The busy Christmas season has passed and all the New Year’s celebrations are over. Now it’s time to slow down and focus on you! But most of us are so busy taking care of everyone else, our kids, our parents, our pets, our friends, our homes etc. we don’t know how to do self care for ourselves or even where to begin. So here are four main areas and some ideas to get you started.
Physical Care
● Be kind and loving to your body – appreciate your body.
● Nourish your body by eating healthy and energizing foods that make you feel great.
● Get enough sleep and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
● Exercise to replenish your energy and manage stress.
Emotional Care
● Have a heart-to-heart with a close friend or mentor.
● Ditch self-criticism/judgmental thinking about your actions and thoughts.
● Seek out support from a therapist, coach, social worker, peer or counselor.
● Journal – write down your feelings and thoughts.
● Go on a fun date with your partner or organize a monthly moms’ night out.
Spiritual Care
● Take time to be by yourself to think or write.
● Take a walk in a park or out in nature.
● Meditate, pray or just reflect on what you’re grateful for.
● Do something creative: paint/draw/write/dance/sing.
● Volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about.
Mental Care
● Read a good book or see an intellectually stimulating movie.
● Learn a new hobby or skill.
● Sign up for a class, group or workshop on a topic that is interesting to you.
● Challenge yourself within your community or at work to learn something new. (https://handtohold)
You don’t have to do all the areas at once. Maybe pick one area and focus on that for a month or two. The point is that you get started and you eventually just turn it into a natural part of your life. You’ve probably heard the saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Well not only does it make him a dull boy but it most likely also makes him an irritable, overwhelmed, unhealthy, exhausted, depressed and anxious boy. This goes for Jane also! Either way, nobody wants any of that!!
If physical care is something you’d like to focus on, one great exercise to pick up since we live in Southern California is swimming. My eleven year old son started lessons in the summer but because he loved it so much he has continued to do it year round. He swims four days a week on the swim team and never complains like he used to about his other sport he used to play. When I asked him why he said that he likes the feeling and sound of the water moving around his body. He also likes that he doesn’t get hot and sweaty like his other sports. And being in the water makes him feel fast and free! Who doesn’t want to feel like that?
So if that sounds like a good start to physical self care, come check out our lessons for yourself or even for your kids. Because modeling self care to our kids is a great way for them to see what it looks like and hopefully will show them how to implement it in their own lives. So take care. No, really…take good care of you!