Radical Self-Care

Radical Self-Care was the theme discussed Sunday morning at #spiritchat, a tweetchat I have begun to regularly attend.  There are some great people who participate each week, and some interesting questions are asked and answered.

It may be helpful to read Janet Nestor’s wonderful post, Nurturing Wellness through Radical Self-Care to set the tone for this post.

There were several beautiful messages conveyed about radical self-care, and those of you who know ChakraKhan or have read her posts for a while know that she is all over this idea!

So, to celebrate the idea of radical self-care and to bring other’s voices to the theme, CK is sharing 3 of the questions that Kamud Ajmani (@ajmanik) and his co-host, Janet Nestor (@janetnestor) posed in Sunday morning’s #spiritchat, along with some of the generous and poignant responses that the community shared. (And if you’d like to join #spiritchat, it happens every Sunday morning, 9-10 am EDT.)

Each answer is credited to the tweeter who tweeted them, and at the end of the post, there’ll be a listing of all of the folks quoted so that you can easily follow them on Twitter, or learn more about their work and interests in our teensy global world.

Please consider taking a moment to reflect within as you read the questions and answers. Perhaps your awareness  of radical self-care will evolve, expand, deepen as CK’s did.

 

OK, let’s get started:

• What image(s) or feeling(s) does “wellness” evoke for you?

Positivity, health, beauty, a mandala.  Jodi Crane, @playcrane

Wellness is sound mind & body in sync. Meredith Bouvier, @merryb923

Vitality, serenity & health. Ashia Sims, @ashia

Movement.  Sunshine.  Energy.  Andrea Patten, @andreapatten

Calm, happy, fulfilled, peaceful. Kathryn Howell, @dogpaddling

Being grounded in a state of bliss regardless of physical conditions. Alka Kaur Chawla, @AlkaGlad

Easily relatable ideas, right?  Can you can see yourself somewhere in those words?  Take them in.  Allow yourself to evoke your own images and feelings of wellness.  And anchor those feelings into your being by Grounding.

• If we know that self-care is important to wellness, why don’t we practice more of it?

Self care is often pushed aside for “practicality” and “necessity.”, Emelia, @EmeliaSam

I think we don’t practice self care because of social messages, in many forms, that it’s selfish. That word – oy!, Christa Gallopoulos, @carryitforward

We place low priority on our own health and wellness, Martina McGowan, @MartinaMcGowan

Because many get caught with the idea that they can change the world without changing themselves., Simon Harvey, @simon_GB 

Have you taken in societies messaging about selfishness?  Or do you give yourself away at the altar of necessity?  If you’re placing yourself at the bottom of your own list, turn your list upside down so that you’re at the top of the list!  Now stay there!

• How does the quality of our thoughts influence our wholeness, our wellness?

We cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought” ~ they do come ~ we can observe, discard., Kumud Ajmani, @AjmaniK

In many ways, it [wellness] begins with a thought. We can choose to act on it or ignore it. We need to discern well to live well., Jon M., @thindifference

Our thoughts influence our feelings and actions. If we engage in positive thoughts we become more motivated & engaged., Lalita, @rlalita

Learning to recognize our thoughts is a large part of mindfulness., Pathways 2 Wholeness, @JanetNestor

What are you thinking?  And how do your thoughts impact your life?  Are you discerning about your thoughts?  Do you invest in negative thoughts?  Perhaps you can begin a mindfulness practice this week, monitoring your thoughts and inviting yourself to shift and evolve negative thinking.

My gratitude to the following for their generous sharing on #spiritchat:

Jodi Crane, @playcrane

Meredith Bouvier, @merryb923

Ashia Sims, @ashia

Andrea Patten, @andreapatten

Kathryn Howell, @dogpaddling                                       

Alka Kaur Chawla, @AlkaGlad

Emelia, @EmeliaSam

Martina McGowan, @MartinaMcGowan

Christa Gallopoulos, @carryitforward

Simon Harvey, @Simon_GB                                                                                                                                                       

Kumud Ajmani, @AjmaniK

Jon M., @ThinDifference

Lalita, @rlalita                              

Pathways 2 Wholeness, @JanetNestor 

May you and all the tweeters who shared keep your vital energy flowing so your self-care will be showing!