Soft Power Habits: How to look after yourself

How good are you at looking after yourself?

If I did a spot survey on my five closest friends, I bet you they would say, “not very good at it”.

Women by their nature are nurturers, which means it’s easy for us to slip into putting others needs before our own.

When my baby cries in the middle of the night, I go rushing in, to take care of his needs. Sometimes I will be stuck in his room for an hour, busting to go the the loo, and thirsty, and consequently frustrated. This only adds to my baby’s frustration, and ends in a marathon settling scenario, that has become all too frequent. Whereas my husband Greg, hears James and gets up and goes the the toilet, gets himself a drink, and wanders slowly into James. He takes care of his needs first, so he can then take care of James.

It’s a bit of an irony that even in my most feminine and nurturing state, being a mother, I still manage to tap into my masculine, do / achieve /win mode!

There are always more spaces you can open your awareness up and see where using your masculine energy is actually sabotaging your best efforts.

So with so many people talking about One of Many’s take on #softpower this week I wanted to paint a little picture of what our top 2 trainers, and I did, to stay in our feminine energy this week. By showing you habits that you might like to try to stay in your #softpower, I’m hoping you will create your own “experiential definition” of what we are talking about when we say “harnessing your #softpower”.

This is what I did to look after myself: Jo Martin 

• I make a point of going outside and taking 5 deep breaths during the work day to get some fresh country air into me.
• I have been making the most of y time with my little guy James, and baking a lot. I like using my hands as it gets me out of my head.

This is what I did to look after myself: Susie Heath

• Walked in the woods and laid down on the earth feeling that deep connection
  with Mother Nature.
• Walked by the sea listening to the waves and delighting in nature.
• Gave my body a delicious salt scrub mixed with essential oils. Sloughing off the old and nourishing the new.
• Cleared out my bedroom drawer and found all sorts of beautiful creams for my face and body that I was ‘saving for best.’ Now is best. Every moment is best. So am totally indulging every day with glee.
• Hung my washing out on the line in the garden – makes me feel so good and knowing that my sheets and clothes are drinking up the sunshine and fresh air so they’ll smell yummy after a winter where most of the time that wasn’t possible. Must be connecting with ancestral energy!

This is what I did to look after myself: Annie Stoker

• Got my hair done! 
• Prioritised giving myself a little time lying in the beautiful sun everyday, feeling the warmth on my skin, smelling the fresh blossoms and feeling the grass under my hands. They are ways to treat myself with care and love and also connect with the power and presence of nature.

Let us know what you did, or wished you had this week to create your experience of #softpower…

• About
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Joanna Martin

Founder at One of many

Dr. Joanna Martin is the Founder and award-winning CEO of One of many®, the women’s leadership and coaching organisation created to help women increase their impact - without burning out.

Learn more about how Joanna supports women leaders to maintain greater impact at https://joannamartin.com/.

Discover more about the One Woman Conference, the UK's best leadership event for women at https://onewomanconference.co.uk/.

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