Anything & Everything
Depends on what you like, what you need, what your resources are, where you live, etc. Self-care can be simple acts that perhaps you have never thought truly were self-care at all. For example, last night I cancelled 2 of my obligations for the following day: 1 professional and 1 personal. That was hard for me and neither were required, but I wanted and felt obligated to do them. But I really needed a break. I was drowning. This was my version of self-care just last night. And this morning I woke up, reset, ready to go, not perfect, but better then before.
Replenish & Rejuvenate
The whole idea of self-care, which you have probably gathered by now, is to find ways to feel balanced, ways to feel like you have something to give that family of yours, ways to find moments of calm and even joy throughout your day. Other words for this are replenish and rejuvenate. These words mean to fill yourself with something: whatever works for you. But that something needs to be inspiring and nourishing to you. Whatever makes you feel energized, restored, that is what you are seeking. For me, it was as simple as saying no to an obligation. For you, it may be filling your diffusers up with essential oils and turning them on, wearing a cozy sweatshirt, sitting outside for 5 minutes, or even lowering your expectations.
Self-Care Plan & Daily Routine
The key is to do it! The only way to ensure this is to build self-care into your daily routine. Again this looks different for everyone. The secret is for these activities to become automatic. Let’s talk about me again: One thing I do every day is some form of exercise. It is part of my daily schedule. Sometimes, it’s a 4 mile walk, sometimes it’s gently stretching for only 15 minutes. But I do it every day. This is how I stay as calm as I can and deal with the hearty demands of my life. What can you do every day that will help you to feel replenished and rejuvenated?
Realistic
Ahhh dear reader, your plan must be realistic. Traveling to a deserted island all alone where others prepare your meals and give you daily massages is a wonderful dream and maybe even be something to work towards. Or maybe that’s just my dream and yours is completely different. But the kind of self-care I am talking about here needs to be doable every darn day. Click here and here for some simple and doable ideas.
It’s Not Selfish
For lots of us, this is the internal rule we have set up that prevents us from taking part in self-care. Somehow we have received the message that taking care of oneself is SELFISH! I struggle with this too. Parents are on call 24/7 and somehow they trick themselves into thinking that good parents do not take time to tend to to their own needs. Well, I’m here to tell you that is a blatantly false idea. The only way to break this cycle of not caring for yourself, honestly is just to practice self-care. Once you give yourself permission to care for yourself as a person, you will see that you will be a better parent, partner, friend, worker, and overall human. It works. Self-care really does result in peace and happiness. Now get out there and DO IT!
