Below you will find a self-care challenge designed for each Enneagram type. Of course, you might choose to challenge yourself to lots of them! Go for it – follow your curiosity! These are designed to bring more kindness into your day, more calm, more excitement, or more awareness. Enjoy! And let us know what you think of them. Join the conversation with our Insta-community @xoenneagram
Ones:
Carve out a time today or this week for some belly laughs; plan to watch a funny movie or a marathon of a hilarious show or stand-up comedian…read a hilarious book, or go all out and go to a live stand-up comedy show!
Plan this time and then guard it from all the other important to-do list items – prioritize it. Then spend it preferably with someone who will make you even more prone to fits of laughter.
Twos:
Plan a time this week where you can be alone and have your phone turned off. A long walk somewhere pretty or fun, or maybe going to a farmer’s market, a museum, the mall, or a picnic somewhere beautiful in nature…
Simply be present with yourself and breathe deeply. Try to focus on the present – how you feel, what you see, what you are experiencing. But when thoughts come up that distract you from the right now, take note of what they are about.
Threes:
Schedule a phone-free period of time somewhere that is peaceful – maybe somewhere in nature, maybe a sauna. If possible, plan to be there with someone you trust and invite them to experiment in a no-phone time with you. Or, bring your journal with you to record your thoughts.
See if during that time you can express an honest feeling or two. This might come about by having a conversation (with your friend or with yourself) and asking some open ended questions about how things are going in life.
You might express your feelings all the time, but how often is there enough space to actually sit and look at them/name them/maybe even process or work through them without the immediate distraction of the next thing at hand? Aka your phone
Fours:
This week, go for a solitude walk, preferably somewhere in nature and with your phone off. As you go along, check in with all of your senses. What are all of the things that you see? What about all the sounds that you hear? The things you smell? And the things you feel, like the impact of your feet hitting the ground or the feeling of the breeze against your skin…just be in this experience and take some time to notice.
Fives:
Do a physical activity this week that requires you to pay full attention to your body and be focused on the movements of your body…this might involve doing something new to you that isn’t yet muscle memory, or maybe just something that takes a lot of concentration
Some ideas: swimming, yoga, climbing, dancing, Pilates. And if it seems inconvenient, remember the handiness of YouTube videos!
Sixes:
Make yourself a nice cup of tea or buy yourself a matcha: then sit down and make a list of all the constants in your life…
What are the things/people/realities in your life, the world, or nature, or yourself, that aren’t going to change or disappear? What are the things that are firmly rooted and here to stay? What can you count on? Keep writing the list until your thoughts run dry. Start with something really simple like – gravity, air to breathe, etc.
Sevens:
Try this 5 minute breathing exercise. It is truly amazing how intentional breathing and calm our bodies down and bring peace to us in the present moment…
Try lying on your back in a quiet place – eyes closed, hands resting on your belly or by your side. Breathe deeply in through your nose for four long counts, hold it at the top, then release it steadily for four long counts. Continue to breathe rhythmically and when you have distracting thoughts, just gently return your attention to your breath. Do this for five minutes and then tell us how you feel! Also, what kind of thoughts did you find slipping into your mind to distract you from your breathing?
Eights:
Seize a substantial amount of time for yourself this week, whatever that means to you and whatever you could make happen. Don’t plan out that time, only plan to have it to yourself. Then, when you get there, check in with yourself and ask “what do I feel like doing?”
Remember when you were a kid and you had so much time to yourself? Do you remember deciding what to play? Whether to go outside or stay in, to read or go run around? Consider this time that you’ve set aside for yourself this week your play time. Just do whatever you most feel like doing. Without any pressures to do something that matters or that needs to be done. Just play.
Nines:
Find five minutes where you can be alone and uninterrupted, in peace and quiet, then pull out some paper and a pen. Write down three things that you would love to have happen in your life by one year from now. Three ways you’d like to grow or improve, or three ways you’d like to approach life…three things you’d like to be.
Then, pick one of those things that’s most important to you. And ask yourself, what’s one tiny little baby step I could take toward that goal this week? What’s one way I could start living out that goal/future reality today? And then, do that thing! Make sure it’s baby step enough that you will actually complete it this week and feel great about yourself. 🙂