5 Must Know Self-Care Tips: Don’t Neglect Yourself or You’ll Wreck Yourself
By: Jamila Gomez
So much has taken place over the last year. We’ve gone from one struggle to another to yet another. We’ve experienced a pandemic, which led to shut-downs, job losses, financial burdens, and deaths. We’ve witnessed civil unrest in several parts of the country and the world. All of these things added to the pile of stuff we already had to deal with in our day-to-day lives.
While we’ve been busy dealing with our stuff, one thing we forget to do is deal with ourselves. We forget to put time for self-care on our calendars. We have neglected the very thing that keeps the engine going: ourselves.
So, what does it mean to practice self-care? It simply to care for oneself. Dictionary.com defines it as care of the self without medical or other professional consultation. Another way to put is the actions and thought processes that help promote and maintain a positive state of well-being.
So, let’s dig a bit deeper. What does self-care really look like? Well, it’s a plethora of things. It’s taking care of yourself - mind, body, and spirit. It’s being mindful of the foods we eat, the information and entertainment we take it, the conversations we have, and the company we keep. It’s taking time to pray and meditate. To exercise our bodies. To get our rest. To pamper ourselves after a long day. Or to just do absolutely nothing if we so choose.
So, do you have trouble thinking of ways to practice self-care? If you answered ‘yes’, here is a list of five things you can use to ensure that you are taking time and making the effort for some self-care.
1. Set Boundaries
Know your limits and stick to them. Don’t waver on your boundaries. It doesn’t have to be anything drastic if you don’t want to go too far. But set some boundaries for yourself.
2. Learn To Say No
To go along with setting boundaries, another way to practice self-care is saying ‘no’. ‘No’ can have some people making us feel like it’s a nasty word. People like to make us feel guilty for saying ‘no’. But when you do it in an effort to keep inner peace, you don’t have to explain or care how they feel. It’s okay to say ‘no’.
3. Journal Writing
Take some time out of your day to write some stuff down. Whether it’s your concerns and worries or just random things, put it on paper so you can get it out of your mind.
4. Treat and Pamper Yourself
That’s right. Spoil yourself. Buy yourself something cute to wear. Or some chocolate. Or some flowers. Take a hot bath or get a massage. Go to a salon and get your hands and feet rubbed. Something that won’t break the bank but will make you feel good because you deserve it.
5. Work It Out
It can be a walk outside or something you can do from home (we’re in a pandemic and we don’t need you going to a gym because it’s not necessary or safe). If you’re like many and exercising can feel like a chore, find something that won’t feel like exercise, like dancing or Zumba. But find a way to move your body a bit because it will make you feel better.
You see, self-care doesn’t have a one size fits all scope to it. It is whatever is best for SELF. Self-care is a conscious decision, as it can be easy for us to neglect ourselves when we’re busy taking care of others. But now is as good a time as any to start making sure we take care of self because we’re are important, too.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:
