Self-Care
Sometimes you have to put yourself first…
Self-care is vital to our physical and mental health. If we do not look out for ourselves, we will not have the capacity, energy, brain power, space, time, ‘spoons’ (whatever you choose to call it!) to help others if we want or need to.
- What is self-care?
- Self-care is not new, and it is not fancy. It simply refers to acts that you can do, for yourself, with intention, that help you to look out for your mental and/or physical health.
Each person’s self-care practices are different. They are always good for your wellbeing and cannot be harmful to you. By this we mean, not everything that makes you feel good is self-care. Many things that we enjoy are not good for us at all and can cause serious problems to our mental health and wellbeing. So sometimes not doing the things you enjoy can be a practice of self-care too.
Self-care can be seen in what you agree to do, and what you say no to (as we saw above when talking about boundaries). It can be about setting boundaries within yourself and with others and it can be as simple as getting a good night’s sleep (which for many is easier said than done.) Self-care can also include a bit of pampering, a walk or a swim, or even just making sure you have down-time with friends or with yourself – time when nothing is being asked of you.
Self-care does not have to cost a penny, and often the most rewarding acts of self-care do not. The most important thing about an act of self-care is that it puts you first.
How might you practice self-care?
Try and think about activities that give you energy and activities that drain your energy. Do you have a good balance of these?
