Cheryl Richardson Background
Cheryl Richardson is a New York best seller who has also appeared on the Lifestyle Makeover Series on the Oprah Winfrey Show. But how did Richardson become the self care advocate we know today?
It was whilst Richardson was working for her dad as a tax consultant that she discovered her passion for helping people grow. Whilst in that role, she found herself delving more into just the numbers her clients were presenting to her. She was more interested in the people behind the businesses and understood that it was only through personal growth first that their businesses would also grow. Her passion turned her into a business consultant and fast forward a few years, with more experience and training, Richardson has become the popular life coach we know today.
Her message is summarised in just 2 words self-care. In her own words, Cheryl writes,
I’ve come to understand that when we care deeply for ourselves, we naturally begin to care for others – our families, our friends, the environment, and the whole world – in a healthier and more effective way.”
But what is self care and is it really important to our personal growth? According to psychcentral.com,
“Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory, it’s something we very often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. It’s also key to a good relationship with oneself and others.”
Examples of self care are:
- meditating
- taking a break off social media
- doing something we love, like going for a walk, sit by the beach
- physical exercise- it is a known that regular exercise releases the feel good hormones in our bodies
- spend time in nature
- read inspirational quotes
Here is self care bingo specially for you!
Essentially self care is when we make time to focus on ourselves. To listen to our own body and mind and indulge ourselves so to speak. In the days of social media and constant pop ups, it can be hard to find time for self care. Therefore we need to make a conscious effort to ensure that we are not over-exerting ourselves and neglecting our well being. Richardson writes on her blog that,
Most important, remember you have choices. You can decide to meditate for ten minutes rather than fight, to walk away from people who are fueled by fear and drama, or to shut off all notifications on your phone.
These may be tough choices, but they’ll take you to the land of calm where fear and anxiety no longer run the show.
You, the Soul, become the boss.
I am a regular on Cheryl Richardson’s blog and I strongly recommend you hop over for a dose of calm. In fact, the self care champion uses various outlets to ensure that her message reaches as many people as possible. Magazine readers will find Richardson in the Body and Soul magazine coaching column and those who love to listen can hear her words of advice on the Coach on Call internet radio talk show. Or if you want to hang out with Richardson, you can join her on one of her self care retreats.
Cheryl Richardson believes that self-care enables us to become mindful and thorough individuals. We’re able to make decisions from a place of compassion and love rather than obligation and guilt.
Richardson emphasizes the importance of discovering how, why, where, and when we feel deprived. With those answers, we will have a good idea from there on how to approach our self-care. She recommends asking ourselves these three questions:
- What am I hungry for?
- What or who is causing me to feel resentful, and why?
- What am I looking for?
- What do I want today?
- What do I need less of?
- What do I need more today?
- Where do I feel lack of?
Furthermore, Cheryl Richardson also emphasized the value of finding our routine and rhythm. Most of us think that routine is dull and monotonous. Nonetheless, it offers our lives serenity, safety, security, and stability.
She recommends asking ourselves the question, “What one routine could I put in place this week that would enhance my life the most?” Asking this question will help us establish our rhythm and routine.
On the other hand, understanding what we do not want to do is as crucial as understanding what we do. Richardson suggests creating an “absolute no list.” The list symbolizes the things which we resist to tolerate in our life. The goal is to make a list, which makes us feel taken care of, protected, safe, and free to become our best selves.
The ‘Extreme Self Care‘ author has written several best sellers, some of which were co-authored with Louise Hay. Indulge yourself, here is the list available to purchase from Amazon.
