the value of self care

Sometimes I will ask someone what they enjoy doing for themselves and they have a hard time answering. This is a strong indication that more self care is needed. I use the word need in this context on purpose. When we do not take time to recharge ourselves, an imbalance in our mental health develops. You might notice that you are more easily irritated by your friends and family, or that you want to be alone more. Some will feel like crying if anyone asks them a question or want to help them. We give away pieces of ourselves to others throughout the day and the week and so on, since we are doing this it is important to get those pieces of ourselves back. When we run out of pieces to give we feel angry, depressed and anxious. 

This is a sure indication more self care is needed. Part of self care can be in the form of making sure we are seeing the doctor and mental health providers when we need to. This means paying attention to the mind and body and asking for help when we do not know how to rebalance what seems to be unbalanced. It is amazing how much pain we will tolerate before asking for help. 

Another part of self care is what you can do each day to connect internally and ground yourself to the present moment. These are simple things, you can pay attention to how your body feels in the shower in the morning instead of thinking of all the tasks you are about to do. You can take a few minutes to walk outside and feel the air and the ground, taking four deep breaths to bring you into the moment. Have a cup of tea on the porch and see how many senses you can engage in the moment you are in. These are just a few suggestions but you can get creative and come up with many others. 

Then there is what I call the bigger self care things, these are things you might go out and do that are just for you. Having lunch with a close friend, getting spa treatments, especially massage! Going to a yoga class or working out. Spending time with your special person and having meaningful conversation and good food. 

Then there are the things you like to do that bring you joy and release creative energy. This means you create something, build something, sewing, cooking, writing, painting, drawing or just rearranging the room. Creating is a part of our natural self that gives expression to this need. We are creators at our core and giving expression to this feels fantastic! My favorite in this category is landscaping. I love to feel the dirt and make things grow and shape the earth. I also get a good work out trimming trees and doing bigger projects as well. Building things I can use out of wood is another favorite. I do small projects that feel comfortable so its creative and fun and useful, like a new shelf or table. When the river is high enough I love to get in it and feel the current take me down stream, I have spent a lot of my life in the medina river, it is the best place on this earth for me. 

Even bigger self care would be taking time off work and going somewhere to have a break from your normal environment and just allow for your body and mind to replenish. Vacations do not have to be far away to be self care, its about relaxing. 

Take a moment and ask yourself when was the last time you engaged in self care of any kind? if you are not sure, I invite you to experiment with a few of these suggestions mentioned here and feel the benefits of giving to yourself!