Self care isn’t selfish, it’s necessary.
Self-care (noun)
- the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health
- the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.”
It is so important to look after yourself. Your goals and your success are not possible if you are not functioning at 100%. No one want’s to burn out but without regular self care practices this will be the outcome. Regular self care practice will help you to create a better relationship with your body as you become more in-tune to what she needs. It allows you to take time off or away from the things causing you stress in the world. Both your physical and mental health benefit from looking after yourself and doing something just for you.
Now self care comes in all different forms, it isn’t just baths and face masks (though they are on the list). As the definition says it’s two-fold, we want to focus on our physical health AND our mental health. Which means it’s about whatever makes you happy, feel good and provide health benefits. This is why yours will look different from someone else’s and change quite regularly.
When I think of self care I think about what is going to make me feel good. In that moment what does my body need to feel better. Moving my body is a type as in that 45mins to 1hr I have focused on me and me alone. It destresses my mind as well as creating physical health benefits for my body. Having a bath is one for me because it allows me to fully relax and ease my muscles, I also find I can disconnect with the world. Getting a decent nights sleep means my body is well rested and my brain can switch off and repair. Calling a friend and chatting for hours provides me with a happiness boost and mental health connection. These are all forms of self care offering different outcomes but over all they are focusing on looking out for myself.
But these are mine, for you they may different and that’s important because its about SELF care. Therefore the focus in is on yourself. So think about what can you do to take action to preserve or improve your health. What can you do to protect your wellbeing and happiness? They will all make up your self care practices. Make a list of all these things, making sure to focus on what’s going to make you feel good physically and mentally. Now from this list where can you put these into your schedule regularly. I have self care non negotiables that I do every week, some every day and the more focused luxurious tasks that happen as and when needed.
Self care non negotiables are the ones that have to happen in your day to day life in order to keep your work/life balance in order. These are the ones that make sure you can function properly to do what you need. For example getting a decent nights sleep, going for a walk daily, journaling, getting veg in every meal etc. The smaller ones but have a big impact. Then the bigger ones like pampering and face timing your mum may happen weekly when you fit them in.
You can also think about your environment and put boundaries into place that keep you focused and less stressed. What you view on social media, the notifications on your phone, when you answer emails are some examples that could be edited to help you. Creating these boundaries for yourself will benefit your mental health and in turn looking after yourself.
That’s what self care is all about, it’s making yourself the priority day in and day out. Without it you will burn out, over work and become too stressed. None of these are healthy for anyone, not you and not anyone who needs you. Focus on what you need in your life to be at your 100%, to feel good physically and mentally. Self care isn’t something to brush over, it’s something that should be implemented daily. And remember it isn’t about what it looks like to anyone else, it’s all about you.
xxx
