Self-care. We hear the phrase often and have been told of all the health and happiness promoting benefits that self-care can bring to our lives, but many find it difficult to actually indulge in the practice and make it a part of their everyday lives.
Some people think that self-care means doing something that takes a lot of planning or time invested, or even a lot of money. Ideas like hour-long massages, a day at the spa, or a weekend trip away come to mind. Yes, these can be ways to self-care and I am sure they are wonderful and result in feeling refreshed and more relaxed. But these aren’t the only ways that we can practice self-care. There are many ways that we can take care of ourselves that don’t require a lot of planning, time, or money.
The key to ensuring any practice is successful, is to be intentional about it. To understand its purpose and then to make it a priority. Too often we go about our days either in autopilot or in reactivity mode and don’t feel like we have the time or mental/emotional energy to make caring for ourselves a priority. We tell ourselves that we will get to it later when we get home or later on the weekend. We set ourselves up with other barriers like thinking we need special gadget X or this or that to make it effective. But this is not acceptable. We deserve to take care of ourselves on a daily basis. In fact, taking care of ourselves as a routine daily priority is a must for improved and sustained emotional health, mental health, and even physical health. When we take the time to nourish ourselves and refuel, we become happier, more productive, and are able to accomplish more.
After making an intention to integrate daily self-care practices, the second key to ensuring its success is to tailor your practices to your lifestyle and personality. Choose to do things that have value to you. Things you enjoy and things that make you feel good. Don’t try to emulate someone else’s practices if those practices don’t make sense for you. Exercising and physical activity may be self-care for some, while sitting and reading may be self-care for others. When you integrate activities that you enjoy, naturally you will engage in them more often.
Some simple but effective ideas for self-care:
- Take a break in your day, even for 5-10 minutes, to sit quietly and enjoy a warm cup of tea, coffee, or your favorite drink.
- Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and practice deep breathing paying attention to your breath and being mindful of your 5 senses.
- Stretch your body. Stand up from your seat or get down on the floor and do some simple stretching of different parts of your body.
- Go outside and take a brief (or long) walk taking notice of sights and sounds.
- Even standing outside for 5-10 minutes noticing the sights and sounds is another option.
- Take a break from work, chores, or studying when it’s mealtime. Don’t neglect yourself of this simple way to take care of yourself.
- Put on your favorite lotion or scent.
- Light a candle or diffuse your favorite essential oils.
- Write an entry in your journal.
- Stop everything you are doing and listen to some music.
- Do something creative that you enjoy – does not have to be elaborate or even a finished project.
When you wake in the morning, take a moment to set your intention for how you will care for yourself that day. Envision when and how you will do it. Even this practice of setting your self-care intention is in fact, a practice of self-care. Good job! You are off to a great start!
