This year has been full of anomalies and I am drained. This entire year has been a complete and utter conundrum. Interestingly so, it has created a time to get real honest about self-care.
A note on the term self-care: I think we are getting to the point in the world where certain words related to mental health like self-care are overused and misused. This happens so much that there’s ambiguity around the term. Like, what does self-care actually mean and what does it mean to engage in self-care?
Let’s start with 3 things self- care is not:
- Selfish
- Only done after you’ve reached your max
- Time consuming or expensive
I define self-care as activities that positively impact your mental, physical, spiritual or emotional well-being. So basically, things that make you feel like the unstoppable, badass person you are. In other words, nothing, and I mean nothing that makes you feel bad. But here’s the thing, when you’ve been superwoman all your life it’s so hard to pause and take time for yourself. In doing so, there’s guilt about not helping someone else, having to say no and setting limits. Truth is, it is so hard to take your own advice when life hasn’t allowed space for things to just be about what you need.
When do you do engage in self-care? All-day every day or as often as possible. Before you say yeah right Christina. Think about this way, you add gas to your car before it reaches E right? Well, the same thing goes for you. You are a vessel that requires nourishment.
Here are my top 3 self-care suggestions:
- Meditation (I use the Headspace app & it just might be one of the best things I’ve ever done).
- Create a mood-based music playlist
- Develop a positive mantra & affirm it daily.
Photo by Heidi Kaden on Unsplash