32. building self care habits...

​32.

Creating a self-care routine: overcoming common obstacles

Starting a self-care routine can be life-changing, but it often comes with obstacles.

As a coach, I usually meet people when they are in the second stage of their transformation journey - they have contemplated making a change for a while and they have made a decision. They often feel excited and motivated and that is when we start working together. Not long after, we start encountering a few obstacles, especially when the topic is creating self-care or self-love routine.

These are the most common challenges I have noticed:

• Time and money: when people say they do not have enough of it, I actually believe them. Not all of us have the same life circumstances, control over our time or money, we all have some constraints. Now, that said, it is also part of my commitment as a coach to find a solution together and take - however small - step forward.
  
  
• Guilt: another very common challenge is that we (deep inside, sometimes unconsciously) believe a self-care routine is selfish. Especially, when we are used for a long period in our lives to prioritize others, or we believe productivity is linked to our worth.
  
  
• Perfectionism: often when we start a self-care routine, say meditating 10 min before bed, and we skip a few nights, we start beating ourselves and drop the whole process. A great place to remember that making change is about small steps, including the gaps.
  
  
• Archetypes and self view: this one is less obvious but just as common - we are used to being seen and seeing ourselves a certain way. The good person that always sacrifices, the poor-me or powerless role.
  Interestingly enough, it is exactly those of us that need a self-care routine the most.
  

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Well, I would like to make one for myself. What can I include?
                       Personally, I recommend including these 2-3 things. .