Mend Counseling dedicated the entire month of July to discuss ALL THINGS SELF-CARE. It is such an important topic and really an area of our lives that we need to be intentional about, especially in the midst of a global pandemic.
SO, what is self-care??
Self-care, quite simply, can be anything you do that is JUST FOR YOU. It’s your “ME TIME”. A time where you can rest, reset, and re-energize! Think of it as a time to care for yourself.
If you really think about it, from the moment we wake up in the morning, we are CONSTANTLY pouring ourselves into other areas of our lives. Our jobs, our kids, our friends, our significant others, our schedules, our responsibilities… the list goes on. It’s not out of the norm for people to forget or lose sight of the fact that WE HAVE TO FILL OUR CUP BACK UP! If we don’t, we are so much more likely to feel drained or even burned out.
Usually with busy schedules and lots of responsibilities, it can be so easy for our self-care to drop to the bottom of our priority list, but we’re going to change that and it STARTS TODAY!
When you practice self-care regularly, you are essentially prioritizing and protecting yourself, your well-being, and your happiness. In reality, no one is going to protect those things better than YOU!
Self-care can also be a great time for self-reflection. The relationship you have with yourself is an important one. We need to establish and nurture this relationship and connection, just as we do with all of the other relationships in our lives. Practicing self-care routinely can be a time that you check in with yourself and ask yourself, “how am I doing, really?”.
Now that you have a good picture of what self-care IS, let’s talk about what it is NOT.
SELF CARE IS NOT SELFISH. Let me say that again for the people in the back –
SELF CARE IS NOT SELFISH!!!!
This is a very common misconception that society tends to reinforce. We are all build around the premise of KEEP GOING, WORK HARD, BE PRODUCTIVE, NEVER STOP…But think of it like this… your car runs on a tank of gas. When your tank is empty, your car stops working – think of yourself in the same way.
“Self-care means giving the world the BEST of you, instead of what is LEFT of you”
I absolutely love that quote because it’s so true!!
Self-care also doesn’t HAVE to be productive. I think we are all taught to be machines where we are always pushing for goals and trying to be as productive as possible. I’m here to remind you that it is MORE than okay to have an hour, or a day, or a week to unplug and REST and reset.
Lastly, self-care shouldn’t be something that you dread doing or something that you just need to check off of your to-do list. It should be something that you genuinely enjoy doing!
Here at MEND, we have an amazing resource that we give to every client who starts the counseling process. It’s a worksheet that categorizes self-care into three different groups: MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT.
Let’s break it down together!
MIND – after a long day of work, to-do lists, and responsibilities, it’s not uncommon for our thoughts to be all over the place. Practicing mindfulness and focusing on the present moment can be really helpful after a long day. Some great examples of self-care for your mind would be: meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, coloring books, or reading. Self-care will really look different for everyone, so take the time to explore what would go on your list!
BODY – body is a very important piece of self-care because our body is the machine that helps us get through the day. It is so important that we not only practice self-care on the most basic level, but also give our bodies a chance to rest and reset as well. When we talk about sticking to the basics, we mean caring for your body in the most basic way – getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, nourishing your body with nutrition, and engaging in joyful movement are great examples. Other ways to practice self-care in this category could be practicing gratitude towards your body for all that it does for us.
SPIRIT – self-care for your spirit can be anything faith based or spirituality based. It can ALSO be anything or anyone that is uplifting, encouraging, or life giving! Some examples could be, praying, listening to worship music, being outside in nature, and having good deep conversations with people you love and who care about you.
Now that we’ve gone over what self care is and isn’t, as well as examples of self-care in the 3 different categories, you might be thinking to yourself…
where do I start?
Here are some tips to get your self-care routine started!
1. Stick to the basics – we don’t need to overthink self-care!
2. Start out by writing out all the things that would make you feel good or bring you some peace and break them into the 3 categories: MIND, BODY, and SPIRIT
3. Every day, schedule out a block of time (even if it’s just 5-10 minutes) for self-care
4. Check out Pinterest for “30 day self-care challenges” to get some ideas!
5. Let your intuition lead you… ask yourself, “what does my mind, body, or spirit NEED and WANT today?”
GOOD LUCK!!! And remember, you are SO deserving of the care that you give to others! Never forget that!
Elise Dean
