Self-care, I am sure you have heard those words. Especially during the midst of the pandemic, it feels that this word is being thrown around more and more. But what is self-care? Self-care are those things that we do daily to take care of our physical and mental well-being. Self-care is as simple as taking our prescribed medication or as elaborate as spending a day at the spa being pampered. There are many different types of self-care; physical, emotional, spiritual, and social, just to name a few.
So now that we know what it is, why is it so important? Well have you ever heard the saying you can’t pour from an empty cup? When we are not engaging in self-care it leads to burn-out, stress, anxiety, depression, physical illnesses, etc. When we are not feeling well, with it is mentally or physically, it makes it difficult for us to get along with others and take care of our responsibilities. Engaging in self-care activities is how we keep our cup from getting empty.
But what if I don’t have time to engage in self-care? Self-care does not have to mean you are engaging in long luxurious activities. Self-care can be as simple as going to bed an hour earlier one night to get some extra sleep. It could be taking a 15 min walk while at work in order to get a break. Sometimes self-care is as simple as making sure you take your needed medications or eat a healthy meal. There are a million ways to easily work self-care activities into our daily routines.
What if I don’t have the money for self-care? Self-care does not always cost money. As mentioned above it could be as easy as taking a walk. Some other free examples of self-care are taking a long shower, going to bed early, spending some extra time cleaning and purging you space, or checking out a book at the library to read. Sometimes self-care is engaging in hobbies that do cost money and this can pose a challenge during times of financial hardship. Some ways to try to continue to engage in hobbies are to look for what you need at the dollar store, thrift stores, or from people selling things online.
If you are interested in learning more about self-care and ways to engage in self-care, check out my blog every Sunday when I release a new self-care Sunday post.