What is self-care and why is it important? In a nut shell, self-care is exactly what it sounds like, taking care of yourself. What most people miss is that this goes above and beyond the basics. We all know that taking care of yourself involves sleeping, eating, showering, but it should involve so much more than that. When we live in a time where everything is go, go, go and success is measured by how much you can fit into the short hours of a day, it is easy to put ourselves on the back burner. Unfortunately, this leads to burned out, unhappy, exhausted, and possibly unhealthy people. It is so easy to focus on caring for others and making sure everyone and everything is tended to before tending to yourself; however, if you don’t stop to take care of yourself first, eventually you will be unable to care for others. Such simple acts, that take just a little time out of your day, or even week, can make such a substantial difference in how you feel. Taking this time is not selfish and is necessary to your well being, both physically and mentally. It’s time to put yourself first for a little while and step up that self-care. What is considered as self-care will vary for each person, and each person has individual and unique needs in this area. Here are a few simple techniques to step it up:
- Find what you enjoy and take time to actually do it!
- Get a massage.
- Go to a spa.
- Spend time in the bath, with music, bubbles, the works.
- Take a yoga class.
- Go for a run.
- Binge watch a favorite show.
- Spend time catching up with old friends.
- Write in a journal.
- Travel.
- Read a book.
- Pick up a craft.
- Cook a healthy meal.
- Go for a walk or swim, be in nature.
- Sleep in.
- Treat yourself to a new outfit, accessory, or even a coffee.
- Meditate.
- Get a makeover.
- Go to Church.
- Redo a space in your home to be “your” space.
The key to finding the right self-care routines for yourself are finding what nourishes your spirit and your body. It’s important to care for yourself through a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, exercise, finding a good home/work balance, and surrounding yourself with positive people. Outside of the basics, each person has their own needs and it can take time to find what works for them. If you are an active person who thrives on physical activity, running might be your ultimate self-care and something that is necessary to carve out time in your busy schedule to do a couple times a week. If you are a book worm, setting aside time each night to read can be absolutely essential to feeling refreshed after a long day of work. Getting your creative side out by painting might be exactly what you need to feel whole. Whatever it takes, the important part is that you must care for yourself, and enrich yourself, to be complete and the best you that you can be.
