Machines need outages. Cars need their oil changed. Phones need their batteries topped up. Humans need downtime and energy replenishment too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am not a big fan of the term \u201cself-care\u201d. Somehow it doesn\u2019t really speak to me. It sounds a bit too much like just taking a bubble bath, not like the very necessary need to be able to live a life that is energetically sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not liking the term however, shouldn\u2019t mean throwing the baby out with the bathwater!! Which is what I kind of what I was doing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does this sound familiar? \u201cI don\u2019t have time to go for a run today, because I have to finish this proposal\/preparing this workshop\/answering these emails.\u201d I became stuck in the\u00a0Aggregate Blindness<\/a>\u00a0loop quite a bit last spring \u2013 pushing off one run is no big deal, but losing sight of the accumulated 3 months of doing it is!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how can we live a sustainable life? What are the secrets? And how can we figure out how to unlock the key to our own individual and personal sustainability? \ud83e\udd14<\/p>\n\n\n\n SELF-CARE IS A HABIT…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As James Clear, the Guru of Habits (his\u00a03-2-1 newsletter<\/a>\u00a0is one of the few I read unfailingly each week) wisely wrote: To that end, I have started an accountability group with a few friends. I know I want to develop and prioritize healthy habits, like drinking enough water and getting regular movement during the work day, and having a few trusted friends on the journey with me makes it a lot more fun, as well as a lot more likely to happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n SILENCE…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One aspect of individual sustainability I hadn\u2019t thought about before the summer was silence vs. noise. There is always some sort of sound going on around us. How often do we spend time being silent, and getting to know ourselves better?\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n WISE SELFISHNESS…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was really fortunate to be able to spend three weeks in my favourite place this summer. On Amrum<\/a>. (The header photo is from there this summer). It\u2019s the calmest, quietest, more restorative place I know. For me, it is meditative just being there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n SELF CARE = WE CARE<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I saw this quote from Cory Muscara, it stopped me in my tracks. Because yes, I am that person who can be cranky and terse when I am over-tired. (Hard to imagine, I know!!\u00a0\ud83d\ude09\u00a0) I got into a cycle of working too much, not being able to shut down at night, going to bed too late, not sleeping enough, and then waking up cranky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n So when I saw this quote, the perspective was such a powerful mindset shift for me! That self-care IS we-care. That taking care of myself was actually good for others. And that helped me to start thinking about my choices and my time management from that perspective.\u00a0 PODCASTS…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A few podcast episodes that got me thinking about self-care and individual sustainability:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Happiness Lab<\/a> \u2013 A Daily Workout to Tackle Nagging Self-Criticism WHAT I’M READING…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Being on a Social Media Sabbatical this summer was just the break I needed. I spent a lot more time monotasking this summer \u2013 reading, walking, sleeping, swimming for hours at a time. Restorative and completely blissful! <\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you feel about Individual Sustainability (aka self-care)? Are you intentional about Individual Sustainability (aka self-care)? Are you ensuring that your tank never gets empty? What are your secrets to a sustainable life? I\u2019d love for you to share them!! Be emotional. Stay healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hugs,<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello Friends! Welcome back!! It feels like ages since we last communicated in this way, and I\u2019m thrilled to be back to writing my newsletter and sharing it with you! And thank you for understanding my need for a break. 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\u201cSelf care takes effort. It doesn\u2019t just happen.<\/em>
\u00a0
The body and mind need to be maintained. Similar to a garden, without effort, weeds will pop up and overtake everything.
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With a bit of consistent pruning, the results can be beautiful.\u201d<\/em>
A simple concept, but one that is not always easy to keep sight of. It\u2019s an ongoing thing, not just something you can do on holiday. (Oops! I had rather lost sight of that.) It needs to be a habit. A commitment to and investment in one\u2019s daily physical and mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/CARE-FOR-YOURSELF-1024x1007.jpg\")
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As Erling Kagge puts it in his brilliant book\u00a0Silence in the Age of Noise<\/a>:
\u201c[I] avoid being present in my own life. Instead I busy myself with this or that, avoiding the silence \u2026 rather than holding still and shutting out the world for a single moment.\u201d<\/em>
I tried an experiment this summer. I asked a few friends if they ever spent time in silence. None did. None of us had avoided it intentionally, but in fact we all admitted we were rather afraid to spend time with our own thoughts. So we agreed to give it a go \u2013 spend time in silence and let whatever thoughts come, come \u2013 and we all found that it wasn\u2019t nearly as scary as we\u2019d been expecting!\u00a0
As Kagge puts it,\u00a0\u201cthe quieter I became, the more I heard.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u2665
So I\u2019m using my headphones less these days, and letting my ears hear what nature has to offer. As well as enjoying the silence around me too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/SILENCE-IN-THE-AGE-OF-NOISE.png\")
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But since we can\u2019t be on holiday all the time (and even if we could, I imagine we\u2019d want to mix it up a bit, too!), there is also actual meditation. Dan Harris of the 10 Percent Happier Podcast<\/a> spent time this year with the Dalai Lama, and produced a free meditation course called The Dalai Lama\u2019s Guide to Happiness<\/a>. One of the sessions is named \u201cWise Selfishness\u201d and I love that title. We think of selfishness as negative. And yet, being entirely selfless<\/strong> can be just as detrimental. How do we balance the two? Wise Selfishness makes me think of doing right by myself, as well as by others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Dalai-Lama.png\")
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\u00a0
Because as the Buddha said, \u201cIf your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wellness with Ella<\/a> \u2013 An episode on how self-discipline is self-love and to act according to your priorities, not what your friends advise.
Caffeine for the Soul<\/a> \u2013 Self-Compassion
Smarter Leben<\/a> \u2013 Selbstf\u00fcrsorge (in German)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I read so many good books this summer that I\u2019ll be recommending them over the next few newsletters!\u00a0
I am going to start with one of my favourites of the summer: Ruth Ware\u2019s\u00a0One By One<\/a>. Ware\u2019s website describes it as a \u201ctwisty, page-turning whodunnit\u201d and that\u2019s exactly what it is!! I stayed up way past my bedtime reading this, completely gripped by the story and wanting to know what happened.\u00a0
\u00a0
The story opens with the news that 4 people are suspected to have been murdered while in a chalet in the French Alps during a snowstorm and subsequent avalanche that knocks out power and cell phone reception, and burying a group of 12 inside their chalet. You know from the outset that 4 people die (I\u2019m not spoiling the story) but not who, why or who the murderer is.\u00a0
It was a face-paced, rather believable story, and I was hooked right from the beginning. I\u2019ve read a few of Ware\u2019s other novels and this one was by far my favourite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/one-by-one-ruth-ware-1.png\")
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The fall is always such an inspiring time of year for me. I love that back-to-school feeling! It feels like a fresh start with healthy intentions.\u00a0
Wishing you a wonderful September, and lots of energy-sustaining moments!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"signature\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Julia.Signature.png\")
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