Mel Noakes - The Little Book of Self-Care

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Epub ISBN: 9781473552197

Version 1.0

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Ebury Press, an imprint of Ebury Publishing,

20 Vauxhall Bridge Road,

London SW1V 2SA

Ebury Press is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com

Copyright Mel Noakes 2017
Cover designed by Two Associates

Mel Noakes has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

Designed and set by seagulls.net

Chapter opener illustrations designer_an Fotolia
All other illustrations lakalla Fotolia

First published by Ebury Press in 2017

www.penguin.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9781785037313

Mel Noakes is a certified life and health coach, NLP practitioner and hypnotherapist, who has won acclaim for her work as the Self Care Coach. She specialises in programmes tailored for women online and in person helping them to balance successful professional lives with health and happiness, and to start loving the skin, and life, theyre in. To discover more, visit melnoakes.com.

Step back from the overload and find some time for yourself.

You are important too.

With encouraging reminders, inspiring thoughts, easy wins and practical advice, The Little Book of Self Care will help you identify your needs so you can relax, refuel and find calm in your hectic life.

To Olivia, Megan, Max, Seb and Baby Noakes, who we cant wait to meet. I hope self care will be something your generation never have to struggle with.

I was an ambitious and adventurous woman who appeared to have a life most people dream of. A great job, I travelled a lot and was always with friends and at events.

From the outside, it appeared as if I had it all, but secretly I thought. If they only knew. Despite the trappings of success I had battled with an eating disorder and low self-esteem for most of my teens and twenties. A good day was characterised by what I ate or didnt eat, how much I exercised and how hard I pushed myself. I was so far down my list of priorities that nothing could make up for a fundamental lack of self care. My life looked great on paper but felt like crap in real life.

They say you teach what you most need to learn. Self care has been my biggest teacher and lesson. From my late twenties I had to relearn new habits and learn to love and respect myself, not something I found easy. Daily acts of kindness grew into something more profound, and slowly I realised how nourishing myself enabled me to live a much fuller, happier and extraordinary life.

After almost fifteen years of therapy and much soul searching, I took a year long trip to Latin America that changed my life. At the end of a four-day Inca hike to Machu Picchu, I finally had the breakthrough I needed. As I stood at the sun gate, I was humbled and amazed to be there. In all the years Id fought my body, hated it, starved it and battled with it, it had never given up. My body had fought back and it had allowed me the privilege of doing something as amazing as the Inca hike, when all the stats said I shouldnt even be alive.

In that moment I made peace with myself and my body. I decided to start living my life rather than just existing And now I help other people do the same.

Life is a gift an adventure, a series of experiences, opportunities and lessons.

To truly live it, we need to correctly fuel our body, mind and soul. We need to discover self care.

This book is designed specifically to give you inspiration and ideas to open you up to new possibilities and choices. Feeling stuck or helpless happens when we feel we dont have anywhere to go and when our choices are limited. This book is your go to guide, your pocket inspiration and your opportunity to see life, your life, through a different lens and see you always have a choice.

You dont need to integrate all the tips into your life, but what youll find is when you truly practise self care, many of these tips naturally become part of your daily routine. I recommend dipping in and out when you need it, trying the tips that feel the most fun, relevant or valuable to you in that moment and when you find tips that work for you, committing to integrate them into your regular self-care practice.

Visit melnoakes.com/book to claim your free bonuses, including cheat sheets, worksheets, how to guides and lots of other useful stuff. Youll find many of the worksheets and ideas shared in this book available on the site for you to download and use as you work through the book.

Self care is the actions we undertake to look after ourselves: physically, emotionally and mentally.

Let me ask you a question Do you nourish yourself or punish yourself?

Take a minute, digest the question and answer truthfully.

For many of us, the truth is, we punish ourselves more frequently than perhaps we realise. In our heads, we berate ourselves for missing a deadline, or saying the wrong thing or appearing stupid. We dont dress well because we feel clothes are frivolous or our bodies are unworthy. We put ourselves last and others first because we want to be liked and accepted. We go to the gym to run off the food we feel guilty about eating the day before. We work late to prove ourselves to our boss, colleagues and ourselves. We dont take holidays. We create busyness to justify our importance and make us feel valued. We cram so many things into our diary to feel were living that we dont have time to sleep.

We put pressure on ourselves to be perfect and expect nothing less, yet accept far less from others.

Its no wonder so many of us are burnt out, worn out, exhausted and confused.

My friend, this is punishment.

Lets look at the flip side. Believing youre capable and able to do anything you put your mind to. Acknowledging the good in you and your life. Surrounding yourself with people that love and champion you. Going to the gym or for a run because it makes your body feel amazing and strong, and because you want to be able to live healthily. Choosing to eat food that makes you feel good and gives you energy, as well as being able to enjoy indulgent food without feeling guilty. Taking time out to recharge, rest and restore, so you can be fully present in the moments that matter and spend quality time with the people you love. Making a difference in the world and choosing to give time to things and people that matter. Creating an environment around you that feels safe, calm and relaxing. Allowing people to love you because you love yourself.