Most of us are aware of the importance of self-care, we all have an acute awareness of our needs, and we have different ways of ensuring self-care. Yet, there are occasions when we realise that we haven’t properly looked after our needs. We even haven’t been the best we could be for our family, colleagues and clients.   In this article we touch on  our best advice for what we do to increase our awareness of self-care and the different ways we can look after ourselves and restore ourselves, no matter what gets in our way.

1. Self Care is not a ‘nice to have’

I believe self-care is not simply a “nice-to-have” moment to spoil yourself, but it is really a “must-have” restoration that will keep your mind and body functioning at peak performance levels.  When it comes to other areas of body health, we don’t just brush our teeth once a week and assume that’s enough for them to be healthy – and yet, we often treat our brain and body restoration needs like that.  A yoga class on Sunday is not enough to restore your body in the way that it needs.  Like so many of our busy clients, it’s easy for us to accidentally prioritise the urgent matters that come up in our lives: the demands and deadlines from clients, the needs of loved ones, and so on.  Yet, your needs are important, too.  I’ve learnt the hard way that when I ignore my needs, I am unable to recognise others needs and to cater to them in my work. It’s like the recommendation before a plane takes off – first put on your own oxygen mask before helping fellow travelers.

2. Respect Mind, Body and Spirit

Ralph Waldo Emerson once sagely said: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Accepting our self as we are, is key to creating the space for whatever is waiting to emerge, and its important to make time for self reflection as a form of self care, to empty-out (unlearn) and fill-up (re-learn) in the service of a truly interconnected AND interdependent reality.  Indeed, true mental and emotional self-care is something different to care for our physical bodies. It is a conscious and deliberate effort to recognise your spirit and emotions as the primary person (if you will) in your life.

3. Doing the little things that matter the most

There is the truth that the “little things” that are meaningful in our lives are major positive contributors to our overall well-being.  I’ve seen a huge shift in my efficiency, patience, and stress levels once I created a daily routine with the goal to restore my mind and body. For me, I changed small habits – I changed my bedtime routine to bring it forward and allow a twice weekly bath soak, added a 5 minute morning gratitude journalling, and a brief mid-day meditation, and made a few nutritional changes and the effort has paid off immensely.  Try to make space every day to do something you enjoy and that doesn’t involve screens.  That might mean making your favourite cuppa,  dancing, working in the garden, journalling, meditating, reading, getting a massage, yoga, taking a bath or walking in the forest and deeply inhaling the air.

4. Self Check-ins

It is important that you check in with yourself periodically. If you do not then you may not realise that things are changing or getting out of balance. Checking in with yourself allows you the opportunity to evaluate where you are in your present mind, body and spirit. You may find that you need to readjust your action plan you or try different self care strategies.

Another method of connecting with yourself is to become an advocate and share your story. There has been a lot of research that explores the power of storytelling as a form of therapy. Sharing your own experiences through writing, journalling or talking can be an important part of self care, and coping with mental health challenges.

5. Prioritise Sleep

When it comes to taking care of your health and well-being, sleep is pretty much always part of the answer. Getting enough good-quality sleep keeps your immune system running at its best to fight off infections. Indeed: There are parts of the body’s immune response that happen only during sleep. Scientists know sleep is also one of the top ways we can help keep stress in check, as sleep deprivation can make us more sensitive to the effects of stress, ramping up our reactions (or overreactions). Finally, the brain needs sleep to function; without it you’ll be less patient and focused, make poor decisions, and be more moody, irritable, and emotional.

Conclusion

Many things can get in the way of us taking care of ourselves, including family caregiving responsibilities, work, social commitments, and more. But, ultimately, when we do take care of ourselves and our needs is when we’re best able to show up for all of the other people and responsibilities in our lives. Self care is not selfish.  It is our essential nutrients to thrive.

 

 

Hannah Powell