On this day of love I would like to remind you that loving yourself and practicing self-care is not selfish!
In fact, showing up for ourselves first means that we are better able to show up for others.
Self-care is defined as "the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health"
So how can we practice better self-care?
First identify the activities and actions that help you feel your best.
You can write these things down in a journal to help you keep track of you ideas as you work on improving your self care.
Start with am empty page and use the writing prompt "I feel my best when . . ."
Here are some examples:
- I am well hydrated . . .
- I go for a walk outdoors . . .
- I stretch in the morning . . .
- I wear comfortable clothing that makes me feel good . . .
- I take a short breaks in-between work tasks . . .
- I eat a balanced meal and not just snacks . . .
- I get 7-9 hours of quality sleep . . .
- I wear my diffuser bracelets and essential oils . . .
Identifying what makes you feel your best will help to recognize the self-care habits that can make a difference in your life.
The next step is to plan ahead to make these actions a part of your daily routine.
You can do this by making it as easy as possible for yourself to implement and keep these habits.
Now write down in your journal:
"I can help myself with this self-care habit by . . ."
- I can help myself stay well hydrated by starting my day with a big glass of water and keeping my water bottle with a straw on my desk.
- I can help myself make time to go for a walk outdoors by putting my walking shoes on when I drop my son off at school and go for a short walk immediately after
- I can help myself stretch in the morning by doing it in bed before I get up and start my day.
- I can help myself wear comfortable clothing that makes me feel good by having an outfit planned the night before and choosing to wear clothes that fit me well
- I can help myself take short breaks in-between work tasks by setting a timer and focusing on a task for 15-25 minutes and then taking a 5 minute break
- I can help myself eat a balanced meal and not just snacking by doing meal prep and having quick and easy options for nutritious meals in my refrigerator
- I can help myself get 7-9 hours of quality sleep by getting ready for bed early and setting boundaries with myself and others around my bedtime
- I can help myself wear my diffuser bracelets and use my essential oils by keeping them on my bedside table where I will remember to put them on
By recognizing how to help yourself implement your self-care habits you make it easier to stick with them.
When I am having a difficult day I go back to my list and ask myself "Have taken any of these actions today?"
If the answer is no then I try to pick something on the list that I can do right away to help like drinking a big glass of water or going for a short walk.
Or if I have taken some of the self-care actions but still not feeling my best I give myself some grace and try to identify what I can do better tomorrow.
I often find that when I am struggling with not feeling my best, either physically or emotionally, that I have not completed very many of my self-care habits.
Conversely, when I am having a great day I realize that it is because I checked off several of the daily self-care boxes and that reinforces what a significant positive difference they make!
If you have struggled with sticking to self-care habits in the past, forgive yourself and start fresh.
You have the power within you to change right now! Every day is a fresh start and a day that you can start to do things differently!
Pick one or two of the easiest actions that you can take right now or that you can plan into your daily routine.
Once you begin having better days you will find it easier to keep these habits in place.
And when you are loving on yourself and feeling your best you will be amazed at how you are better able to show up for the people you love!