Self Care Ideas

Self care is absolutely essential to your health and wellbeing. You should aim to incorporate at least one small act of self care into each and every one of your days.

Something else to add to my list of things to do?? Groan! It may seem like a big ask and almost impossible but you simply cannot pour from an empty cup and all the other cliched phrases about looking after yourself.

So what is self care? Going on a holiday every few months? A bubble bath every night? If that’s something you enjoy, and can manage to do, then go for it but self care doesn’t have to be something that costs money or leaving your children banging on the door after 6 seconds which is the exact opposite of self care.

You can practice self care by going to bed 20-30 minutes earlier to grab an extra bit of sleep or use the time to read, meditate, journal or watch your favourite show. Maybe you could set your alarm for 20-30 minutes earlier in the morning to do it instead.

Practice mindfulness throughout the day by being present, by being in the moment. Look to the sky, the stars, the moon, the clouds, the trees, the flowers and just appreciate its beauty. Mother Nature gives us many reasons to bask in appreciation and it can literally take just a minute or two to reach a state of peace.

Say no. To whatever you need to say no to in order to feel ease. Your parents, your siblings, your friends, your co-workers, whoever makes a request of you that would threaten your sense of peace. We all have responsibilities and there are some things we can’t just refuse to do. Pick your battles. If it’s not a necessity and you feel it would drain your energy, learn to say no.

Nurture your body, mind and spirit by eating fresh food and drinking enough water, move your body even if it’s a walk around the block or a dance off to your favourite song. Utilise your sick leave. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Have a lunch break. Eat mindfully which means focusing on enjoying your meal. Put your phone away, close the laptop and savour each mouthful.

Turn off your phone or switch it to silent for an hour….30 minutes at least. Delete, or hide, the negative people, groups and pages from your social media apps. If you can’t see them you’re less likely to get into a mood about it.

Every now and again, treat yourself without the guilt. It’s been 5 months since I had seen my hairdresser but I saw her today and I feel amazing. No guilt just 2 1/2 hours of me, her and some pretty looking hair at the end of it. Bliss.