If you would have asked me several years ago to define Self-Care, I would have thought back to the last time I had a manicure and pedicure. Don’t Laugh, that was reality! Manicures and pedicures are great, but there is so much more to taking caring of ourselves.
Let’s face it… life is complicated. The stress and energy needed to keep up with and care for family, home, and work can be overwhelming. On top of this, throw in the long term effects and worry of the last two years or the poor choices a loved one continues to make.
With all this, how can the focus be on Self-Care?
The reality is, if we do not take time to fill ourselves with needed care, our emptiness will produce a life that feels hurried, frustrating, tiring, overwhelming, resentful, and lacking in overall life satisfaction .
A doctor once told me, “If you are not Self-Caring than you are probably Self-Medicating.” Self-Medicating with alcohol, drugs, eating, worrying, shopping, work, new media, social media….you get the picture. These words may be hard to hear, but think about it?
So, what is Self-Care? And how do we begin doing a better job of this?
The simple answer is asking ourselves often (daily or several times a day) “What do I need at this very moment”? I encourage you to go deeper and focus in on all the areas in your life. What specific needs do you have?
In order to be fueled and filled, we must consider our needs in all areas of our humanness. Some examples look like this:
Physical needs: I am hungry, I need healthy food. I need to take a walk and breathe in fresh air. I need sleep. I need to sit and simply rest. I need to lose some weight. I need to play more and work less. I need to make time for daily exercise.
Emotional needs: I need to talk kinder to myself. I need to be with others who love and accept me. I need new friends who are supportive. I need to reach out to someone else in need. I need to say “no” to some things so that I can say “yes” to what really matters.
Spiritual needs: I need to sit and reflect upon the good things in my life. I need to make some positive and necessary changes in my life. I need to give thanks to God for all that I do have. I need to ask God and others for help. I need to rely on a power higher than myself to work through and make good of my circumstances.
Self-Care allows us to show up daily and be the best person we were created to be. When applied, Self-Care allows us to thrive and experience the goodness in life!
What do you need at this very moment?
Each day, I have the pleasure of walking beside coaching clients as they discover the many benefits of living a life filled with Self-Care regardless of the situations going on around them. If you would like this, I would love to have a conversation with you!
Your life matters!
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