Seven Daily Self-care Practices While we Break Until October 6

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Inspiring Gen X women to demonstrate their self-love through audacious acts of self-care. This is the Mama's motivational messages podcast with Dr. Peggie Kirkland.

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Hi, everyone. It's Peggie Kirkland, PK, as my daughter likes to call me when she's trying to be cute.

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Well, ladies, guess what? We've come to the end of our first season together. Yay. I can't believe it. You know, I asked you to join me on my journey when I started this podcast. And you did. And I'm sure you remember that I mentioned many times that I was building the plane while flying it. And I was. But I still managed to write, record, edit and publish 10 episodes as a solo act. And that is remarkable in the podcasting world, because many new podcasts don't make it beyond the third episode, really. So, I am so grateful to have made it this far. And I want to thank you for hanging in there with me, as I got my feet wet. And like a baby, I fell down so many times, but I got up always with the goal of being of service to you, my faithful listeners. So, thank you for allowing me to do that. 

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So now that I've got the basics of this podcasting thing under my belt, I'm going to take a break, a well-deserved break, before I move on to Season Two. So, season two will start on October 6. Let me say that again. I am not deserting you. I will be preparing for season two during the summer, and it will start on October 6. And I'm really, really excited about this season because this is the season where you're going to have a chance to get involved in the conversation about self-love through self-care. You're going to be able to do that through interviews, or little audio sound bites that you can record directly on the mommasmotivationalmessages website.

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In fact, you can use your phone or laptop or any other smart device. As long as you can get to the website, you can leave a soundbite, you have 120 seconds to do. So, I'm going to ask you to try to do that in a space that doesn't have background noises so we can hear you clearly. It's gonna be so much fun to hear all of your self-care practices. So just go to the website, and tell us who you are. Tell us how you're practicing self-love through self-care. And tell us how it's changing your life, whether it's in small ways, or in big ways. Then, I want you to take a pause and say, "I give you permission to use this recording in an upcoming episode." And then just keep listening to see if we use it. Now when you go to the website, you're going to be asked to leave your name and your email address, in case we want to do an in-depth interview with you that will help others on their self-care journey. Okay. All right.

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I'm looking forward to you doing this so that we can have all of those snippets of self-care to share. I've also created a Facebook fan page, where we'll be able to interact. And if you want to be an insider and enjoy more motivational sayings and challenges, or to receive additional resources for the most popular episodes, then when you're at that website, leave your email address. And also, don't forget to follow us on Twitter and on Instagram. But wait, you know, I'm not just going to leave you empty-handed. In fact, I want to share seven important self -care practices that you can engage in while we are apart.

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Listen, I'm aware that as a Gen X women, that you have so many things that you have to try to balance. It's work, it's home, it's the kids, it's your partners, it might be aging parents, other relatives and friends. All of those things make it difficult to really make yourself a priority. So, I'm going to suggest, first of all, that you revisit the episode titled 10 Ways to Love Yourself That Aren't Selfish, and to see some of the things that were shared in that episode, and just refresh your mind about them. 

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But here are seven self-care practices that you can engage in while we are away from each other. Number one, so if you've been noticing my Instagram motivational wallpapers that I sometimes also post to Facebook, you'll see that I recently shared wallpaper that said, "I am beautiful inside and out." Well, I want to say to you please make sure that you're really acting on this, I know that many of us are struggling to get rid of the 10, 15, 20 or more pounds that we gained during the pandemic. This is real ladies. But it's not an excuse to stay in those sweats that you've been wearing for the past year. Am I right, or what?

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Instead, listen, I'm gonna suggest that you get into some other attire, the flatters your new body. For me, it's flowing, bright-colored summer dresses that can hide the areas that I'm still working on getting back into shape. And you know, just as an FYI, mental health experts say how you look on the outside can be a good gauge of your mental health, because people with significant mental health issues often neglect their grooming. So, listen, go ahead and plan to be beautiful, inside and out. 

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Number two, and this is still along those post-COVID lines, diet. Maybe you want to hire a nutritionist who can guide you with your food choices and how they impact your health. Now, this is not new news. But the question is, what have you been doing about it? If you do take, if you do take the time to change your diet, then I suggest that you take note of how it affects your mood, your sleep, your energy, and even your focus and see if those things change for the better.

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Number three, another practice that has a positive effect on your mind, body, your sleep and your focus is exercise. Yeah, I know what you're saying, "We know this." Okay. Well, here's something that you might not have been thinking about, and that is that exercise can add years to your life and boost your longevity by more than about seven years. And it does so by decreasing the risk of many chronic diseases. Now, who wouldn't want an extra seven years given the fact that the world seems to be spinning faster than before? Huh? 

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Number four, practice forgiveness. forgiving others has a powerful effect on your physical and your emotional health. Trust me, you make more progress in life when you practice forgiveness because you essentially free yourself from carrying the burden of resentment. You're only stealing time from yourself when you hold on to negative feelings toward others. So why not practice forgiveness and free yourself. 

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Number five is sleep. We all know how important sleep is. But do you have a regular schedule for sleeping that you stick to? Getting quality sleep can help protect your mental and physical health, your productivity, your focus, and even your safety because you know that if you're groggy and you get behind the wheel or you go out into the street and you're not sure what's going on, you can definitely get hurt. So, pay attention to sleep. 

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Number six, find some opportunities to spend time with others. This pandemic left many of us isolated from friends and families for more than a year, and that can definitely have a damaging effect on our mental health. Now that the country is in the process of opening up again, this is a great opportunity to make some time to spend with your tribe. If you don't have a tribe, find one or form one. Honestly, you can't spend all of your time alone and remain emotionally healthy because you know, we were made to interact with others. So, some of you may say, Well, I'm a loner. Even if you're a loner, you're sure to benefit from spending time with others. Now, on the flip side, if all you did was to be cooped up with family or other folk while the pandemic was going on, then what you actually need is to find opportunities to spend time alone. How much alone time you need is really up to you. You have to know the balance, and then you can act on that.

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And number seven, practice gratitude. Gratitude is good for your soul because it creates hope and contentment, even when you have trying circumstances going on. It's so easy to forget how much you already have. And if you're not practicing gratitude every day, then you sometimes think that you don't have enough. But if you live with an attitude of gratitude, I promise you, you will see your blessings increase. And we'll be focusing more on attitudes of gratitude during the month of November. 

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So, ladies, those are seven practices that you can engage in, like I said, while we're apart from each other. You know, the quality of your self-care is a great barometer of your overall well-being. So, I'm asking you to make a plan to practice good self-care daily, and give yourself an extra boost. And remember, you're also adding at least seven years to your life. Don't you deserve that? 

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Well, that's all for now. Please have an enjoyable and a safe summer. This is PK sending you much light and a whole lot of love. And don't forget, go to the Mommas motivational messages website and leave your sound bites there telling us about how you're engaging in self-care for self-love. See you later.