Self-care should be done daily. It’s not something you wait until you’re out of gas to do. Let’s face it, when we’re at the end of our rope we can’t do much of anything or care about anything, much less take care of ourselves. You need to be doing little things that give you a charge every day, throughout the day. I find that so many people are running around doing things that they feel like they don’t even have 5 minutes to give to themselves. Ever been so busy you have forgotten to eat? I’m guilty of this. This is a sure sign that you need to slow down and give yourself some attention. Eating is a basic need and if you can’t give yourself time to eat, something’s gotta give.
You aren’t too busy to slow down and give yourself 5 minutes for a recharge, 30 minutes for lunch, or 10 minutes for a walk. If you are feeling some hesitation with this it’s time for reflection. Why is it so hard for you to give yourself 5 minutes of you time? What is it about prioritizing yourself that makes you so uncomfortable? These are important to figure out and to discuss with your therapist. In case you needed a reminder, self-care isn’t selfish. It’s actually an act of love.
To get into the habit of practicing daily self-care, ask yourself this question. What are three things I need to do each day to ensure that I function to the best of my abilities? Granted the answer to this question may change daily. You also might need more than three things but this is a good start. Here are some ideas of daily self-care activities:
- Take medication
- Drink water
- Workout
- Talk to a friend
- Pray/Meditate
- Spend time outside
- Pet your animal
- Write in a journal
- Sit with a coffee or cup of tea
- Watch a short funny video
- Waking up 15 minutes before everyone else to enjoy a quiet home
- See this link for more ideas
Self-care doesn’t have to cost money and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time but it should be happening daily. Self-care isn’t always an easy thing to do, as I talked about in my last blog, but it’s a necessary part of life.
Leave a Reply