You’re busy, tired, anxious and might not have the time to taking care of yourself. Let me ask you this… When was the last time you did something to take care of yourself?
Hhmmm… if you have to pause to answer, then you might need to reevaluate your routines. It won’t be long before you’re battered from tiredness and it is difficult to care about anything.
Or maybe you would even think, “What kind of question is this? Of course, I care about myself.”
When asked, “In what ways do you take care of yourself?” — well, that’s where the tricky part begins.
So what is Self-care actually?
According to Raphailia Michael a licensed counselling psychologist, self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory, it’s something we very often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. It’s also key to a good relationship with oneself and others.
The main misconception of self-care is that people think that self-care is a one time deal. It is not. It is not something that you do once. It is a habit, a repetitive process that bit by bit we put love and care towards our mind, body and soul.
Source: Brian Danker/iStock/360/Thinkstock
So how do we practice self-care?
Here are some ideas to help start practicing self-care :
- Allow yourself to unplug. From the news, social media, email, etc. Switch your phone to airplane mode for an hour or two everyday.
- Filter what you want to see online. Take out negative people. “Mute” or simply unfollow.
- Pick your healthy food. Choose to have healthy breakfast to pump up your day.
- Walk or sit at your nearest park. Nature is best to help calm and balanced our soul.
- Take a deep breath. Remember to take a deep breath every now and then. Let the air puff out your stomach and chest.
- Declutter or clean your room. When everything is clean you’ll feel better.
- Check in with your emotions. Make time to sit quietly and name what you feel without judgment.
Start one or two ideas daily then with a little bit of attention you will feel more connected to yourself. You’ll delight in small pleasures, and nothing will seem quite as difficult as it did before.
So which one will you try first?