Listen to “Why Self Care Should be a Priority“.
When we are busy and stressed, it’s easy to forget to take care of ourselves, but it’s possibly the most important thing we can do.
What is self-care?
Self-care means taking the time to pay attention to yourself in a way that ensures that you are being cared for. It means recognizing when you are doing more than you can handle and trying to figure out how you can slow down. Incorporating self-care into your daily life helps you to stay energized to survive and thrive. It also goes a long way to managing stress and living your life to the full.
Self-care requires you to engage in activities that are necessary to gain or maintain optimal levels for your overall health.
Your overall health includes not just the physical, but the psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual components of your well-being.
1. Physical Self-Care
You need to take care of your body if you want it to run efficiently. Bear in mind that there’s a strong connection between your body and your mind. When you’re caring for your body, you’ll think and feel better too.
Physical self-care includes how you’re fueling your body, how much sleep you’re getting, how much physical activity you are doing, and how well you’re caring for your physical needs.
2. Mental Self-Care
The way you think and the things that you fill your mind with greatly influence your mental health. Remember to take the time to consider your thoughts, as they become your actions.
Mental self-care involves doing things that help you stay mentally healthy. Practising self-compassion and acceptance, for example, enables you to maintain a healthier inner dialogue.
3. Emotional Self-Care
It’s important to have healthy ways of dealing with uncomfortable emotions, like anger, anxiety, and sadness. Emotional self-care is often simply the act of allowing yourself to feel your emotions for what they are, with little to no judgement. Never feel guilty for taking care of yourself.
4. Spiritual Self-Care
Nurturing your spirit doesn’t have to involve religion. Spiritual self-care can be the act of simply getting in touch with your inner human spirit and soul. It can involve anything that helps you develop a deeper sense of meaning, understanding, or connection with the universe.
Whether you enjoy meditation or prayer, spiritual self-care is essential.
Schedule time to focus on your needs, even if you feel like you don’t have time, try to make self-care a priority. When you’re caring for all of the aspects of yourself, you’ll find that you can operate more effectively and efficiently and you will feel much happier.
Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup.
