those “lacking” areas in my life to create more balance?
Practice meeting my needs
- Explore activities that will help to meet my needs. (Yes, this means trying new things!)
- Practice these activities frequently and with intention.
If you have step one mastered but struggle with step three, know that you’re not alone! Be patient with yourself and remember: self care is a practice.
Your practice is yours to define. I encourage you to start today by thinking of your personal definition. What is self care to you? Share in the comments below!
Ready to put your knowledge into practice? Take my FREE Self Care for Productivity class and create an action plan for self care and wellness at work.
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Melissa Steginus is a writer and yoga teacher with a background in social work and a desire to help people live their potential.
A woman of many curiosities, she’s spent the past five years balancing roles in community support and facilitation, behavioural therapy, business operations assistance, content coordination, and more!
Throughout this constant ebb and flow, her purpose has remained the same: to help others live holistically fulfilling lives through connection, exploration, self-awareness, and personal development.
Melissa is now confidently (and with a sigh of relief!) settling into a full-time writing career. She’s also thrilled to be working on her first book, which centers on empowering entrepreneurs through self-care.
When she’s not at her keyboard, you can find Melissa hiking, climbing, and exploring her home on the Canadian west coast.
Melissa Steginus is a mindfulness teacher and productivity coach helping people structure their work and lives to be intentional, empowering, and fulfilling. With a background in social work and over a decade of experience as a counsellor, coach, yoga instructor, and world traveller, Melissa has helped thousands of people transform their personal and professional lives through her workshops, classes, online courses, and individual sessions. Now living blissfully on the west coast of Canada, Melissa develops and teaches workshops on mindfulness and stress reduction for clinicians, entrepreneurs, and students of all ages.
You can find out more, and sign up for her newsletter at melissasteginus.com.
