Soul Food Episode 01 – Self Care

Welcome to the first episode of my new weekly video – Soul Food.

Read all about Soul Food and then view it on the ‘Soul Food with Mark Conner‘ YouTube channel, Instagram TV, or Facebook.

What a crazy time this is for our world, especially with the global COVID-19 pandemic. Here in Melbourne, where I live, a State of Emergency was declared by our Premier back on 16th March and we’ve had various levels of lockdowns ever since – that’s almost 6 months now and over 150 days! 

Right now we are near the end of a 6 week Stage 4 lockdown. It all feels a bit like an apocalypse movie. Lots of empty streets and people with masks. 

Here’s Nicole and I modelling some cool and very colourful fabric masks.

I’m still figuring out how to wear one of these things and not fog up my glasses!

Today I want to talk to you about ‘self care’. In times like this, it is vital that you give attention to our own well-being. 

Do you remember flying on an airplane? Before you take off, there are detailed safety instructions that we all give our full attention to. Right? Somewhere in there, we are told that, in case of an emergency, an oxygen mask will fall down, and who do you put it on? Yourself. 

Isn’t that selfish? Not at all! You know why? Because if you aren’t breathing, you’re of no use to anyone!

Self care is NOT selfish!

In fact, the best gift you can give the other people in your life, is you becoming a healthier person – in every area of your life. 

You might have heard the saying, “Don’t be weary in doing good.”

Most of us are doing good things. Our biggest challenge is NOT that we might do the wrong thing BUT that we can easily become weary – tired or fatigued – doing the right thing.

I’ve learnt this the hard way – as I’ve had to work through seasons of adrenaline exhaustion and burnout for living at an unsustainable pace at times and being so busy leading everyone else that I neglected myself.

Once again – self-care is essential!

For me, I enjoy a coffee first thing each morning then walking to our nearby park with Nicole and our dog, Nikki. I like to write in my journal. I also enjoy sleeping in occasionally, watching a good movie, reading an interesting book, playing the piano, cooking a delicious meal or watching my favourite sports team (when they’re winning, of course!). 

What could you do today to take care of yourself? To refuel your own tank? To nurture your own soul? Don’t be so busy looking out for everyone else around you that you neglect your own well-being. Invest in yourself – TODAY!

Self Care – that’s what we’ll be talking about for a while in this first series of weekly video messages.

So let’s summarise our main insights from today’s episode:

I’d love to hear some comments back from you and why not chat about this important topic with your family and friends. 

Finally, don’t miss next week as we talk about the valuable practice of Reflection. Be sure to subscribe … that way you won’t miss an episode.

This has been Soul Food with Mark Conner.

Take care and stay safe.

See you then!

Here is the full list of episodes in the Self Care series:

1. Self Care
2. Reflection
3. Mindfulness
4. Internal Stress
5. Emotions
6. Conflict
7. Relationships
8. Hobbies
9. Personal Growth
10. Sleep
11. Exercise
12. Diet
13. Energy

Be sure to see the second series of Soul Food with Mark Conner called Life Think.