HOW TO PRACTICE SELF CARE
Self-care is one of those important things that the majority of us should take part in, but don’t take part in. It’s something that not only helps us feel better but if done properly it can help us grow and develop into even better human beings than we were before. I have struggled with self-care for quite a few years, and I wasn’t even sure how to practice self care. Recently I found myself in a situation with a partner who not only took my self-worth but completely damaged the way I felt and the way I saw myself. I had to start the self-care and self-discovery journey so that I could put the pieces of myself back together.
HOW DO WE DEFINE SELF-CARE?
Self-care is defined as the practice of taking time to nurture your spirit, mind, body and soul properly through activities and positivity. Some common examples of self-care activities include reading, yoga, exercising, healthy eating, removing toxic people from your life, writing, drawing, and learning something new. However, there are a ton of other activities you can do as well.
Self-care is about taking time to care and better yourself while also replenishing your heart, mind, body, and soul.
WHY IS SELF-CARE IMPORTANT?
Choosing to practice self care is vital to having a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. It allows you to not only be present in your life but feel strong and confident while you walk through life day by day, tackling issues big and small. You cannot be present in your life if you’re surrounded by negativity, depressed, and feeling worthless. It’s imperative that you take care of your health, your mind, body, spirit, and soul for a long and happy life. I’m sure at some point you’ve experienced a time when your life revolved around making someone else happy and neglecting yourself. At that time you were probably sleeping horribly, eating more than you should or less than you should, maybe even physically feeling pain like headaches and backaches from the stress in your life. I’ve been at this point many times because I always put others before me. I continually allowed myself to be miserable to make sure the people I dated or were friends with were happy and having a good life.
That’s when I learned that I needed to take self-care more seriously to ensure I WAS HAPPY. No one was spending their time making my life better and bringing me joy, but here I was spending all of my time and emotions bringing them joy. My bucket was no longer full. They were dipping into my bucket and taking my positivity and leaving me drained.
That is how people burn out. When you’re mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted you simply cannot produce good, quality work.
Replenishing yourself with self-love, self-care, and positivity will create a happier, healthier, and more productive YOU. Take a break from the bad, and work on making you better!
PRACTICE SELF-CARE YOUR WAY
There’s no right or wrong way to practice self-care. You need to find a routine that works for you. Whether you have a daily or weekly routine, it has to be something that you can stick to, that increases your happiness and benefits you mentally, physically, and emotionally. Whether you take a day for yourself or take a certain amount of time every day for yourself. Find a routine that works for you and make this self-care practice sustainable.
Different strategies, tips, and activities will work for different people. Make a list of things to try and see what works for you. Keep track of how you feel during which activities and changes so that you know what’s working and what isn’t.
IDEAS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED
Below are a few ideas to help you get started with your journey. But don’t worry, we will be back soon with even more ideas, tips, tricks, and help!