Hello,
And welcome to this mini-talk where I will address the topic of self-care.
Self-care is the process of doing activities that improve your well-being.
If you aren't used to indulging in self-care,
Or were never taught ways to implement self-care into your life,
Self-care can bring on some feelings of discomfort and guilt.
You may end up thinking self-care is selfish.
But self-care isn't selfish,
And it is an important aspect of body,
Mind,
And spiritual health.
Self-care is different for everyone,
But here are some examples of what self-care can look like.
It could be getting a massage.
It could be pampering yourself through skincare routines,
Getting dressed up.
It could be eating more healthy,
Exercising,
Or meditating.
Overall,
The goal of self-care is staying on top of your physical,
Mental,
And spiritual health,
Because it is all interconnected.
However,
If you're at a place where you believe that self-care is selfish,
You need to first challenge your limiting beliefs around self-care,
And I want to help you with that.
To begin the process,
You must do some reflection work on the following questions.
Where did you learn self-care was selfish?
Did someone teach you to feel less than when you put yourself first?
Did you even see any resemblance of self-care in your childhood by your parent or caregiver,
Or any other family member?
You can reflect on those three questions to help you find the root of why you think self-care is selfish.
Then,
It's time to challenge those beliefs.
Why is it so bad to take care of yourself?
If you really reflect on that,
Why is it so bad to take care of yourself?
Why is it so bad to want to make sure that you're okay?
Once you get in the habit of challenging your limiting beliefs,
And it's going to take some time.
It's not a one and done day.
You also have to begin the process of actually taking some self-care time.
You can have planned self-care days,
Where on this specific day you will indulge in some self-care,
But not everyone may have the time for that.
Another way you can practice self-care is to check in with yourself at the end of every day and ask yourself,
What did I do to take care of myself today?
What can I do tomorrow to make sure I take care of myself?
At the end of every day,
You would ask yourself,
What did I do to take care of myself today?
And what can I do tomorrow to make sure I can take care of myself?
Remember,
Self-care looks different for everyone.
Your self-care may just be taking time to yourself to journal,
Versus someone who goes to the gym for self-care,
Or versus someone else who books a spa trip.
It's important to look into self-care activities that feel right for you,
And not what others in social media want you to perceive self-care as.
Do what feels right for you,
But do take care of yourself.
I will now leave you with a journal prompt and two affirmations to take with you as you start the process of challenging what self-care means to you.
The first affirmation is,
Self-care isn't selfish.
It's good for my mental,
Physical,
And spiritual health.
Self-care isn't selfish.
It's good for my mental,
Physical,
And spiritual health.
Affirmation number two,
I love taking good care of myself.
I love taking good care of myself.
Now for the journal prompt.
What self-care activities do I do now for myself?
If none,
Why is that,
And how can I change that?
What self-care activities do I do now for myself?
If none,
Why is that,
And how can I change that?
I wish you well on your self-care journey,
And I hope you find what works for you.
Self-care isn't selfish.
It's good for your mental,
Physical,
And spiritual health.
Please take care of yourself.
