Why you need more SELF-CARE in your life
It’s Sunday, time to practice some self-care!
At least that is what you are told as you scroll through your social media feed. But what does that even mean? Do you need to schedule an elaborate spa day or escape to the woods for a meditative nature walk? While both of those options would count as “self-care”, the practice of self-care can be much less expensive and grand.
By definition, self-care is: “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.” We are often much more comfortable in a caregiver role, taking care of and ensuring the well-being of others. Unfortunately, self-care is often thought of as frivolous or even selfish. I would like to banish that way of thinking from your mind.
When you prioritize and care for yourself, you are not only benefiting yourself but ultimately benefiting everybody you encounter because you are showing up as your best self. Being well nourished, rested, happy, content, grateful, and relaxed (positive side effects of self-care) enables you to tackle life differently than being exhausted, frazzled, depressed, and overwhelmed! That is just common sense. You will have a clearer, less distracted mind for problem-solving and interacting with others. You will exhibit more patience and gratitude and show up with more energy.
You show up better when you take care of yourself! Period.
Are you convinced? GREAT! So, how can you start implementing more self-care into your life? Well, the first step is to treat it like an appointment or date with a friend, and put it on your calendar! Even if you don’t know what you are going to do, at least block off some time. You can fill in the details later.
And did you catch the reference to treating your self-care like you would a “date with a friend”? Scheduling and then keeping the date? I want you to focus on the aspect of “a friend” as well. A big step towards improved self-care would be to start caring for yourself as you would a friend! If a friend was over-stressed and tired, you would tell them to rest. If a friend hadn’t taken a day off in months, you would encourage them to do so. Evaluate your current situation and consider any advice you would give to a friend in the same circumstances! Chances are, taking some time for yourself would most likely make that list of advice.
Your self-care does not need to mimic everybody else’s self-care ritual and, as stated earlier, does not need to be expensive. Anything that makes you feel better about yourself relieves stress, relaxes you, brings you joy, and makes you happy could be considered self-care!
While a relaxing pedicure may do the trick for some, others may prefer a quiet afternoon spent binge-watching their favorite show, listening to music, taking a long walk, drawing, coloring, or taking a nice long nap! You do not need to explain your choice of activities and it does not need to make sense to others. If it makes you happy, fuels your soul, and brings you joy, it counts as self-care!
This idea that taking time for self-care is somehow frivolous needs to be re-wired in our minds! We have allowed ourselves to become so busy and over-committed with obligations, that the concept of being a “hot mess” has become a badge of honor for some women. I don’t see too many “hot messes” prioritizing their self-care. Not taking care of oneself makes it easier to make excuses for bad behavior and poor habits.
The choice is yours! You can hurry through life, prioritizing everybody and everything, paying little regard to yourself and your needs. This will most likely result in you feeling over-committed, stressed, drained, bitter, etc. Or you can slow down, put yourself on your “to-do list” by scheduling a few things each week that you enjoy doing, and watch not only your overall productivity improve, but your mood, spirit, and energy levels increase as well.
Living your best life, prioritizing, and caring for yourself as you would a dear friend, is far from selfish! It is a gift you can share with the world and those that you care about. What can you schedule for yourself this week?
Bec Martin is a happiness coach and has added “children’s book author” to her resume. She recently published her first book: “Bravery: A Baby Sea Turtle’s First Adventure”.
