I thought this was an excellent book to read for
those busy, busy people who now have a bit of time now they are recovering at
the end of the season and before psyching themselves up for the Christmas
hectivity! Ultra busy people tend to neglect themselves, which can be very
detrimental to their health and well being. I know when I was younger, I just
seemed to be hurtling from one thing to another.
It is divided into twelve chapters. The idea is that
you read through the book first and then take a month to work on each
potentially life-enhancing section. Each chapter has advice, strategies,
exercises, book lists and resources to help the reader change their life
experience for the better.
In the first month, you identify those areas of your
life where you feel deprived - for instance, sleep, emotional support, personal
time, time with your partner and so on. Subsequent chapters deal with self
approval, how to say no without offending, how to re-schedule your life and
insulate yourself from life’s stresses, release anger safely, transform your
home and work environment so they are nurturing, and monitor your health etc. -
practical advice on how to better look after yourself more effectively and
improve your quality of life.
Cheryl Richardson previously wrote a book called
Take Time for your Life. This was a seven step programme for creating the life
you want. In it she invites the reader to explore, amongst other things, their
priorities, and to pinpoint what in their lives is draining them. She encourages
the reader to look at how they might better juggle their time and suggests they
create an Absolute Yes list - this is a list of priorities which will inspire
you to use your time differently. On this list might be things like,
Relationship with partner, and children, Emotional and physical health, time
with friends etc. She suggests that when making any decision it’s a good idea
to ask yourself, ‘Is this an absolute yes?’ It’s a good litmus test when making
all sorts of choices.
In the Art of Extreme Self Care, the author suggests
an Absolute No List. This is a list of things you no longer do or would like to
stop doing to protect your energy and improve your quality of life. She asked
several friends to share their examples which she has included. Some of these
are:
My Absolute No List - I no longer
- Jump out of bed in the morning, I give myself the time and space I need to start the day in a serene and relaxed state
- Compromise my needs to keep peace with anyone
- Argue with people who see debating as a sport
- Finish reading books that lose my interest
- Feel the need to check my e mails multiple times a day
- Feel bad about saying No when no is what’s best for me…etc.
Both books have very good sections. Some of it
didn’t seem relevant for me personally - it might appeal to those who aren’t so
long in the tooth and have more pressing demands on their time and energy and
need help in managing them. Both books are certainly worth reading because there
are some very valuable and helpful tips and suggestions for those struggling to
balance the demands of career and family or trying to find some peace of mind in
the midst of chaos. You can always skim over the bits which don’t apply or don’t
interest you and focus on what is useful. So I would certainly recommend them
both.
Needless to say I sent this book to Kerensa, and
needless to say her reply was that she would look at it when and if she had
time…
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