How to Self-Care

This past year has been unimaginable. People have experienced losses that they didn’t think were possible. As we experienced a global pandemic, we were required to maintain a level of isolation. The impact of this seclusion took a toll on our emotional, mental, and physical health to say the least. Because of this, the idea of self-care became important to me.

What is self-care? Dictionary.com defines self-care as “the act of attending to one’s physical or mental health, generally without medical or other professional consultation.” For me, self-care means taking time to do the things that bring me peace and joy. It’s also a way to re-charge. As the saying goes “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” When you feel depleted, completing simple tasks becomes difficult and being there for others seems impossible. You must be intentional about taking time for yourself. But let’s be real, you may not have a lot of time in the day to devote a couple of hours to “re-charge.” However, taking even five minutes can give you the boost of energy that you need. Here are some self-care exercises to help you get through the day:

Meditation- I know I know. Who has time to meditate? Believe it or not, you don’t have to dedicate a lot of time in order to see the benefits. Focus on deep breathing for 20 seconds. You will feel your body become calm and even rejuvenated. Want to challenge yourself? Try doing the breathing technique for 60 seconds.

Interested in more meditation techniques? Here’s a great article on meditation by Leslie Riopel.

Listen to Music- Music is my favorite pastime. I listen to it when I feel happy, sad, stressed, or angry. Music always brightens my mood. The best part about music is that it doesn’t require you to be actively engaged. You can listen to it while you’re cooking dinner, working out, or even laying down. I guarantee that you will start to get a pep in your step when your favorite song comes on!

Call Someone You Care About- Now I must admit that I love and prefer texting! It could be that I’ve outgrown talking on the phone because I used to spend hours and hours on the phone in high school and college, but I digress. Whenever I need to lift up my spirits, I call my family and friends. Just a quick check-in can change my day.

Go for a Walk- While the world may be opening up again, a lot of people are still working from home. It may be even more difficult to pull away from your work than if you were working at the office. Try to set a time to walk outside even if it’s just for 10 minutes.

Say NO- I think one of the biggest ways to practice self-care is to learn how to say “No”. Prioritizing yourself and saying “No” to things you don’t want to do can be hard. Saying “No” can make you feel anxiety because you feel that people will be upset with you. However, think about all the times you’ve done something when you didn’t really want to. How did you feel after? Now think about that feeling and decide if it’s worth experiencing again. Sometimes you have to shift perspective and decide if someone else’s wants and needs are more important than how you feel.

There are so many ways to practice self-care, and these are just a few examples.

If you’re unsure how to implement self-care or have trouble staying committed, book a free 15-minute Health and Wellness Coaching consultation to find out how it can benefit you!