Everyday Self-Care

By Linda Dessau, the Self-Care Coach

Whether it's healthy eating, better sleep habits, more control over your time, exercise, managing your stress, dealing with clutter or learning to say "NO", it's all about self-care — putting yourself first and investing time and effort into your own health and well-being.

Do you want to know the secret to self-care? It's PLANNING. Virtually all of the self-care changes I've made in my own life — including quitting smoking and giving up sugar, have relied on making plans and then following them.

The articles on this page will provide you with lots of ideas for self-care planning, plus practical and straightforward tips to apply right away.

To receive a new article like this every month in your Inbox, subscribe to one or both of my free newsletters at genuinecoaching.com.

If you're looking for more suggestions and options for improving your self-care, I also have several no-fee and low-fee resources on my website. You can learn more by visiting my Resources Page.

Linda Dessau, BFA, MTA, CPCC is a singer, musician, writer, speaker, music therapist, coach and teacher. She is accredited by the Canadian Association for Music Therapy and is certified by the Coaches Training Institute.

Self-Care Articles by Linda Dessau

Connect with Your Strengths
By Linda Dessau
We can be just as afraid of our strengths as we are of our weaknesses, and just as afraid to succeed as we are to fail. Connecting with your strengths is about learning how to acknowledge your own gifts, accept compliments graciously and to present yourself confidently as the extraordinarily unique artist that you are.

Accepting Compliments Graciously
By Linda Dessau
Many creative artists are uncomfortable with praise and compliments. We can be so busy judging ourselves harshly that we don't quite know what to do with positive feedback.

Connect With Your Thoughts
By Linda Dessau
This article contains some potentially life-altering ideas, if you've never before considered that what you think might actually NOT be the truth. Read on to learn more about how you can change your thinking to enhance your creativity.

Is There a Science of Creative Success?
By Linda Dessau
I've been studying science lately, in the form of a book called "The Science of Getting Rich", written by Wallace Wattles in 1910. I've discovered that this book holds many powerful ideas to enrich our lives, work and success as creative artists.

Self-Acceptance — An Essential Ingredient of Self-Care
By Linda Dessau
I've written before about the "luxury" of self-care — shifting our mindset from self-care being something we HAVE to do, to something we GET to do, with the reward being more healthy and full lives. But what if, deep down, you don't think you DESERVE a healthy and full life?

Meal Planning: Your Ticket to Freedom
By Linda Dessau
It's 5:30 p.m. and you're heading home after a long, full day. All of a sudden your mind turns to the daily question, "What's for dinner?"

Five Steps to a New Routine
By Linda Dessau
I've noticed that in the two years since the major de-cluttering of my apartment, clutter has been creeping back in. So what DO you do after you've cleared the clutter? If your day-to-day routines are continuing to create clutter, then you'll always be one step behind it.

Gratitude
By Linda Dessau
Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present ...

Self-Sabotage, the Opposite of Self-Care
By Linda Dessau
Have you ever gone out of your way to NOT take care of yourself? Does it ever seem like you're working against yourself? Do you ever ask yourself "Why did I do that?"