Self Care - Why it Matters
In today’s constantly on-the-go world, it can be easy to forget to take time for yourself to make sure that you’re getting what you need out of life. Often times self-care is associated with the “treat yourself” mentality, but I think that they can vary greatly in their lasting effects. For example, treating ourselves to a new pair of shoes or a cheat meal can leave us feeling good for a short time. However, this good feeling typically fades within a few hours after the “newness” fades.
What is Self Care?
Self-care, in the way that I reference it, is less focused on outside objects and more about reconnecting with the internal experiences that we often forget or get too busy to pay attention to. I am speaking about intentionally setting aside time to check in with yourself, fully experiencing your present state, and re-centering yourself with the things that fill you with energy. I have found that the energy I get from these moments can far outlast any new, shiny thing that I have bought.
Why is it important?
When thinking about why self-care is important, I associate it with regularly scheduled maintenance for a vehicle. It’s probably safe to say that we all know that our vehicles require an oil change every few thousand miles, tire rotations and alignments a couple times per year, and new tires whenever the old ones become too worn or damaged. What happens if we go without this maintenance? It’s likely that our cars will start to act up or even break down, right? Well, our mental health is similar. Without intentionally taking time to check-in with ourselves, we are likely to hold on to stress and internal pressures longer than necessary. This can lead to physical manifestations of pain in our body, compacted stressors, or even an increase in symptoms of mental health issues. No fun, right?
By taking time to check-in with yourself and implementing proper self-care techniques, we can avoid a lot of these things. It can also help us find energy to tackle whatever challenges lie ahead, help improve our relationships with others, and make sure you are getting what you want/need out of life.
Where do I start?
Self-care doesn’t require any additional items or a long period of time. My best suggestion is to set aside at least 10-30 minutes of uninterrupted time, find a safe and comfortable space to be in, and allow yourself to be vulnerable. Here are 5 tips to help you get started:
5 Self-Care Tips:
Schedule time and stick with it!
It can be easy to reschedule or cancel our self-care time for something that is “more important” or higher on our priority list. I get it, life is busy for almost everyone nowadays. However, I encourage you to leave your self-care time where it is and leave the laundry list of to-do items for once you’re finished. This is your time to make sure you are “refilling your tank” and checking in to see what you need. I promise you won’t regret taking the time for yourself! Often times the positives we get from self-care extend into the other dimensions of our life. So maybe taking that 10-30 minutes for yourself will end up helping you get through your to-do list faster or more efficiently.
Silence the noise
Put your phone on do not disturb, put the laptop and tablet down, and do your best not to worry about the texts, calls, or emails. Trust me, they’ll be there waiting whenever you’ve finished. Instead of letting all of these things distract us from ourselves, be intentional about taking the time for yourself and knowing that life will continue to happen even without hearing all of the noise we are surrounded with. I think you’ll be surprised what you can hear when we stop listening to everything else around us.
Be vulnerable with yourself
This can scary for some, especially if we haven’t checked in with ourselves in a while. However, I encourage you to let outside expectations fall to the side and just notice what is going on inside you. How’s your mood? What is impacting that? Is it something worth giving energy to? If so, how can we give it the energy needed while still attending to ourselves? If not, what can we do to release it?
You may notice that you’re breathing heavier or feel tension in your shoulders. You may feel pressure behind your eyes or a slight tremble of the hands. These physical sensations are connected to our mind and the state it is in. Pay attention to all of the physical and mental sensations. Don’t be afraid if they’re not always easy or pleasant - that’s part of life. Attending to those hard moments and learning what you need to get through them and how to cope with them is an invaluable lesson that will help us all indefinitely.
Take a total body wellness approach
Our lives are made up of so many individual parts that it can be easy to forget about how they function together and what happens if just one piece is askew. When taking time to check-in with yourself, think about the 8 dimensions of wellness: physical, social, spiritual, emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, and career. You may find that you’re holding onto stress in one of these areas and that is bleeding over into other aspects of your life. It’s not uncommon, at all! However, doing an inventory of where you are and what you need with each of these dimensions can help to pinpoint what changes need to be made to help you continue to grow and flourish.
5. Try something new
Too many times we discourage ourselves from trying something new because it can be hard to disrupt our busy schedules. But, if there’s something that you think may give you energy and help you reconnect with yourself, I would strongly encourage you to give it a try! You may find a new hobby or passion that refills your tank whenever you’re bordering on empty.
Remember, self-care isn’t a perfect science. The most important thing is that you’re checking in with yourself and attending to your own needs. Hopefully these tips will help you get started, but feel free to explore new options and figure out what works for you!
If we can help, don’t hesitate to reach out.
