Self-care is not an indulgence; it’s a discipline. And it can be really boring.
What images come to your mind when I say ‘self-care’?
Taking massages, long baths in bathtubs, eating delicious food, or going to a spa?
Yes, all of these can be self-care activities, but these aren’t. Workout every day, saying no to a party and choosing to rest, etc., are examples of self-care. As you can see, these aren’t ‘indulgences’; instead, they take self-discipline.
And most often than not, it feels like work; but the effort you put into self-care will always be worth it.
Importance of self-care
Self-care is not an option; it is a necessity.
When you neglect self-care, you deprive yourself of important things like rest, hydration, exercise, and nutrition. People who don’t practice self-care often complain about feeling tired and run down, not being able to focus on their goals in life, feeling overwhelmed by certain tasks and not knowing why.
Whether you like it or not, self-care is important for your mental health, and that cannot be ignored. You need to practice self-care to feel relaxed, refreshed, and restored because if you don’t, then the chances are that the quality of all the work you’re doing will be affected drastically.
Recommended reading: 3 Simple Yet Powerful Ways To Invest In Yourself
What is self-care?
Self-care is not something that gives momentary joy. Rather it is what revitalizes us and keeps us healthy (both physically and mentally, even financially) in the long run. Self-care is a way of keeping your life in order.
So, what do self-care activities look like?
- It could be hitting the gym after a long day at the office
- It is declining the third round of drinks at a party or sticking to the more gut-friendly foods
- It is drawing boundaries on how much you can do for others so that you have enough time for yourself too
- It’s choosing not to binge on that addictive show so that you can go to sleep on time and feel rested the next day
- It could be taking care of your financing and choosing not to buy unnecessary things.
Recommended reading: Self Care Ideas For Working Mothers
Tips for practicing self-care
The self-care mentioned above is a little daunting, isn’t it? But worry, using the following tips, you can muster the discipline to do the self-care that’s right for you.
1. Make a schedule for your self-care practice.
As long as you have something achievable and reasonable it will work. Whenever the task is difficult to finish within a time frame, just do what you can in those hours and give yourself enough rest before trying again.
2. Use a planner or journal to write down your goals.
And then work on them. Sometimes we lack the motivation to achieve our goals, but when you’re sitting down and writing it out for yourself, you’ll realise that all the hard work will be worth it.
Recommended reading: 5 Powerful Ways Journaling Changes Your Life
3. Make it easy to do self-care tasks.
If you need to go for a run in the morning, lay out your running gear the night before; if you want to have a no-spend week, deactivate notifications of all the shopping apps on your phone.
4. Listen to yourself.
When you’re tired, take that nap or go home early. When you’re hungry, eat something. When your body is craving some fresh air, take a walk outside. Self-care isn’t selfish, so don’t deprive yourself of it because others think it’s unnecessary.
5. Start saying yes to stuff that will leave you feeling refreshed and stimulated.
And do it without guilt because you’re saying yes to your well-being and taking time off for yourself.
To conclude,
Don’t have too many expectations of how your life will change after practicing self-care because there’s not supposed to be a difference. Self-care is about giving your body & mind the love it deserves because you’re worth it.
