You’ve no doubt heard how important self-care is to your well-being. It seems every time we open up our social media accounts, someone is there (myself included) talking about the necessity of it. But what is true self-care? Is it all Sunday soaks in the tub and indulgent facial masks?
Sometimes, yes. But lots of times, self-care means something completely different. And there are as many options as there are people answering the question, “What does self-care mean to you?”
I’ve been wondering what self-care looks like to the women in my Fit Rise 365 tribe, so I posed the question to them in our private Facebook group to see how they’d weigh in. Just as I thought, they all view self-care similarly (as a means to take care of themselves and fill up their own cups so they can show up in their lives feeling refreshed, restored, and whole), but exactly what they do for self-care is a whole other story.
How Do You Self-Care?
Yes, there were plenty of “massages” and “spa days” and “reading by the fire” responses, but there were also some surprising self-care habits and hobbies that really float these ladies’ boats. If you’re ready to show yourself some attention but don’t know where to start or are bored with simply watching TV as a self-care tactic, try on one of these ideas from the women in my tribe.
- Crafting/jewelry-making/painting/drawing/writing/refinishing furniture
- Watching wildlife
- Journaling/meditation/devotional reading/prayer
- Eating a healthy breakfast
- Listening to self-development podcasts and audiobooks
- Thanking your body and organs for all they do to keep you going
- Dancing/walking/jogging/yoga/swimming/hiking
- Photography/gardening
- Seeing a naturopath
- Scalp massage and heal scrubs
- Spending time with animals
- Girlfriend trips
Fun ideas, right? I know I’m inspired.
Are You Prioritizing Self-Care?
As for how many people are practicing self-care at least once per week, the numbers were slightly skewed in favor of those who DO care for themselves at least once per week. That’s great news! But for those who don’t, here are their reasons why:
- They put others’ needs before their own and simply run out of time
- They’re in a hurry to get other stuff done
- They’re constantly multi-tasking
- There’s an underlying feeling of guilt about spending time on something perceived as “indulgent”
- They’re just plain busy
While I hear all these “reasons” and have experienced them myself, I’m not able to accept them and I don’t want you to accept them either.
Spending time on yourself and doing things for yourself needs to happen so you can show up in your life, every single day, as the best version of yourself. You can’t do that if you’re running on empty all the time. I bet you know this… so now it’s time to do something about it.
Make Self-Care Non-Negotiable
Self-care doesn’t just happen. You need to plan for it. You need to be intentional about it. Your heart needs to be all-in so your mind can follow. And we know that your body goes where your mind tells it to, so once your mind is on board, beautiful things will happen.
I suggest if your days are particularly busy, you wake up early to enjoy that sacred time to yourself and set your day up right.
If you’re someone who tends to be frazzled at the end of the day, consider practicing self-care at night so you can wind down and find peace before you head to bed. (This will enhance your sleep, too.)
And I also want you to fully immerse yourself into whatever you’re doing for self-care and allow yourself to focus on that one thing. The only multi-tasking I’ll allow is moving meditation. (Meditating while walking, soaking in a tub, etc.) Otherwise, you want to stay focused on enjoying your self-care so the natural response is to want to do more of it.
And then I want you to, in fact, do more of it! 🙂
Comment below if you regularly practice self-care. If you do, what are your favorite ways to show yourself love? And if you need to make more time for self-care, did you get any ideas from this post? Let me know. I’m excited to hear from you!
You may also be interested in:
7 Signs You Need More Sleep And Why It Wrecks Your Waistline
How to Get Into A Better Meditation Practice
