It's very individual. 😘 And it's many things. here are a few...
The basics... Making sure you get enough rest and sleep. Down time and up time in balance for you. Eating a healthy diet (as far as possible) and drinking plenty of water. Moving your body in a way that feels good to you. Walking, swimming, dancing, yoga, skipping, marshall art, boxing (this is one I want to try with a punch bag 😆), running, playing a game like football, tennis, badminton etc.
It's NOT burning the candle at both ends. Eating crap every day but allowing yourself to indulge from time to time without beating yourself up. It's not drinking too much caffiene or alcohol but again allowing yourself to find balance. It's NOT lying on the sofa all day, every day (though sometimes this can be self-care if you're making a conscious decision about it and can be a great way to unwind and relax) It all depends why you're doing it. 😏
Self-care is allowing yourself to do the things your love and enjoy. EGs. being creative, hiking mountains, running marathons, flower arranging and whatever feels good... in fact basically playing. Doing things just for the shear joy of doing them.
Self-care is surrounding yourself with people who light you up rather than drain you. Not letting other people push you into doing things you don't want to do (ie: having BOUNDARIES - this can be the toughest one for people who over give). It's being able to say no I don't want to, no not now, no I'm too tired, rather than pushing through.
It's knowing yourself, your limits, your boundaries, your likes, your dislikes, your preferences.
It's not sacrificing yourself for everyone and everything else all the time. It's not trying to save the world while you fall apart. That doesn't help anyone. 🙈
It's being kind to yourself. Adjusting your inner self talk to be kinder. It's listening to your body and what it's whispering to you. It's your intuition letting you know what your needs are AND taking action. It's soothing yourself when you need soothing not telling yourself you're not good enough or haven't done enough but also not beating yourself up when you catch yourself doing those things.
It's recognising and being honest about your limits and not constantly pushing beyond them. It's being honest about what you really want in life and (eventually) making it non-negotiable.
Self-care is a way of letting your inner self know I matter. It's how you nourish and nurture your True Self on this earth. It's being a true expression of who you are. It's accepting yourself warts and all. And that is Self-Love.
I hope this helps. I'll be writing more about this over the next few months but feel free to ask any questions or share anything you're struggling with. 🥰
What would it be like if you practiced Self-Care every day for the next year?
I have been practicing self-care for many years though I did it, at first, through necessity and am now learning to do it to help to start to build up some energy reserves. I still have a way to go! I do do some things daily but neglect others. And self-care is very individual. What works for me won't necessarily work for you. 😘 We have to find out own ways...
Apart from the basics of a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water, I know long walks on my own help me but I have to do it in the morning before I can talk myself out of it. 😂
I know solitude helps me recharge but with four other adults in the house it's not always easy. I am getting better at taking myself off into another room and switching off though. 🙉
To really embody self-care as a way of life, a way of being, would, I think, catapult me into a more consistent state of feeling grounded and in flow. I think my moods would be better. I think I'd have more consistent energy and a feeling of satisfaction.
Hi Gillian. And isn't that usually the case, that we wait until we're I'll? But we have to start somewhere. How is it going? I hope you feel better soon. 🤗
Challenging, I think I’d have to have a very clear idea in my mind what self care is and isn’t 🤔 xxx
Good question!
Self-care is looking after YOUR OWN NEEDS.
It's very individual. 😘 And it's many things. here are a few...
The basics... Making sure you get enough rest and sleep. Down time and up time in balance for you. Eating a healthy diet (as far as possible) and drinking plenty of water. Moving your body in a way that feels good to you. Walking, swimming, dancing, yoga, skipping, marshall art, boxing (this is one I want to try with a punch bag 😆), running, playing a game like football, tennis, badminton etc.
It's NOT burning the candle at both ends. Eating crap every day but allowing yourself to indulge from time to time without beating yourself up. It's not drinking too much caffiene or alcohol but again allowing yourself to find balance. It's NOT lying on the sofa all day, every day (though sometimes this can be self-care if you're making a conscious decision about it and can be a great way to unwind and relax) It all depends why you're doing it. 😏
Self-care is allowing yourself to do the things your love and enjoy. EGs. being creative, hiking mountains, running marathons, flower arranging and whatever feels good... in fact basically playing. Doing things just for the shear joy of doing them.
Self-care is surrounding yourself with people who light you up rather than drain you. Not letting other people push you into doing things you don't want to do (ie: having BOUNDARIES - this can be the toughest one for people who over give). It's being able to say no I don't want to, no not now, no I'm too tired, rather than pushing through.
It's knowing yourself, your limits, your boundaries, your likes, your dislikes, your preferences.
It's not sacrificing yourself for everyone and everything else all the time. It's not trying to save the world while you fall apart. That doesn't help anyone. 🙈
It's being kind to yourself. Adjusting your inner self talk to be kinder. It's listening to your body and what it's whispering to you. It's your intuition letting you know what your needs are AND taking action. It's soothing yourself when you need soothing not telling yourself you're not good enough or haven't done enough but also not beating yourself up when you catch yourself doing those things.
It's recognising and being honest about your limits and not constantly pushing beyond them. It's being honest about what you really want in life and (eventually) making it non-negotiable.
Self-care is a way of letting your inner self know I matter. It's how you nourish and nurture your True Self on this earth. It's being a true expression of who you are. It's accepting yourself warts and all. And that is Self-Love.
I hope this helps. I'll be writing more about this over the next few months but feel free to ask any questions or share anything you're struggling with. 🥰
What would it be like if you practiced Self-Care every day for the next year?
I have been practicing self-care for many years though I did it, at first, through necessity and am now learning to do it to help to start to build up some energy reserves. I still have a way to go! I do do some things daily but neglect others. And self-care is very individual. What works for me won't necessarily work for you. 😘 We have to find out own ways...
Apart from the basics of a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water, I know long walks on my own help me but I have to do it in the morning before I can talk myself out of it. 😂
I know solitude helps me recharge but with four other adults in the house it's not always easy. I am getting better at taking myself off into another room and switching off though. 🙉
To really embody self-care as a way of life, a way of being, would, I think, catapult me into a more consistent state of feeling grounded and in flow. I think my moods would be better. I think I'd have more consistent energy and a feeling of satisfaction.
Now that's worth aiming for! 😍
Hi Karen. So very important, and actually quite alien to women still. I have however been practising over Christmas. Part virus induced
Hi Gillian. And isn't that usually the case, that we wait until we're I'll? But we have to start somewhere. How is it going? I hope you feel better soon. 🤗