What is self-care??? Self-care is taking care of yourself. Self-care is a necessary part of living. Many of us live hectic and complicated lives, and we forget to take care of ourselves. We wear many hats in our lives, and sometimes we wear many of those hats all at the same time. We are husbands and wives, parents or grandparents, children, students, employees, volunteers, and the list goes on and on and on. We often forget to take care of ourselves and then we end up spreading ourselves so thin, and we cannot give anything more. This makes me think of the book by Shel Silverstein titled “The Giving Tree.” It’s been a while since I read this book, but as I recall the tree provided fruit, shade, recreation, protection, and much more to the little boy until the tree no longer had anything left to give the boy. We often do that to ourselves unintentionally. We give until it hurts, but we keep on giving until there is nothing left.
Over the years I have talked to many people about self-care, and I have found that the biggest excuses as to why we do not care for ourselves are lack of money, lack of time, and feeling guilty that we are being selfish. Self-care can take on many forms. Self-care does not require exorbitant amounts of money, in fact there are some ways to care for yourself that require no money at all. The cost is completely up to you. Actually, if you do not take care of yourself, the cost in medical bills can be pretty expensive in the long run, something to keep in mind.
Examples of self-care activities include, but are not limited to the following: eating healthier, walking, running, playing with your kids, reading, sleeping, writing in a journal or blog, talking to a trusted friend, treating yourself to lunch, going out with friend(s), star gazing, taking a long leisurely bubble bath, massage, aromatherapy,
driving, watching a sunset, getting a manicure or pedicure, listening to music, watching TV or a movie, petting your dog or cat, taking a weekend trip alone or with someone else, and the list goes on and on…
We make time for those we love, but we forget to make time for ourselves. We deserve to be cared for in the same way. We have to prioritize our well-being at times, and that is ok. We are important too.