Speaker 1: 0:06

Hello, hello, beautiful souls, and welcome Welcome to the sweet spot where science meets soul. Today is self-care Saturday, and I'm Dr Derek Sweet. For those of you who don't know me, I'm a board certified psychiatrist and I specialize in sports and high performance. It's a pleasure to share this journey with you. This journey we've been taking called Three for the Win, where every day this week we have explored three things we could do. Each day for the win, can do each day for the win.

Speaker 1: 0:49

Today, on Self-Care Saturday, we're diving into three simple self-care practices to help you reset and recharge. We always start with a quote, and I'd like to start with Brene Brown's beautiful quote talk to yourself like you would to someone you love, like you would to someone you love. Talk to yourself Like you would someone you love. Yes, my friend, self-care isn't selfish, it's essential. So let's break down these practices into our three for the win approach Into mind, body and spirit.

Speaker 1: 1:25

Let's start with the mind. The first thing is practice intentional rest. Did you know that research? Research in neuroscience shows that rest isn't just about doing nothing. It's about engaging in activities that actually restore your mental energy. That's something that people sometimes miss. They think that when you say rest especially in sports, I see this where they think that rest only means lying down. No, not at all. Rest is about engaging in things that you love that bring you the energy, whether it's reading a book, meditating, taking a mindful walk. Giving your brain a break like that enhances your focus and amplifies your creativity. So today I want you to set aside 20 minutes for an activity that truly refreshes your mind. And that's the first of our three for the win. Let's get to the second one, for the body. So for the body, we're going to say this nourish with movement. So self-care for your body isn't about pushing yourself to the limit. It's actually about moving, moving in ways that feel good and feel restorative to the body. Did you know that studies on exercise physiology show that light to moderate activity not the heavy stuff, the light and moderate activities such as yoga or a nature walk those kinds of things actually reduce your stress hormones like cortisol, and they boost your endorphins, the feel-good chemicals in your brain. So take a moment today, on Self-Care Saturday, to honor your body with this kind of movement and see where it leads you.

Speaker 1: 3:42

Now the third part of our three for the win approach here is about the spirit. Now, we already said that, the mind we're going to give intentional rest. We talked about nourishing the body with movement. What are we going to do for the spirit? Ah, cultivate self-compassion. Do for the spirit, ah, cultivate self-compassion.

Speaker 1: 4:12

In the scriptures, the ancient wisdom of the scriptures, there's a famous saying that you're going to love. Everybody knows this one Love your neighbor as Correct yourself, Love your neighbor as yourself. That commandment in Matthew 22, 39 reminds us that we have to extend love and compassion inward as well as we do it outward. So, practicing self-compassion today today, especially because we're talking about what self-care Saturday, it's about speaking kindly to yourself. It's about looking in the mirror and smiling at yourself. So if you've dealing with a mistake, a setback, an error, choose to respond with grace today instead of criticism when you hear that negative voice telling you about all the things you did wrong. Silence that voice for a second and say something positive to you. Tell yourself that you love yourself and that it's okay. Did you know that research in positive psychology shows that self-compassion actually changes brain pathways to foster more resilience and emotional well-being? You're doing something positive for yourself, positive for your brain, when you cultivate self-compassion.

Speaker 1: 5:34

So there you have it, my friend, the three for the win approach on Self-Care Saturday. What are they? One, intentional rest for your mind. Two, nourishing movement for your body and three, self-compassion for your spirit. These self-care practices are simple, I know, but they're transformative. Believe me, beautiful souls, remember when you take care of yourself, you're better equipped to care for the world around you. So, if you've enjoyed this episode, you know what I always say try to reach me on Twitter, youtube, linkedin and now Threads for more inspiration and for more insights. Until next time. I want you to stay wise, I want you to stay on the winning side and I want you, most of all, to take care of yourselves. Today, my friends, okay, now I'll see you tomorrow for Slow Down Sunday. This is Dr Sweet. Be blessed you.