Click here to listen to Episode 42
In the trenches
Rise and shine 6er,
Some of us juggle large portions of our time and energy into our work and our loved ones, which, if we’re not mindful, leaves little time for ourselves. Sometimes we give away too much only to realize the harmful effects of being burned mentally and emotionally drained when it’s already too late.
Successful and happy people know that prioritizing self-care ensures being able to be the best version of themselves in everything they do. It gives them the inner strength to be fully present in their family, work, or business if their own self-care needs are properly looked after. Over time, it helps their relationships stay stronger, their physical health in good condition, and their mental and emotional state intact.
So how can you prioritize self-care and balance it with work and personal relationships? After all, there is a diminishing return for the amount of effort you use when it exceeds your own energy reserves. It weakens your mental efficiency and reduces your productivity. The reality is, taking care of our own physical, emotional, and mental health is among the best gifts you can give to others and everyone around you.
Let’s make it happen!
The INSUM
Intelligence summary of insights from this week’s podcast
For most of us, there is always that constant struggle to achieve work-life balance. However, self-care is actually more than just juggling responsibilities between the two. It is also about being kinder to yourself.
Practicing servant leadership doesn’t mean you need to ignore taking care of yourself. As the saying goes: You can't pour from an empty cup. This means it falls under our own responsibility to fill our own cup. It is essential if we want to keep giving and if we want to live a life of happiness and fulfillment.
In this week’s episode of Got Your Six podcast, we have Jon Macaskill, a retired Navy SEAL Commander and host of the Men Talking Mindfulness podcast. Jon suffered survivor’s guilt but today, he practices and teaches mindfulness and was recently tapped by 3D Media, an augmented and virtual reality company, to become their Business Development Lead.
Like many of us, Jon poured out his time and energy taking care of other people’s needs that he forgot his own. He wasn’t really dealing with it the right way and was merely trying to survive and execute responsibilities but there was no joy. It took time before he finally admitted he needed help. Here are three lessons we can take from Jon’s own personal journey to prioritizing self-care to live a more fulfilled life.
1. Practice simple breath-work for mindfulness.
Most meditation practitioners will tell you that it’s okay to struggle during your first attempt at meditation. But it’s important not to give up too easily. In Jon’s experience, he was also initially frustrated but then he began starting again with shorter meditations. He introduced box breathing that can take as little as two minutes. Don’t be afraid to start small. What is important is that you master the art of showing up and soon you will see significant effects and you can start to do longer meditations.
2. Have a growth mindset.
Having a growth mindset helps you learn something new and develop new skills. By changing the way you think, you can change the way you learn. It also means you are more likely to reach and maximize your own potential by being humble that you don’t know everything and learning from mistakes. Having a growth mindset teaches you a better way to learn resulting in a better way of living your life.
3. Give yourself some grace.
To give yourself grace is to choose to be kind to yourself even if you made mistakes. It is to stop being overly critical about yourself, and giving yourself permission to have lapses in judgment that sometimes hurt other people, because no one is perfect. Practice it everyday and it will help you lighten your load.
Prioritizing self care may be easier said than done but it’s critical that we should start taking it to heart. Combat negative voices saying it is selfishness because it is not. Practicing self care doesn’t mean you are choosing yourself over important things like personal relationships. It is actually quite the opposite. By being mindful of your own needs, you are better able to care and support others.
Here at the Got Your Six podcast, we believe that becoming the best version of ourselves includes taking the time out for yourself. This reminds yourself and others that your needs are important too.
Now that you know the importance of self-care, start having the intentional practice of treating yourself the way you would treat a friend facing a tough challenge. Give yourself encouragement and practice mindfulness. Be compassionate towards yourself and you will experience improvement in your well-being, happiness, and your health.
Share this newsletter with a battle buddy you care about and remind them it’s okay to prioritize their own needs, too.