Welcome to the self-care month of November! This month, we focus on the self-care themes of gratitude and abundance, setting aside time to think about what you are grateful in life, express appreciation and give back. An intentional gratitude practice can promote your contentment, emotional well-being, self-esteem and sense of connection. It can help you connect deeply to your values and what you consider really important in life. That’s why gratitude practices are an important form of self-care.
Download the November Self-Care Tracker (.pdf): November Self Care 2021
Complete the suggested daily self-care activities in any order you choose. You can do more than one a day or you can make up your own activities to complete. Try to do as many as you can this month and color in a lot of turkeys on your printable tracker!
Self-care is a healthy habit that takes time to develop into a routine but if your experience is like mine, doing these monthly self-care challenges will change the way you take care of yourself and meet your needs. A self-care practice results in all kinds of good benefits, including improved mental, emotional, cognitve and physical health, a sense of spiritual wellbeing and connection and better relationships.
Each monthly self-care tracker includes a variety of self-care activities, including mindfulness, nutrition, exercise, gratitude and contributions, pampering, adventures, social time and recharging. Explore this month’s activities!
1 Start your day with a half-hour to hour-long walk before breakfast. You can listen to a podcast while you walk (e.g., the SiriusJoy daily Pep Talk). You will burn more calories throughout the day this way. Later, wait until you feel hungry. Extending your fast is another way to lose weight.
2 You can amplify the health benefits of your meals by adding herbs or spices to your meals. Try it with soup, oatmeal, sandwiches and frozen meals. Even in their dried form, herbs and spices have the power to fight inflammation, lower blood sugar and provide cardiovascular benefits, in addition to other properties.
3 Today is Stress Awareness Day. Where do you feel stress in your body? Yoga is an excellent way to reduce stress while improving flexibility. Try this workout.
4 Today is the New Moon, an excellent time to set intentions or the next two weeks. Begin by writing down everything you can think of that you are grateful for in your life and in November, in general. Write down your November gratitude list and add to it as the month progresses toward Thanksgiving.
5 To keep your brain healthy, you must exercise it. Playing cards, chess, checkers, board games, solitaire or working on puzzles will work out your brain and help keep you sharp.
6 Make holiday plans, alone or with your family. Planning your special times gives you something to look forward to…which can help you feel content in life.
7 Daylight savings time ends today, so set your clocks back an hour. It’s an adjustment so plan on getting extra rest today.
8 Meditation is a mindful form of self-care. Here is a guided meditation to develop your ability to focus mindfully.
9 Contribution to others is a form of self-care and a November theme for your Best Life this month. Mailing cards is a sweet thing to do and people appreciate receiving them even when they don’t send them. Sending a card says “you matter to me.” You can get lovely Hallmark Thanksgiving greeting cards, 2/$1 at Dollar Tree.
10 This upper body workout will strengthen your back.
11 Donate canned food to your local food bank today.
12 Call or Zoom call a friend or relative and ask them how they are doing.
13 Clean and organize the fridge in preparation for Thanksgiving stuffing!
14 Relax today with a good book. Reading for 20 minutes a day is good for your brain. Longer books are even better because they force you to recall what you read before.
15 No matter what your income, you can feel rich if you believe your life is abundant. Say these abundance affirmations out loud today — or create your own.
I am grateful and content. My life is abundant with blessings.
16 Did you ever receive a care package while you were in college? Surprise someone with a care package today. It can be baked treats, packaged snacks, Thanksgiving crafts or something you know they’ll just love.
17 Here is a workout to tone your arms and have you ready for all the stirring and cooking you will be doing later this month!
18 One Warm Coat accepts new and gently used, donated winter coats to distribute to those in need. Donate a coat and you’ll feel warm all winter! You can drop it off at J. Crew or another location near you (see website for map of dropoff locations).
19 Tonight is the full moon. Go outside and enjoy the beautiful November sky.
20 The season of giving is nearly upon us. Do yourself a favor and wrap up your holiday shopping before Black Friday while stores are well stocked and parking lots are less crowded.
21 Relax with a playlist of tunes about gratitude you make yourself or listen to this playlist I’ve created for Thanksgiving gathering.
22 Tap into your creative side with a Thanksgiving craft or coloring today.
23 I think your inner child wants to watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving tonight!
24 Time for a pre-Turkey Day workout!
25 Happy Thanksgiving! How will you express your gratitude today?
26 Our Watch Party movie of the week is While You Were Sleeping (2005) with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. You can rent it on YouTube or Amazon Prime.
27 Make a recipe from scratch and fill your home with the smell of baking.
28 Light some candles and relax, hygge-style, with tea and warm socks or fuzzy slippers.
29 Snow is in the forecast next month! Take stock of your boots, mittens and hats. Replenish your supply, as needed.
30 Today is Giving Tuesday. Make a donation to your favorite charity to end our month of gratitude and contributions.
#BESTLife Workshop 