The Importance of Self-Care In a Crazy Busy Schedule

Hi!! It’s been awhile since my last blog post….it’s been a busy couple months. More on that will probably come out later, but for now, I should be back!

As I was thinking about what I wanted to write about, self-care really jumped out to me. Probably because for the last couple months, it’s been a personal goal of mine. I haven’t been feeling well, and have really needed to adjust my day-to-day life to accommodate that. I tend to be pretty task oriented- checking things off a “to-do list” gives me such a sense of accomplishment and pride. So naturally, when I wasn’t feeling well (type A people will be able to relate to this), there were some feelings of guilt- “I should be washing the dishes/sending that email/responding to that invite/returning that call.” But I just couldn’t keep up with my “typical” schedule for a couple weeks. I needed some time to slow down, rest, and “practice what I preach”- actually engage in self-care. The term self-care can mean different things to different people, so for the purposes of this post, I’m defining self-care as whatever you need to do for your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health to feel “whole.”

If you’re relating to this, and maybe feeling the effects of not engaging in self-care (limited patience, feelings of frustration/resentment/anger, slipping into old maladaptive behaviors, eating too much or too little, sleeping too much or too little, negative impacts on relationships, extreme fatigue, etc.), this is your reminder. Self care is so, so, so incredibly important for healthy functioning. We’ve all heard the airplane mask concept a million times, but it’s so true. We can’t give to others from what we don’t have. If you’re not taking care of yourself, you can’t possibly be the best version of yourself…and we all want that, right?

So if you’re needing some ideas for self-care, here are a few to get you thinking:

-        Spend time outside

-        Call a friend

-        Make plans for coffee with a friend

-        Sign up for a studio class that charges you if you cancel

-        Watch your favorite movie

-        Go for a 30 min walk or run (if allowed by your dietician, if applicable)

-        Take a shower and notice the scents of shampoo/body wash

-        Listen to a podcast or sermon

-        Listen to music

-        Give yourself permission to sleep in or take a nap

-        Spend time doing your favorite hobby

What could you start with today?