Today let’s take a moment to consider ourselves and our own well-being.
We work hard at the office, at home, with family, with friends, and basically exhaust ourselves on a regular basis. And that is ok, it’s even good, so long as we remember to take care of ourselves as well.
We’ve all become pretty familiar with the term “self-care” because of the stay at home orders and the need to keep up with our regular work and family duties. It’s not always easy to keep up with so much life and work going on and those lines being blurred more than ever.
So how do we make time and take that time to care for ourselves? And what does that really mean anyway?
What is self-care?
Self-care is a general term that describes everything you do deliberately for your mental, physical, emotional, and social well-being. As simple as it sounds, many of us pay little attention to self-care. This is why ‘deliberately’ is the most important words in the definition.
You need to be conscious of your well-being before you can achieve true self-care. It starts from simple acts like not checking emails at night when you know it affects your sleep, and it extends to more important decisions like going for a vacation or booking a massage when you feel you need one.
Why is self-care important?
Self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself so that you can transfer those good feelings to others. You can’t pour from an empty cup. In other words, you can’t give to others what you don’t have yourself.
Some of you may misconstrue self-care as selfish. Well, let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth. When you pay adequate attention to your well-being, you’re not considering your needs alone. You’re reinvigorating yourself so that you can be the best version of yourself for the people around you – your family, your coworkers, your boss, your friends. Not only that, but everyone around you also benefits from the renewed energy and joy you exhibit.
For example, have you ever gone into work and people say something like, “Wow, you look great today!? How does that make you feel? Like you are looking your best, feeling your best, and ready to do your best.
On the other hand, have you ever gone into work and people say something like, “Oof, rough night, huh?” How does that make you feel? How do you think you are going to perform over the next few minutes or hours after hearing that? Yeah, probably not well.
That is why self-care is so important. Not only are you depriving yourself of looking, feeling, and doing your best, you deplete your value in your effectiveness in your interactions and efforts at home and at work.
You see, self-care is both internally rewarding and externally perceived. How well you maintain your mental, emotional, physical, and social wellness, determines how you are seen and perceived by others.
People base their judgments on their perceptions, and when they see you not looking your best, they presume you will not perform at your best.
So how do we make sure people don’t get the wrong impression? To start, we focus our self-care in a few key areas:
- Move every day. Do something that you love to do. It might be running, swimming, biking, stretching, yoga, or something else. Remember to do it regularly so you keep getting serotonin flowing through your body to improve your mood and energy.
- Get enough sleep. I mean real sleep, not just time in bed with your phone. Scientists recommend you get 6-8 hours of solid sleep each night to fully recharge and renew your mind and body.
- Eat healthy foods. Try to get more whole foods in your diet and less processed ones. The more you can cook for yourself, the better your belly and your body will feel.
- Express gratitude. All too often we focus on the negative or compare ourselves to others. Take a moment each day to reflect on what wonderful gifts you have in your life. The beauty around you, the fortune in your relationships, and the health in yourself and your family.
Whichever activities you decide to do, understand that self-care is personal, and no general principle will always work. What motivates you and inspires you is different than what works for the person next door.
Look for the things that make you feel alive. Make dates with yourself and when you commit to working out or doing something for yourself, keep the commitment you make to yourself. Look, we don’t back out on our friends, so don’t back out on yourself.
Be your own best friend. Give good advice, be supportive, and cheer when you do something good for yourself.
Or if you’d rather look at it from a financial aspect, consider self-care a part of your portfolio of life. Self-care is an investment in the one asset that you have total control over – YOU!
Be a smart advisor and invest in yourself. You’ll see returns in your emotional, physical, mental, and social health, while the dividends will pay out in stronger relationships, better performance, and greater achievement.
Your Mindful Moment:
When you invest in yourself, the rewards are seen everywhere in life.
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