Chaos • Alignment • Synchronicity • Source

Self-care offers benefits such as better physical, mental, and emotional health.  Research has even shown that self-care promotes even more positive health outcomes, like building resilience, living longer, and being better able to manage life’s stressors, like your job and other responsibilities. Whatever it is that you’re doing, self-care will make that even better.

The best way to get into a routine of regularly practicing self-care is to start! Start small, and implement one practice each week that you can fit into your daily routine. Track it, are you seeing positive changes? You can add more activities or downtime as you feel ready.

Some examples — people often talk about taking a bath with scented candles or a bath bomb. This isn’t always accessible, it certainly isn’t to many people living in apartments with shower-stalls.  One of my favourite ways to actively engage in my self-care is a Random Act of Kindness .. I crochet, so putting together something simple and leaving it in a public place with a little sign that says something lovely on it, “I’m not lost, I’m just alone, if I made you smile, please take me home!”

But it can look like anything that rejuvenates you — taking a walk, building a blanket fort, having dinner with friends, planting a tree or flowers, listening to music — it can be as simple as reminding yourself to get up and stretch or get a glass of water, after you’ve been sitting at your desk for too long.  Self-care can be taking a 2 minute break to just close your eyes and breath, right at your desk. Allow all your thoughts to fade and just savour the moment.  Self-care can also be, if funds are available, going on a week-long vacation to Cuba. It depends on the person and the need.

Working with a therapist, or with a coach is most certainly an act of self-care. They can also model/lead by example.

You cannot pour from an empty cup. In order for us as humans to effectively take care of others, we must first take care of ourselves. The analogy is often shared as putting on your oxygen mask first in the airplane, before the person you are responsible for — if you pass out, you’re no good to them. If we are overwhelmed by life and we haven’t done what we need to take care of ourselves, we are often no good to ourselves OR others.

One of the things I like to do with clients is build a Self-Care list, write out all the activities they enjoy and feel like they get rest or energy from.  And then look at some major stressors in life, what are chronic stressors and what are temporary stressors.  Then, take both lists and cross reference them — when I feel X stress, I can relieve some of the pressure by doing X self-care activity.

Fork theory — the more forks we have in us, the more stressors we have. It could be large forks, like the electricity bill is due and you don’t have enough to cover it, or you have a major project coming due at work, or medium forks, like the dog needs to go to the groomer but no one has time to fit it in, you need to return some library books before they’re overdue, or as small as having a hang-nail or needing to go to the washroom … and while you can’t always fix the large or medium forks in one sitting, they may take some planning and resources, but relieving the things you can take care of is part of self-care .. get up and go to the washroom, or book yourself a manicure at that great place that charges $25 cash.

Self-care answers the age-old question: Is the cup half full or half empty? No — the cup is refillable!

If you’re going it alone and would like some pointers or to make a connection with someone who regularly practices in self-care, reach out and let’s do a free 30 minute Discovery Call, I’d love to help you find the time for self-care in your everyday routine.