Self-care is one of the most important things you can do for yourself to increase your happiness and satisfaction with life. Many love to talk about self-care, but somehow let it fall by the wayside as other priorities compete for our attention. Does this sound like you?
You have a lot going on in your life. Lots of things need your time. So why should you prioritize caring for yourself?
If you don?t take care of yourself, you?ll eventually burn out and your body will break down and force you to possibly take the whole week off. If that happens, you won?t be able to take care of any of those other things on your list!
Also, you matter. Your health and well-being matter. When you put yourself last, you?re sending a message to your subconscious that you don?t matter, that everything else is worth more and is more important than you. You might not notice it, but that?s going to hurt your feelings of self-worth.
So, what does self-care look like?
Real self-care starts with taking care of yourself the way you take care of the people you love who depend on you. It means getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising as much as you can. Take time to replenish yourself. Even if it is a 15 minute time to read, take a walk, listen to music and dance, or play with your dog.
Make that appointment for that toothache or getting that sore spot checked out. Caring for yourself means making sure you have the things you need to live properly, such as timely haircuts and new glasses.
Self-care also means making time for yourself and the things you enjoy. Everyone needs ?me? time, whether that means taking a nap, having a spa day, going fishing, or whatever appeals to you. Just sitting on the porch watching the sunset can count as self-care.
Most importantly, self-care means treating yourself as if you matter and are valuable. Because guess what? You do and you are.
