Perhaps William Shakespeare said it best when he used the line, “Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners.” Our bodies and minds can flourish when we focus on taking care of ourselves. The term is overused, but let's talk about self-care!
Self-care is not a difficult concept, but it may still seem daunting to some. Here are some myths about self-care that often alter what the term is supposed to mean.
Self-care is all or nothing.
You do not have to pamper yourself all day to count it as caring for yourself. Self-care can be more effective in the small moments, like when you take a few minutes to write in your journal at the end of the day.
Self-care is optional.
We cannot go through life stressing ourselves out without taking a few moments here and there to pause and reflect. Eventually, avoiding self-care can lead to depression, anxiety, exhaustion, and a number of other life-altering conditions.
Self-care is anything that soothes you.
Drinking a lot of alcohol after a long day of work or spending three hours scrolling through social media are not self-care. Relaxation is meaningful, but self-care involves choices that are good for your health and wellness. Self-care is not anything that is “addictive, compulsive or harmful to your mind, body or bank account,” says therapist Joyce Marter.
You have to earn the right to practice self-care.
Let’s be frank--society expects too much from all of us. Many people believe that they must tend to everyone else’s needs before they are allowed to care for themselves. It does not work this way! If you do not take care of yourself first, you are only depriving yourself of the mental and physical strength you need to take care of other responsibilities.
Self care looks different for everyone. An excellent way to ensure you care for yourself is by creating a self-care routine. There are several variations of this practice, but entrepreneur Rachel Hollis calls her self-care routine the Five to Thrive. These are practices to help you get the most out of each day.
Five to Thrive:
1) Drink half your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink 75 ounces of water every day. Water is great for maintaining your body’s functions and energy, and it has numerous other benefits!
2) Cut out a category of food for 30 days. Like we discussed earlier, self-care is all about doing what is healthy for you. One way to do this is by cutting out one category of food that you know is bad for you. This can be anything like soda, fast food, sugar, etc.
3) Move your body for 30 minutes. You need physical stability to take care of yourself and your responsibilities. It’s no secret that exercise is critical for health, both physically and mentally. Take time for yourself each day to move your body, even if it’s as simple as taking a slow walk.
4) Wake up an hour early. A common excuse for not doing self-care is that you don’t have time. If you can wake up an hour before you need to start your day, you have all that extra time to focus on you. You can use this time to workout, read, meditate, work on hobbies--whatever you like that starts your day off right.
5) Write down your gratitude. There are scientific studies that prove how beneficial being grateful is. It allows you to focus on the positive parts of your day instead of the negative parts. Every day, write down ten specific things you are grateful for. An example is, “A nice man held the door open for me.”
Self-care starts with you, and you are in complete control! It’s never the wrong time to start practicing self-care in order to manage your busy life.