Self Care

 

 

 


 

Make yourself a priority…….

Self-care is all about the everyday habits that help you take care of and nurture your health and well-being. Self-care means really listening to your body, taking moments to check in, intentionally tuning in to the thoughts going on in your mind, and challenging your behaviors and belief systems if things feel out of alignment in your life. Recognizing the need for self-care is one thing. Actually, adopting a self-care practice that can improve your life is another.

It’s important to understand what is self-care and what isn’t. It’s about more than taking care of your physical health. “Just eating healthy isn’t enough anymore. “Things are moving so fast around us that we need space to self-care and slow down to rest from all the busyness in our lives. “Ultimately, your self-care routine should make you a better version of yourself. 

Self-care describes a conscious act one takes in order to promote their own physical, mental, and emotional health. There are many forms self-care may take. It could be ensuring you get enough sleep every night or stepping outside for a few minutes for some fresh air.

Unfortunately, however, many people view self-care as a luxury, rather than a priority. Consequently, they're left feeling overwhelmed, tired, and ill-equipped to handle life's inevitable challenges.

It's important to assess how you're caring for yourself in several different domains so you can ensure you're caring for your mind, body, and spirit.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself so that you can transmit the good feelings to others. You cannot give to others what you don't have yourself. You must have heard of the saying: You can’t pour from an empty cup” This statement perfectly sums up our capacity to give ourselves to the world…we can’t pour our hearts and energy on others if we have nothing to draw from. First, we must make the time to replenish ourselves and self-care ensures that we keep our cups full so we can give love and positivity to the world around us. While some may misconstrue self-care as selfish, it's far from that. When you pay adequate attention to your well-being, you're not considering your needs alone. You're reinvigorating yourself so that you can be the best version of yourself for the people around you. Everyone around you also benefits from the renewed energy and joy you exhibit.

The key to effective self-care is developing a routine that sticks and part of that is making sure you enjoy what you are doing.

Physical Self-Care

You need to take care of your body if you want it to run efficiently. Keep in mind that there's a strong connection between your body and your mind. When you’re caring for your body, you'll think and feel better too.

Physical self-care includes how you're fueling your body, how much sleep you're getting, how much physical activity you are doing, and how well you're caring for your physical needs.

When it comes to physical self-care, ask yourself the following questions to assess whether there might be some areas you need to improve:

  • Are you getting adequate sleep?
  • Is your diet fueling your body well?
  • Are you taking charge of your health?
  • Are you getting enough exercise? 

Social Self-Care

Socialization is key to self-care. But, often, it's hard to make time for friends and it's easy to neglect your relationships when life gets busy.

Close connections are important to your well-being. The best way to cultivate and maintain close relationships is to put time and energy into building your relationships with others.

To assess your social self-care, consider:

  • Are you getting enough face-to-face time with your friends?
  • What are you doing to nurture your relationships with friends and family?

Mental Self-Care

The way you think and the things that you're filling your mind with greatly influence your psychological well-being.

Mental self-care includes doing things that keep your mind sharp, like puzzles, or learning about a subject that fascinates you. You might find reading books or watching movies that inspire you fuels your mind.

Mental self-care also involves doing things that help you stay mentally healthy. Practicing self-compassion and acceptance, for example, helps you maintain a healthier inner dialogue.

Here are a few questions to consider when you think about your mental self-care:

  • Are you making enough time for activities that mentally stimulate you?
  • Are you doing proactive things to help you stay mentally healthy?

 Spiritual Self-Care

Research shows that a lifestyle including religion or spirituality is generally a healthier lifestyle.

Nurturing your spirit, however, doesn't have to involve religion. It can involve anything that helps you develop a deeper sense of meaning, understanding, or connection with the universe.

Whether you enjoy meditation, attending a religious service, or praying, spiritual self care is important.

As you consider your spiritual life, ask yourself:

  • What questions do you ask yourself about your life and experience?
  • Are you engaging in spiritual practices that you find fulfilling?

Emotional Self-Care

It's important to have healthy coping skills to deal with uncomfortable emotions, like anger, anxiety, and sadness. Emotional self-care may include activities that help you acknowledge and express your feelings on a regular basis.

Whether you talk to a partner or close friend about how you feel, or you set aside time for leisure activities that help you process your emotions, it's important to incorporate emotional self-care into your life.

When assessing your emotional self-care strategies, consider these questions:

  • Do you have healthy ways to process your emotions?
  • Do you incorporate activities into your life that help you feel recharged?

Develop Your Self-Care Plan

·    Self-care isn't a one-size-fits-all strategy. Your self-care plan will need to be customized to your needs.

·    A self-care plan for a busy college student who feels mentally stimulated all the time and has a bustling social life might need to emphasize physical self-care.

·    On the other hand, a retired person may need to incorporate more social self-care into their schedule to make sure that their social needs are being met.

·   Assess which areas of your life need some more attention and self-care. And reassess your life often. As your situation changes, your self-care needs are likely to shift too.

·    When you discover that you're neglecting a certain aspect of your life, create a plan for change.

·    You don't have to tackle everything all at once. Identify one small step you can take to begin caring for yourself better.

·    Then, schedule time to focus on your needs. Even when you feel like you don't have time to squeeze in one more thing, make self-care a priority. When you're caring for all aspects of yourself, you'll find that you are able to operate more effectively and efficiently.

A 5-Step Approach for Creating (and Getting Into) a Self-Care Routine

Follow these five steps to adopt a sustainable self-care practice.

  1. Find what makes you feel centered
  2. Brainstorm how you can incorporate those things into your daily life.
  3. Set goals for incorporating self-care behaviors every day
  4. After seven days, evaluate. 
  5. Adjust and tweak your approach as you go.

It’s always a good idea to incorporate some fun and spontaneity in self-care…that way it doesn’t seem like a chore but something we actually enjoy doing.

Your self-care menu could look like this:

  • ·        Saying affirmations out aloud
  • ·        Turn on your fav playlist
  • ·        Drink a glass of water
  • ·        Create a gratitude list
  • ·        Make your fav cup
  • ·        Do a brain dump
  • ·        Pamper yourself
  • ·        Enjoy your fav food (guilt free)

It’s important to establish a sustainable self-care routine that will help you recharge after a long day/

You could also create a comfort box which is essentially an emotional first aid kit.

The idea is to fill it with things that will immediately help calm you down, recharge and pick yourself back up. The idea is for your comfort box to provide you with all the tools you need to feel and stay safe.

Remember you can never be too busy to take care of yourself, because often the most productive thing you can do is to take time to heal.

LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE!!!

Self-Care is personal, and no general principle will always work. What motivates you and inspires you is different than the person next door. Look for the things that make you feel alive. Make dates with yourself and when you commit to working out or doing something for yourself, keep the commitment you make to yourself. We don't back out on our friends, don't back out on yourself. By being healthy about self-care, you will feel be better equipped to help others and live your best life.

 

 

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