This article is an excerpt from the Shortform guide to "The Mel Robbins Podcast". Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books, podcasts, and more.
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Are you getting enough rest? What are Mel Robbins’ recommended self-care tips?
Life can be exhausting when you have to focus on work, cleaning your home, and making time for your social circle. When you feel like giving up, The Mel Robbins Podcast stresses that you should take time to care for yourself.
Here are the best self-care tips that’ll help you cope with life’s obstacles.
1. Have Compassion for Yourself
Mel Robbins’s guest, KC Davis, proposes that self-compassion is one of the best self-care tips out there. She suggests a novel technique for finding self-compassion: the act of using and then disposing of a disposable dish. This simple, yet thoughtful gesture can provide relief to someone going through difficult times by granting them a respite from dishwashing, and in turn, enhancing their living conditions.
To further examine the concept of self-compassion, Davis brings up the natural human tendencies of making mistakes, learning, and growing from them. Crucially, she notes that the emphasis should be on progression rather than on punishing oneself, reflecting the compassionate aspects of this idea.
Adding an additional layer to the discussion, Davis, alongside Robbins, suggests appreciating one’s problems from a morally neutral standpoint. Their argument insists that by doing so, one can prevent a self-deprecating loop, paving the way for the discovery of practical and creative solutions.
2. Develop a Healthy Self-Perception
Davis provides insight into managing self-perception, suggesting practices such as limiting mirror usage to brief, essential checks with a small pocket mirror. This approach deters an obsessive focus on physical appearance.
She advocates living life from a first-person perspective as a healthier alternative to objectified self-observation. Davis emphasizes the significance of cultivating positive self-care habits for a healthier self-image. One such practice she suggests is parting ways with clothes bought due to negativity towards one’s body.
Robbins shares a personal account of her body shape transformation due to menopause. This transformation led to some clothes being incompatible. She advocates focusing on current comfort rather than preserving clothes as a reminder of an older body version that induces negative self-perception.
Davis also advocates for appropriate self-treatment, even in the absence of self-love. She is firm in the belief that consistent self-care over time fosters feelings of self-worth.
3. Find Time for Rest and Relaxation
Davis and Robbins challenge the notion of constant hustle and recognize the importance of rest in averting burnout. They underscore the idea of rest as a fundamental right integrated into regular schedules guiltlessly, not just as a reward for toil.
Davis specifically discusses the pressure of the hustle culture and redefines rest as not a reward but a basic entitlement essential to avoid burnout prevalent in modern women. Highlighting practical implementation, Davis advises stressed individuals, such as single mothers, to dedicate a specific day each week to unstructured activities and relaxation, providing a respite from daily obligations and stressors.
Robbins, sharing her personal insight, fell into the male-centric approach of overvaluing her work when she became the primary breadwinner, bringing forth the need for mutual rest.
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Here's what you'll find in our full The Mel Robbins Podcast episode summaries:
- Advice to make your life and your personal relationships better
- How to boost your confidence with techniques recommended by experts
- Research-based lessons combined with personal stories
