Self-care (29/07/20)

Self-care is any activity that we do with the intention of looking after our wellbeing – whether that be our mental, emotional or physical health. Psychologist Agnes Weinman defined self-care as ‘something that refuels us rather than takes from us’ – ultimately it must be an enjoyable activity that you do by choice and has a positive impact on your mind and body. Often, in our busy lives it is the last priority on a long ‘to do list’ – it’s so easy to put other’s expectations of us before looking after ourselves. The reality is, if we don’t take good care of ourselves, then we aren’t in the best place to care for our loved ones, and strive in other areas of our life, and our wellbeing can be affected.

So what does self-care mean to you? For me, it’s taking the time on a daily, weekly and monthly basis to do things that make me feel good and it is essential for my mental wellbeing. I have definitely experienced a time in my life where I wasn’t making any time for self-care (as a new mum in full-time work), and the impact on my mental health was huge, although I didn’t realise it at the time. For me, self-care means practicing yoga and meditation, walking in nature, running, listening to audiobooks and podcasts, making time for relaxation, connecting with friends and family. I now schedule in a ‘self-care’ night once a week where I switch off my phone and either do a yoga class, go for a long walk with my dog, or sometimes just slob and watch Netflix – whatever it is – it’s time set aside for me. When I’m having a stressful week, I know I’ve got that night to look forward to.

Self-care can relate to so many different things for different people but some basic things to consider when starting to think about a self-care routine might be:

Are you getting enough sleep?

Are you fuelling your body with nutritious food?

Are you taking time each day to be active, to relax and to do something that gives you pleasure?

You might find it useful to think about your intentions for self-care on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. For example mine looks something a bit like this:

Daily

15 minute yoga practice

10 minute meditation

7 hours sleep

Eat well

Weekly

Self-care night

Walk in nature

Watch a film

Go for a run

Monthly

Have reiki

Meet up with friends

Family get together

I would love to hear your thoughts on self-care – is it something that you do or don’t do, or find it difficult to make time for?

If you would like to read more about self-care, here are some useful resources:
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/wellbeing/wellbeing/

https://psychcentral.com/blog/self-care-why-is-it-so-important-why-is-it-so-hard/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/click-here-happiness/201812/self-care-12-ways-take-better-care-yourself

Have a good week! 😃