Did you know this week is National self-care week? If you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll know that I advocate self-care and like to draw a distinction between treating yourself and real self-care. Real self-care isn’t always Instagrammable, doesn’t always involve cashmere bedsocks, perfect hair and white smiles. It involves things like planning breaks (daily, weekly and longer term) so you can do things that positively impact on all aspects of your health - walking, eating meals with no distractions, getting outside, creating mental space by getting rid of physical clutter, enjoying time along, enjoying time with others, exercising, booking key medical appointments, meditating, reading, making real food, trimming your toe nails, flossing really well.... The list goes on and on because self-care is literally looking after yourself. For me (and judging by the comments I receive in workshops, for a lot of you too!), the number one thing I can do for my self-care is sleep more and sleep better. That means a regular bedtime, no blue screen just before bed, a wind down routine, a nice environment to sleep in, sometimes meditation, sometime a gentle stretching routine, no caffeine after midday (I’m hyper sensitive to caffeine so this may not apply to you but if you struggle to sleep, it may be worth giving this a try or at least having none after 5pm), writing down my thoughts and practicing gratitude if I am feeling anxious. The better I sleep, the better I feel in the morning, the more productive and happy I am and.... the better I sleep! It’s a lovely circle! How’s your self-care? And what’s the number one thing that you always do, no matter what?