It sets the scene, and from that slow narrative, the aim is to power down. It feels like a bit of a cliché, the buzzword of our age, but if one has the space to care for oneself, one also has the space to live. The writing of Bernard leads me, as it has led others, one step further towards the light. ‘Please take your boat out of the water,’ is a phrase I’m coming to understand. And take it out of my drive, come to that. Patient and supple friend, inch by inch by inch by inch, towards the light.
What Is Self-Care?
Self-care is intentionally tending to physical, mental, and emotional well-being; it’s listening to your needs and responding to yourself with love and kindness. It’s different from the once-in-a-while spa days and special treats because it’s a continuum of tending to your needs in a way that nourishes your life.
The Importance of Self-Care
1. Promotes Emotional Health
Self-care helps you stay emotionally centred. In part, this is because pursuits that serve the spirit can help you to metabolise emotions, minimise anxiety, and find an inner calm.
2. Enhances Physical Health
After all, one of the keystones of self-care is to attend to your body through regular exercise, a healthy diet and good sleep. When your body is well-cared for, it enhances your ability to confront the rigours of daily living.
3. Fosters Mental Clarity
Taking care of your mind is an important part of mental health. Meditation, journaling, art, music, and even DIY crafts can sharpen your mind and reduce mental fatigue.
4. Increases Resilience
And it’s because we practice regular self-care that we can bounce back in the face of stress and adversity. When we consistently invest in ourselves, we build the resilience to stand up, walk tall and meet life head-on.
5. Strengthens Relationships
When you are taking care of yourself, you can take care of others. You are a more connected person when you are focused on your own well-being. This connection, this intimacy, is both enjoyable and of value because of it.
Different Types of Self-Care
As such, self-care encompasses a wide variety of practices that all have a different purpose in your life. Below are some of these, and closer detail is provided on each.
1. Physical Self-Care
Exercise: Keeping your body healthy is the foundation for keeping your mind healthy. If you don’t already exercise, getting into the habit can be difficult at first, but find an activity you enjoy – whether it’s walking, yoga or dancing – and you’ll soon come to appreciate the benefits.
Nutrition: Eat real food. A balanced diet fuels the body and mind. Eat foods that nurture from the inside out.
Sleep: Getting adequate and good quality sleep is essential for your physical and mental health. Get into the habit of winding down a little bit before bed so it’s easier to fall sleep and you can sleep longer.
2. Emotional Self-Care
Self-Reflection: Check in with yourself. Where do you hold grief? Can you journal about your feelings? Can you confide in a friend?
Set healthy boundaries: It’s important to say no when you need to and to guard your time and emotional energy like the precious resources they are.
3. Mental Self-Care
Mindfulness Practices Your kids should engage in mindfulness activities (for instance, take a moment to centre your breaths and regain control of your mind, or do a five-minute meditation).
Lifelong learning: Stay active mentally and explore new skills or hobbies. Learning throughout our lives is important to keep our minds active and curious.
4. Social Self-Care
Build connections: Spend time with friends and family to cultivate deep relationships. Emotional connection is the key to good health.
Community: Connecting with others in your community, such as by volunteering or joining social groups, can help you to feel connected and engaged.
5. Spiritual Self-Care
Meditation or prayer: spiritual self-care involves meditation, prayer or any other practice that connects you to your higher self or a higher power.
How would you experience time in nature? Almost all of us find spiritual renewal in spending time in nature. Walking in the park or just spending time in natural settings can be very renewing.
How to Integrate Self-Care into Your Life
Here’s how you can integrate self-care into your everyday life without making it complex: 1) Keep it short and controllable. The first thing to do is define your acts of self-care in a way that you will stick to. Try not to make it overwhelming or time-consuming. Tell yourself that you will engage in self-care every day but allow yourself to make the options open-ended: for instance, you can say you’ll take time for yourself every day when it suits you. 2) Connect it to your routines. Make your daily moments of self-care blended with your existing routines or use aspects of your routines to help you get what you need. To illustrate, you can use snack breaks at work as an opportunity to engage in self-care. Instead of grabbing a snack from the vending machine, you can engage in deep breathing or a short walk. 3) Utilise your space. Consistently during the day, identify areas around you that you can use to take a moment for yourself. How can you utilise your physical space to promote self-care? Try different actions you can do in these places, such as taking a breather, closing your eyes, drinking some water, making a quick phone call to a friend or loved one, utilising a heated gel pack, stretching for a few minutes, or engaging in a gentle movement exercise.
1. Prioritize Yourself
Remember that self-care is not selfish. Build it into your lifestyle as a non-negotiable, as without your wellness the rest can’t be accomplished.
2. Start Small
You don’t have to make crazy sudden changes; try out some bite-sized practices first. Take five minutes a day to breathe deeply; aim to meditate silently for a few minutes a day; take a week where you won’t speak unless spoken to. See how you feel.
3. Be Consistent
The key to enjoying these benefits is to do it regularly, for yourself, and make it as consistent (daily, or as often as possible) as possible, even if it’s just five minutes of mindfulness or a 10-minute walk.
4. Personalize Your Practice
Self-care is a personal practice: the things that work for your friend might not work for you, so dive into various practices until you find your comfort zone.
5. Create a Support System
Build a support system of friends and family who can encourage you about your self-care journey – or join a community support group.
Overcoming Common Barriers to Self-Care
Even though it’s vital to success, it’s also one of the most difficult things people have trouble making a priority. Here are some of the reasons why that is – and tips for getting around them. Barrier: I am too busy. The solution: Stop buying into the idea that you’re ‘too busy’. Yes, many of us are overcommitted and pressed for time, but that doesn’t give you an excuse not to invest in yourself. Carving out 10 minutes once or twice a day for some self-care is doable. Barrier: I do whatever I feel like. The solution: To maximise your results, you need to develop a list of behaviours that strengthen you rather than weaken you. When you spend your spare moments mindlessly, they become wasted opportunities. When it comes time to invest in yourself, try doing something on your list of positives. You might even make it your mantra: ‘I invest in myself instead of wasting my time.’ Over time, this mantra will take on multiple meanings. It will remind you why self-care is a wise investment.
1. Lack of Time
Time – or lack thereof – is usually the obstacle to taking time for ourselves. To overcome this obstacle, identify small, 15- or 30-minute moments in your day where you can take time for yourself.
2. Guilt
Taking time for yourself, however, can be difficult for many people. They feel guilty about that, as if they don’t deserve a little me-time. But self-care is really a self-care, as the old adage goes. It enables you to care for others, and to do so with greater skill and effectiveness.
3. Lack of Motivation
It’s hard to maintain motivation – especially when you’re overwhelmed – so start small with enjoyable self-care acts, and then build out from there.
Conclusion
This daily practise is called self-care. It supports better physical, emotional and mental health, since it’s a proactive way to take back control by investing prioritising your own health – your biggest asset and your responsibility. One of the best things about self-care is that it’s uniquely up to you. What works for one person might not work for another. But the fact is that every act of self-care is a step toward a better life in balance, while not a step toward a worse life out of balance. You’ve got to do it. Choose to do it today.
