What is Self Care Truly?
Many of us believe that we do a good job of taking care of ourselves, but when we get to the root of it all we do not. Are you feeling overwhelmed, burned out, exhausted or just frustrated with life?
If you answered yes to any of these you're likely not practicing self-care.
We run all throughout our day for our job, our kids, or significant others, etc, but somehow when it comes to slowing down or doing something we deserve we put ourselves on the back burner.
For years I put myself on the back burner because I believed that self care was selfish. After truly wearing thin, losing myself and wanting to give up on everything I realized how unhealthy this truly was for me. Since then I have made self care a priority within my life and have seen tremendous changes because of it. Society says this is the right thing to do, but research proves that not taking care of yourself first does not help anyone...including YOU. This is why we have to make self-care a regular part of our routine.
Self care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health.
While this sounds simple, when it comes to implementing it that is a whole different story. To get started with implementing self-care you need to know two things:
You have to plan for self-care or else it won't happen. Make it part of your calendar the way you would plan a doctor's appointment.
You must identify what feels like self-care for you. Because what feels good to me may not be relaxing or caring for you (i.e. gardening).
Here are some ideas to incorporate into your life to increase your self care:
Take a break when you need it.
Choose who you spend time with.
Laugh genuinely at least once a day.
Eat veggies daily.
Avoid emotional eating.
Start a journal.
Learn to say ‘No.’
Stop overthinking.
Go for a run or a light jog.
Meditate
Try yoga
Create a deliberate new healthy habit
Unplug for an hour daily
Organize your space
Be still
Focus on what you’re grateful for
Drink half your body weight in water
Read something for fun
Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night
Spend time in nature
If you desire to have a true self love and in turn improve your self care habits. I have good news for you. I have a self love course which walks you through the blocks that prevent you from loving yourself, I give practical strategies to increase self love and teach you how to move forward with confidence.
The best part is it’s totally FREE. Sign up here: http://www.nicolyawilliams.com/self-love-strategies/
