What is self care?

Everyone talks of self care and how important it is… but what is self care and how do we do it?

What exactly is self care?

The act of attending to one’s physical or mental health.

The Dictionary.com definition of self care

This means that self care can be anything. So long as it makes you feel better in yourself then it can be considered self care.

Why is it so important?

As a mother and fiance, taking care of myself means I can be the best version of myself for my family. If I’m not at my best, how can I do what I need to for them? It’s easy to say, but sometimes it feels selfish and unnatural to take time to myself.

Often as mothers we find that we meet our basic needs: we eat, we shower, we sleep (when our tiny humans let us). But that’s it. We function. Because we’re so busy meeting the needs of those around us. Our tiny humans needs are met, they’re fed and cared for. We often find ourselves putting everyone else’s needs before our own and that feels sufficient for us. But it isn’t enough.

If we continue like that, we will burn ourselves out.

What are the benefits of engaging with self care?

By engaging with self care we are opening ourselves to reaping the multiple benefits. Self care is extremely soothing- by taking that time to ourselves we allow a chance to relax and reground. It can increase productivity, I personally find that if I feel good in myself then I am ready to take on the world! What once seemed like a mammoth task when I was feeling down, is suddenly no big deal- I can do that and more!

By taking the time to ensure that we are feeling better in ourselves we are opening ourselves up to the chance to do better and be better. When you find yourself feeling low it can be difficult to deal with certain stressors and to get anything done without being consumed by negative emotions. However, when you feel relaxed and well it can be much easier to take a step back, look at the bigger picture and think “this is just a moment, moments pass and I can try again”.

So how do we do it?

How do we engage in good self care?

This can vary from person to person. What makes you happy? What do you need to do that will make you feel relaxed and refreshed? What works for one may not work for another, so how do we make it work for us?

Make yourself a priority!

Don’t stress about it being selfish, take sometime for yourself- and do so regularly. Make sure that each week you are setting aside some time for yourself. Of course, this sounds a lot easier than it really is. I know this. You might have to wake up a little earlier, or go to bed a little later but in the grand scheme that’s a small sacrifice to make for the benefit of your health.

You might find that you spend a lot of your time helping others, you may have to work on your ability to say no. It is not your responsibility to carry other peoples problems.

Give yourself a goal!

Give yourself something to look forward too. Give yourself a goal, make it achievable. Something you really want to do. So you can look back and think “I really did that!” and be truly proud of yourself.

This not only gives you something to do, but also something to look forward too.

Then, once you’ve done that and achieved your goal. Pick another one!

Sometimes it’s really hard to figure out what feels like self care for you.

If you need some help thinking of some self care ideas, check out this link.