So often, I hear women speak about how there is no time or money for a self-care life or they have guilt around allowing themselves to have some self-care time because they have to forgo time to care for family members as a trade-off. This sparks me to think that sometimes we get the meaning of self-care wrong or mistaken for something that we have to go do to pamper ourselves. Now, this may be a part of it, self-care goes a bit deeper than doing the shiny things. Self-care begins for what the words actually translate into. Self-care is about taking care of the self. There are 5 things every woman should know about self-care. Below, I describe exactly how to go about doing this.
1. Start with looking at self-love
Well first of all, it is important to figure out what self-love is for you. Do you struggle with self-love, self-compassion? Is there something you do not like about yourself or the way you look? If so, consider what is behind this and seek the resources you need to achieve this. If it is difficult for you to think about loving yourself, then maybe this should lead you in the direction of seeking therapy and counseling services, read a self-help book, or do something of the sort.
2. Next look into your outside influences
Self-care is about surrounding ourselves with positivity and connection to like-minded people. Examine who are your outside influences. Do you have mentors in your life or people who uplift you and encourage you to do well in the world? Caring for the self is a piece of doing the things we need that are healthy and that is sometimes taking an inventory of our outside influences.
3. Find the motivation
I get it, sometimes, even self-care as tempting as it is and when it is available to us, it is difficult to do. The act itself, can seem daunting because oftentimes self-care as we know it requires us to engage in leaving the house. But think about it in smaller steps such as clearing your mind by journaling, watching something that makes you laugh, for me it is friends or the big bang theory. Those always no matter how many times I’ve watched always make me laugh out loud. So don’t overcomplicate things and just take one small step to get you motivated.
4. Take care of your health
Again, here this may feel like where do I start? Maybe health is something you always leave until the end or maybe it pains you to think about it. Or maybe you are way ahead of the game with this, but I know I am not. If this is something difficult for you to do, start with a small step such as drinking water, if you never drink water, add one glass to your day then add two, and keep going. Maybe what it means is to schedule that doctor’s appointment you have been putting off. Take that step today.
5. Finally, get to the depths of your inner beauty
Finally, do the things that make you shine? Be kind, be happy, be peaceful, laugh, wear what you love, spread goodness around and be beautiful inside. If this part of your life, needs you, focus on it. Don’t know where to start? Download the self-care worksheet to figure out where to focus on. If you prefer to listen to the 5 things every woman should know about self-care head on over to the podcast for more.