How are you doing today?

I really want to know. Take a moment, and check in with yourself.

Ask yourself how you are “really” doing.

Are you stressed?

Do you feel anxious?

What sensations are you feeling in your body?

Are you hungry?

Are you tired, or well-rested?

Are you tense?

Are you just reading the words because you’re too busy to actually STOP and check in?

I get it, because I’ve been there.

I have near-constant reminders to check in with myself. This process has been essential in my recovery from brain injury.

Today, it is a simple act of self care.

By the way, it is totally normal if you don’t know how you are “really” doing.

In times of stress, our nervous systems protect us by shutting out non-essential feedback. Our brains become accustomed to surviving in this setting, which makes it difficult to drop back in to a state of being vs reacting.

The good news? We can retrain our brains using mindfulness.

That’s right, it only takes ONE MINUTE of mindfulness to decrease stress.

Wow, it’s almost like the Mindful Minute I share every Monday on instagram has a purpose! (hahaha). If you’ve missed them, check out my highlight where I have saved each one. You’re welcome.

We often think that self care needs to be a day at the spa, a stretch session (at Foxy FIT, of course), a massage, or a vacation… when really, self care starts with mindfulness.

I wrote this list of my favorite self care tools this weekend.

I’ve been fighting off the flu for over a week. Even though I was resting, drinking fluids, taking good care of myself, I was completely worn out by Friday. So I needed to write down little ways I could care for myself in this stressful time. You see, I still struggle with perfectionism and have extremely high expectations for myself. Because I’m human, I don’t always meet my expectations (life’s cruel joke of giving a brain injury to a perfectionist is a true growth opportunity). It is easy for me to get discouraged, frustrated, angry with myself, and fall into a pit of these negative feelings.

What I really need to do in these times of stress is practice mindfulness and self care.

So I did. For me this weekend, it meant cancelling plans with incredible friends to just sleep, lie in my swing, and cuddle my dogs (and cry over Cinnamon being so smart).

I cried. I journaled. I got some sunlight and fresh air. I talked to my two wonderful friends on the phone and they let me know they cared and understood (love you guys). I took some commitments off of my calendar for the next few weeks (as I continue to recover, I have to keep checking in on my priorities). I took a lot of deep breaths. I ate nutritious food to help my body heal.

basically, i let myself just be today.

It was nice! And in that space of being, I made this little mindful minute photo. I’m going to fill it out and post it on my instagram story. I’ll also post a blank one so that you can screenshot and post to your story!

Please tag me @drfoxyfit when you post. I love to hear from you!

Thanks for being here. Having the accountability of this community helps me to practice kindness to myself. We are all in this together!