Is self-care a top priority for you? Or do you consider it an indulgence for which you do not have time? Self-care must be a priority for us to be at our absolute best, both for ourselves and for those around us. This is a difficult lesson for many of us to learn, but if we want to be at our absolute best, for ourselves and for those around us, we must make it a priority. Consider self-care a necessity, not a luxury, in light of the pace and stress that life can impose on us all.
So, what does self-care mean? Self-care means doing things that are good for your physical, mental, and emotional health. Some people think that self-care has to be expensive and fancy, but that’s not true. The things that make the biggest difference are often the simplest ones.
We’ve put together a list of the best ways to take care of yourself (yes, it is a practice!). Why not try to take care of yourself every day, week, month, and year? Start taking care of yourself now, don’t wait until you’re having trouble.
1. Mindful moments
Self-care can be as easy as stopping and taking a few deep breaths throughout the day. You could do this by taking three slow, deep breaths or by focusing on your senses for a few seconds. This can be a surprising source of power because it can help you “reset” even on the busiest days. The most difficult part is to remember to do it.
Now try it! Take three deep breaths and pay attention to how your breath feels in your body. What do your body parts feel like? Your chest and belly gently going up and down? How does your breath sound? When you feel air in your nose? Now, look around you for a moment. Take note of what you can see and hear, as well as how your body is touching the chair and your clothes.
It’s amazing what a few minutes of pausing to be here and now can do for the rest of your day. “Smile, breathe, and go slowly,” says Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.
2. Self-soothe
When you feel sad, anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed, take a moment to practice RAIN, which will help you turn with care and kindness toward your feelings. You can:
Recognising what’s going on. Consciously acknowledge the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that are influencing you.
Allowing the experience to be there, just as it is, without trying to fix or avoid it.
Investigating what’s going on, with interest and care. You might ask yourself “what is going on in my body right now?”, “What wants my attention right now?”, “What am I believing right now?”
Nurturing yourself. What do I need most? Try to treat yourself like a friend. Consider a gentle touch while doing this. Place one hand over your heart, hug yourself, or squeeze one hand.
3. Move your body
Have you ever noticed that the way you move depends on how you’re feeling? For instance, when we’re tired or sad, our bodies tend to feel heavy and move more slowly, while when we’re anxious, we either move quickly or feel like we can’t move at all. This link between how we feel and how we move works both ways, which means we can change how we feel by changing how we move.
Exercise can help with anxiety by slowing down the body’s “fight or flight” response. People with anxiety can be afraid of or fight the physical changes that come with it, like a fast heartbeat and shortness of breath. Exercise can help you get used to these feelings and is also a great way to improve your mood.
You might move your body regularly as part of your self-care routine by walking, running, swimming, cycling, or going to the gym. However, there are a lot of other ways to move your body. You could take a regular dance class, join a hiking group, or try yoga, tai chi, or qigong, which are more gentle ways to move. Try to get in touch with your body and hear what it needs.
4. Make time for rest
Take a moment to think about how much rest you really give yourself. Our culture puts too much value on being busy and often sees resting as unproductive or lazy. But we think that more than ever, we need to build rest into our lives on purpose. Rest gives us a chance to slow down, calm our overactive nervous systems, and get back in touch with the things and people we care about most. When we’re well rested, we can think more clearly and freely, respond more quickly, and tap into our intuition and creativity better.
Think about how you could plan to rest as part of your self-care routine. Here are some ideas to help you get going:
- Sleep-ins
- Time in nature
- Reading in bed
- Meditation
- Soaking in a hot bath
- Listening to music
- Massages
- Time alone
- A gentle yoga class
- A night in
- Journalling
- A face-mask in front of a rom-com!
- Creating a relaxing pre-sleep routine
- Cuddles with a pet
5. Tell people what you need
Reach out to other people and tell them what you need. It’s easy to think that the people who care about us should already know what we need and that we shouldn’t have to tell them. But we can’t just assume that people will know what we want if we don’t say it clearly.
Part of taking care of yourself is to think about what you need and say what those needs are. If it’s hard for you to tell other people what you need, you’re not the only one.
It’s important to check in with yourself regularly and figure out what you need, especially when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed. It’s possible you need:
- A hug
- Time in the company of someone who cares about you
- Time alone
- Someone to listen without necessarily giving advice
- Practical support
You might want to make a big change in your life and need help in different ways. You might need help from a psychologist, or if you already see one, you might decide that a regular check-in with them is a good way to take care of yourself.
6. Try something new
Taking care of yourself by being creative is a great way to do this. Creativity comes in many forms, and it doesn’t always mean being artistic, musical, or crafty, as we often think it does.
Try to think of creativity as trying new things, seeing the world in new ways, and being open to new ideas and experiences. Here are a couple of ways you may not have thought of to be creative:
- Try a new recipe, a new hobby, or a different way to move (e.g. dance, hiking)
- Find new music and listen to it.
- Find and read a new writer
- Take a different way to work, school, or another place you go often, whether you walk, ride a bike, or drive.
- Try coloring, painting with water, or making your own mandala.
- Take a photo with a common theme every day for a month (e.g. trees; shadows; animals; textures; food)
- Go to an art show, a play, or a live music show to appreciate the creativity of others.
