Journey of the SELF - Chapter 1

Welcome to our self-care program which has been designed to support you in establishing and maintaining a positive approach to self- care that fits with your unique life circumstances, strength, challenges and needs.

1. BENEFITS OF SELF- CARE

Research shows that self – care has the following impact:

1. You can feel less stressed

2. Improved sense of balance and contentment in daily life and relationships

3. The ability to quickly identify what is negatively impacting you e.g. bad or unhealthy relationships.

4. Its enhances your relationship with yourself and others

5. It makes you more effective and productive

6. It helps prevent burnout

WHAT TO PACK FOR YOUR SELF-CARE JOURNEY

1 .INTENTION – prioritising time for yourself to get in touch with yourself ,your wants ,needs and passions .Becoming aware of the stress and pressure in your life that may be causing you to feel unwell. Your intention to start and complete your journey is essential for success.

2. PATIENCE – .Be gentle, kind, loving and understanding with yourself as you make and implement the changes.

3. A SYMBOL OF SELF – CARE – this can be a small item that reminds you to honour yourself and that can fit into your bag or be carried on your person

4. COMMITMENT

I, (name)…………………………, commit to taking care of myself, so that I can be the best help to all those around me. I agree that this is not an indulgence, however, this is my human right and investment for my future wellbeing. On this (date)……………………….Signature: …………………………..

5. SPACE – A quite, safe, comfortable space e.g. your home, garden, library, where you can take time to yourself for reflection and action.

How to use this program?

Self – care is a journey, consider this as a “”Tour Guide” or “Map” that will support you in reaching your goals.

We recommend you work through each step from the beginning to the end. And highlighting sections that applies most to your situation/needs, coming back to redo and apply as needed.

It is important to emphasise that focusing on yourself and your needs may be uncomfortable at times, particularly if self – care is new to you. In saying that the information in this program has been designed to make the process less unpleasant.

Please remember to be kind and gentle to yourself at all times through this journey. If you find it difficult at first to make changes, don’t give up or give yourself a hard time.

Please remember self-care is normally the first thing that we sacrifice when life gets busy and we fall into the false belief that taking time for you during a busy time is indulgent. THAT’S NOT TRUE !!!!!

When we are busy we need self – care the most, so that we can cope with optimal efficiency.

4. YOUR SELF-CARE PLAN

Step 1

“ the deeds most love by Allah are those done regularly ,even if they are few” (Sahih Bukhari)

Write a letter to yourself that will become a blessing to you as you begin this new journey

You could begin with: My wish for you …/ As I begin this journey my wish is to….

Put down every wish you have for yourself today (mind.body and soul)

Maybe you wish for more time alone, more space to find patience, anything and everything can go on this list .You might write just a few words or even pair them with a photo… whatever makes you happy.

This is a practice you could use as a way to reconnect with where you are and what you need

Here are some examples of time killers: surfing the net, watching tv ,chatting on social media or playing video games. Some examples of time savers: packing lunch the night before or putting your clothes ready the night before. Some examples of time avoiders : snoozing the alarm and some examples of time conquerors : exercising early morning , meditating

So which small self care habit or action are you going to start doing today to create the life you want? Choose one from the list you have made

Let it be something that doesn’t take much time, it can be less than 10 minutes, notice how you feel throughout the experience and make note of how it affected the rest of your day

As the weeks pass you will have to add another new habit to your self care

Ritual until you have reached your desired outcomes that you have set for yourself.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a loved one or myself if at any time you find these activities difficult .

Shukran/Thank you

Faiza Sasman