5 Reasons to make Self-Care your Best Friend
In my work as a coach and facilitator, I’m often asked what self-care means, or how better to practice it in life. I had to learn this the hard away. My history includes terrible food choices, and 2 hours of sleep per night, if that. These days, I eat a glorious vegan and gluten-free diet, and sleep 6-8 hours per night. Yes!
My answer is that self-care is treating yourself the way you would treat your child, elder, or best friend: healthy and balanced meals and snacks on time, plenty of hydration, sleep, meditation and reflection, exercise, and idle time for play and fun. The foundation for my self-care practice is self-love and self-awareness. I have spent many years honing my practice of awareness so I now know what my body and mind need to rejuvenate. Without mindfulness of who we are and what we need, our self-care practice will be ineffectual.
For me, alone time, a clean diet, dancing, meditation, foot soaks, more alone time, and movies are great ways to restore and return to balance. I’ve come to a point in my life where I know who I am and what I need, so I set boundaries accordingly, at work and at home.
You may be wondering why you need a self-care practice – and why you can’t simply carry on doing whatever everyone else is doing. So, here are 5 reasons to make self-care your best friend and to tailor it for your unique self:
- It improves mood: Taking care of your needs helps you feel good, and when you feel clear-headed and energized, so you can bring that energy to everything you want to do and to all the people you interact with.
- It boosts productivity: When we are meditating, resting well, eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, we can do our best work, bringing innovation and resilience to our workplace.
- It makes you healthier: Needless to say, taking good care of you means a healthier you – your emotional, mental, and physical health can be enhanced with a strong self-care practice. Self-care can also mean preventing chronic illnesses (lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity).
- It allows you to give back: It’s hard to be of service to others when we are always depleted. Self-care allows us to be there for others in ways that are meaningful. Self-care elevates you to a more purposeful life.
- It gives you quality of life: Self-care can not only prolong your life but give you better quality experiences. Think of all you can do if you’re healthy in every way, compared to being stressed, depressed, sick, or burned out all the time.
Share with me your best self-care ideas, and let’s keep our practice strong.
