Better than Chocolate: Yummy Self-Care Without Calories

So, how’s YOUR 2020 going?

That good, eh?

Join the club.

For many people, 2020 continues to offer up more angst, frustration and overall disappointment. From political discord, racial injustice, wildfires burning, hurricanes flooding, uncertainty about the pandemic, these are crazy times we are living in.

It’s been a real slog and I hear more and more from my coaching clients that they are defaulting to shadow comforts to help them cope.

Let me be clear.

There’s nothing wrong with shadow comforts if you indulge occasionally.

Whether your go-to habit is wine, chocolate, caffeine, shopping, social media scrolling or something else, a little bit can go a long way to give you a quick endorphin hit and turn things around when you’re having a bad day.

The trick is not repeating [insert your habit of choice] that day after day after day.

I just moved to North Carolina and while overall, the move has been good, the past week itself was a total and complete trainwreck.

• I found out one of my best friends has uterine cancer.
• My sweet Riley Roo had a total meltdown over virtual schooling and for the first time in her life declared “I hate school!”
• One of the toilets in our new house broke.
• I’ve been feeling the burden of single parenting big time since my husband is working in Texas until Christmas and frankly, I’m exhausted.
• Our beloved Daisy Dog, after being very sick all week and three trips to the vet, was diagnosed with incurable cancer.

My shadow comfort of choice? Chocolate.

Specifically, Justin’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups.

OMG, YUM.

I could eat those ALL DAY LONG.

But the problem is when I do that a few days in a row…my body doesn’t like it too much.

I don’t sleep as well. I get jittery in the mornings. And my skin breaks out.

As I’ve been settling into my new house, I’ve been spending a lot of time decluttering—releasing things which no longer serve me and only putting away the files I’ll use, hanging the art I adore and keeping the items that are functional…. Everything else is being donated, sold, recycled, or thrown away.

The same idea can apply to our self-care habits too. Fall is a great time to detox your self-care strategies and still keep the yummy items that make you feel good but without the over-indulgence.

Guilt-free Self-Care Tips that are Better than (Too Much) Chocolate

1. Set your alarm 10 minutes early and get up and meditate.
2. Start your day or end your evening (or both) by writing down 3 things you’re grateful for.
3. Hydrate. Drink 1-2 glasses of water as soon as you get up, then drink half your body weight in water throughout the day.
4. Get into the seasonal spirit. Decorate your house with mini-pumpkins and cute, funky gourds. Guaranteed to brighten your day!

5. Get outside as often as you can. Exercise outside. Eat meals outside. Take a 5 minute stretch break between video calls and stand barefoot in the grass.
6. Hug your four-legged companions.
7. Listen to the sounds of nature – the wind, the birds, the squirrels, the rustling leaves, the cicadas or tree frogs.
8. Light a delicious smelling candle in the evening, turn the lights out and sit and stare at it. Just breathe if you’re alone or talk quietly if you’re with a loved one.
9. Declutter your life. Pick one drawer, one shelf, one spot in your home and that needs some attention. You’ll be amazed at how the energy shifts.
10. Grab a favorite crystal or stone when you’re feeling stressed and put it on the part of your body that most needs it. Breathe deeply a few times. Repeat until you feel calmer.
11. Take a beauty break. Go to a beautiful place in nature and simply gaze – at a lake, a field, a mountain, a garden.
12. Make art. Sketch or doodle. Bead jewelry. Paint pottery.
13. Read inspirational books or magazines.
14. Turn off your screens for a few hours or an entire day.
15. S-t-r-e-t-c-h. Repeat.

Leave a comment and let me know which guilt-free self-care tips you plan to indulge in this week!

Need more support in detoxing your self-care strategies? Sign up for a coaching session today.

Cheers to your good health & happiness!
Elizabeth

P.S. If you haven’t already, join our Facebook community of like-minded people at Celebrating Connections where you’ll receive regular inspiration and self-care tips!